Challenging Advanced Learners

This week there was an interesting feature in the New York Times about meeting the academic needs of advanced learners. The articles presented a variety of perspectives focusing on this challenge in the public schools. The questions debated boil down to this: Is it possible for our public schools to fully develop our brightest minds while also meeting the needs of all other students? Most of the articles did not paint an optimistic picture for our nation’s brightest kids. In an essay by Frederick M. Hess, he notes that, “In 2008, a survey of the nation’s teachers found that 60 percent said struggling students were a “top priority” at their schools, while just 23 percent said the same of “academically advanced” students. Eighty percent said struggling students were most likely to get one-on-one attention from teachers; just 5 percent said the same of advanced students.” While some of the writers did see hope for our schools’ ability to serve the top, there was a general sense that services for advanced learners in our public schools are far from ideal.

Last week I was interviewed by a reporter for the Baystate Parent Magazine, he raised this same issue and asked if the Massachusetts public schools’ struggle to meet the needs of the best and brightest was “good for Sage.” I think he was a bit surprised when my answer was a resounding “No.” The Sage School’s mission is to challenge, nurture and help guide academically gifted kids to reach their full potential, but it is not just the 162 students in this building that we care about. It is my hope that all schools grapple with this problem and move towards effective solutions. As we see here everyday, when these kids are placed in the appropriate environment and challenged to become their best selves, their potential to make a positive difference in the world is limitless.

Like every thoughtful citizen, we should want this for all of our children. It is the brightest and most engaged young people that will lead the way in solving the problems of the 21st Century. I sincerely hope that all of our schools are preparing all of our kids and, in particular, pushing the most advanced students to reach their full potential. The problems we face here at home and around the globe are multi-faceted, complex, and extremely thorny. While I am glad that Sage students will be prepared to help find the solutions, I also know that they will need all the help they can get.