How to Start a Gifted Advocacy Group
Parents Collaborate, Share Experience, and Promote GT Programming
Nov 8, 2008
Parent advocacy is often a necessary cornerstone to successful gifted programming. Because intellectually gifted students are a special needs population, the best GT programs invite parents to be a part of student educational planning. Likewise, in districts where Gifted and Talented programs are either nonexistent or not a priority, parents may need to use their advocacy skills to help teachers to provide appropriate challenges for precocious children.
At times parents of gifted children – and especially parents of highly and profoundly gifted children – may feel like a lone voice in the wilderness, and a lone voice is never as effective as a group effort. For this reason, it may be useful to create a parent advocacy group for the purpose of supporting gifted programming for precocious children and their families.
Organizing a GT Parent Advocacy Group
Determine a date and time for a first meeting. Consider the public library, a school classroom, a community room at the town office or even a coffee shop for this purpose.
An early challenge for fledgling advocacy groups may be to find and communicate details of the group with families with gifted children. To reach the intended audience, organizers may want to spread word of the group in a variety of ways:
- Contact Gifted and Talented Coordinators from local school districts: Since successful advocacy involves teamwork, be sure to communicate an interest in supporting the needs of teachers and support personnel.
- Communicate with PTO Leaders: Ask whether the PTO can announce the organizational meeting during a regular meeting.
- Discuss details of the group with teachers and school administrators: Be sure to invite their ideas and participation. The group will only be stronger if all parties are engaged.
- Post the Meeting on Online GT Newsletters and Email Lists: For instance, the Educator's Guild for the Davidson Institute has an Email Newsletter that reaches thousands of GT educators nationwide.
- Use Library Bulletin Boards and Newsletters: Libraries are a typical hangout for bright families. Ask whether information about the group can be posted in the library.
- Find Homeschool Groups: Many involved parents turn to homeschooling in order to meet the needs of their gifted students. Use a search engine to find leaders of local homeschool groups.
Create a Support Group Agenda
Although attending group members will eventually want to work together to determine the needs of gifted students in the area, the parent or parents initiating the group will want to have an agenda for the first meeting or two. At initial meetings, organizers may
- Define the purpose of the group.
- Determine group officers.
- Create an email list and phone tree for the purpose of communicating future events.
- Brainstorm potential topics, guest speakers, workshops and book groups that may be of interest to families of gifted children.
- Discuss ways of becoming involved in local, state and federal legislation affecting gifted and Twice Exceptional students.
- Determine whether the group wants to coordinate student activities during meeting times.
Be sure to bring snacks and name tags to the first meeting, and have a second date, time and location already scheduled for the purpose of continuity.
Early organization at the group's inception will encourage a lasting sense of purpose and professionalism among group members. Ultimately, the direct involvement of parents and community members will benefit gifted students and GT programming while also providing much needed social networking for anyone who works with precocious children.
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