Q. What is the TALENT Act?
A. The TALENT Act, or the To Aid Gifted and High-Ability Learners by Empowering the Nation's Teachers Act, is bipartisan legislation that I recently introduced. It’s designed to help teachers and school administrators take into consideration the needs of high-ability students during the planning process at the school, district and state levels, which already exists under the current federal No Child Left Behind law. The TALENT Act would promote professional development to help teachers and other school personnel better understand and recognize the needs of these students. It is cost-effective because, instead of creating a new program, it builds on existing law to continue researching ways for teachers and other school personnel to meet the unique learning needs of high-ability students.
Q. Why is the TALENT Act necessary?
A. When it comes to the achievement of proficiency goals, there is some evidence that No Child Left Behind has helped close the gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their more advantaged peers. However, in respect to gifted students, the achievement gap is widening. Some of America’s most promising students are being left behind because many teachers do not have the ability or training to recognize or help cultivate the interests and talents of high-ability students. As a result, not only can these students fail to meet their full potential, but they may even earn poor grades out of boredom and frustration.
High-ability students need to be challenged. Some schools currently offer programs for gifted students, but many do not. Regardless, most high-ability students spend the majority of their school time in classes that don’t challenge them. Implementation of the TALENT Act would address this issue by providing for more accurate assessments of students’ abilities; promoting strategies to challenge and support high-ability learners, such as allowing students to take classes with their intellectual peers, where the curriculum is matched to their ability rather than to their age; expanding professional development opportunities for teachers; and emphasizing research on the best ways to educate high-ability students.
Q. What benefits would passage of the TALENT Act provide the general public?
A. Today’s high-ability students could be tomorrow’s inventors, chemists, doctors, etc. If motivated to learn and achieve, one of today’s gifted students could invent the next helpful piece of modern technology or develop a cure for cancer. According to recent international tests, students in China topped the charts in math, science, and reading, while U.S. students were in the middle to bottom of the pack. The future prosperity of our nation depends on our ability to ensure a steady supply of individuals capable of achieving and competing at the highest levels. Passage of the TALENT Act would help us reach that goal.