Submitted by Hilary Kitasei, Nov 6, 2006 11:01

I do not know the thinking that went into the decision to locate this GT program far from the presumed source of many of its eligible students, but it is similar to what is done very successfully in Fairfax County, Virigina. There they have true "GT schools within schools" that are far more than the skimpy GT programs that are offered in NY schools. The problem is that when you put a GT program in a school where 90% of the parents will pressure the administration and teachers to admit their child, you end up with diluted "enrichment" programs, not a truly accelerated curriculum. The resentment of parents whose childrens don't qualify for the GT program is too simply too great to bear. But if you locate the GT school in an environment without that pressure, you can create a true GT curriculum. (The IQ bar at the Virginia schools is 140.) Admission is test-based with some room for subjective assessment. The location of the school sets its own bar by selecting for students who were willing to travel to get a unique education with their intellectual peers.

It still takes a gifted principal of the host school to make sure that the imported GT program or school is not resented by the struggling school. Again, I would study the Fairfax example.

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