NAGC's Legislative Action Network

The National Association of Gifted Children Raises Awareness

Apr 3, 2009

Gifted children are blessed with parents and educators willing to advocate for them. The NAGC combines those powerful forces into a strong voice.

For many teachers of gifted and talented students, the annual NAGC conference is a homecoming of sorts. The conference gives teachers a chance to work with other gifted education specialists and learn more about the latest research and trends in gifted education. There is far more to NAGC than simply the annual conferences; many teachers stay connected to national issues about gifted education through the NAGC website, which has launched LAN, the Legislative Action Network.

The Purpose of the NAGC LAN

The NAGC is working to establish a voice for federal issues. The NAGC speaks for gifted and talented learners, and the needs of those children are communicated through their parents and teachers. The Legislative Action Network allows NAGC to quickly contact subscribed parents and teachers and update them on legislative issues impacting gifted children.

After being contacted by NAGC, the organization hopes that parents and teachers will contact legislators and ask them to take specific actions on certain bills. The NAGC website states, "LAN members can expect to hear from NAGC once a month, with additional communications requesting specific action that is tied to key legislative activity or opportunities to raise awareness in their communities."

How to Join the Legislative Action Network

Unlike membership to the NAGC, which costs between $25 (for a parent membership) and $800 (for a lifetime membership), joining the LAN is free. Teachers and parents sign up on through the Legislative Action Network site. It is important to know in which federal congressional district one's address belongs, because that is asked for on the form. The site has a link to help quickly determine the number. The form then asks for contact information, offers some categories to help narrow down the applicant's connection to gifted children, and a few questions indicating one's willingness to contact legislators.

What are Current Legislative Issues Concerning Gifted Education?

Although someone in the school district is usually assigned to stay on top funding issues for gifted education, parents are often unaware of the delicate balance of money flowing (or, more accurately, trickling) in to gifted education programs. Most legislative issues concern funding. Some of the issues NAGC has looked at recently include:

As parents and teachers grow increasingly concerned about funding cuts in gifted education and changing mandates in state education, it is important to stay connected to legislative issues that will impact program funding and implementation. Joining the free Legislative Action Network from the National Association of Gifted Children will help parents and teachers stay involved, offer easy (and optional) ways to contact legislators, and lend strength to an organization that is truly devoted to meeting the needs of g/t kids.

The copyright of the article NAGC's Legislative Action Network in Gifted Education is owned by Alex Sharp. Permission to republish NAGC's Legislative Action Network in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.