EducationNews.org

By Nelson Hernandez
The interim chief of the Prince George's County school system has backed away from plans to shift a talented-and-gifted program from one of its most successful elementary schools, saying a separate change in his proposal to close a dozen schools rendered the move unnecessary.

The proposal to move one school's talented-and-gifted program in Prince George's is only a small part of a sweeping plan to realign school boundaries and close a dozen mostly under-enrolled schools to save $11.9 million in the fiscal year that starts in July. Candice Lee of Capitol Heights at a meeting to discuss possible elementary school closings.

The audition sequence at the competitive Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts is changing. This has prompted disagreement about how the process was previously conducted and discontent among families who believe they've been lied to about the school.

State schools are failing to pick out their brightest and most talented pupils for a flagship elite scheme, it has emerged. The report further revealed that some schools may also be reluctant to identify youngsters because they do not understand the role that special support can play in helping their top pupils.

An article reporting that the Montgomery County school system may end practice of labeling students as gifted or not in the 2nd grade ignites a fire within the local gifted-and-talented community.

A flagship scheme was accused of failing the brightest schoolchildren, with one in seven pupils marked as gifted and talented failingto get five good GCSEs. Official figures show that 11,628 pupils on the scheme did not achieve the government benchmark of five A* to C grades, including maths and Eng

The Pittsburgh Public Schools has postponed a pilot program for gifted students until fall, saying it needs more time to put the program together.

By YOAV GONEN Education Reporter
Administrators at a Bronx middle school have slammed the brakes on a group of accelerated students - abruptly knocking an entire eighth-grade class from an honors program. Fuming parents at

Today's educators diligently try to ensure all children meet basic academic standards. With so much focus on No Child Left Behind and closing the achievement gap, some might wonder whether proper attention is being given to high-potential gifted and talented students.

Three months after a Homewood group proposed turning Pittsburgh Westinghouse High School into a sports-science magnet, residents still are wrestling with the right programs and grade configuration for the school.

Rachel Haggar, who teaches gifted students at Georgian Forest Elementary School in Silver Spring, leads a reading lesson with fourth-graders. Montgomery County officials plan to abandon a decades-old policy that sorts second-grade students into those who are gifted and those who are not.

by Sarah Carr
A brief test dashed Muriel Altikriti's hope of getting her 3-year-old son into Hynes Charter School.

By Jay Mathews

Teacher Bernie Glaze saw the hidden potential in C students. The first story Bernie Glaze ever told me was about Kevin and Duc, two basketball-crazed teens who felt her Theory of Knowledge class at Mount Vernon High School was not their thing.