Readers Perceive Gifted Strategy Quite Differently

Through three decades the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s Carl Schleer was a teacher in Richland, a community full of scientists and engineers and their often gifted children.

Now retired and living in Spokane, Schleer believes Spokane School District 81 has done the right thing in planning to set up a full-time school for gifted grade-schoolers.

Early in his career, Schleer says, youngsters were “tracked,” a term that causes many of today’s educators to shudder. Elementary and junior high students were tested and assigned to core-curriculum classes according to ability.

But, notes Schleer, as they progressed, they were reassessed and could change tracks accordingly. In the meantime, they received instruction tailored to their current learning levels.

Teachers were able to work with students according to individual needs.

“Then, in the late ‘60s, along came a series of administrators with what they thought were innovative ideas,” says Schleer. “They thought grouping was discriminatory and they introduced the concept of mainstreaming.”

One consequence of that move, he says, was its damaging effect on non-gifted students who, in the presence of intellectual stars, often became more withdrawn in the classroom.

“They would think, ‘I’m not going to open my mouth. I’m not going to put anything out there that puts me at risk,”’ Schleer says.

They were victims of what Schleer calls the “intellectual pecking order.”

“It was so dismaying to me to see so many of these kids shut down. That just tore the guts out of me more than once.”

Says Schleer: “This vaunted mainstreaming really hurt a lot of kids.”

Pam Bale, whose child is in District 81’s one-day-a-week Tessera program for gifted elementary school students, sees things differently.

“I say that District 81 needs to take the money it spends on our ‘special’ children - the gifted, physically handicapped, mentally handicapped - and use it to reduce the student-teacher ratio in all classrooms to at least 15-to-1. Then the needs of every child could be met, not just the needs of a select few.”

Schleer and Bale were two of several readers who sent “Bagpipes” thoughtful comments about District 81’s decision and about gifted programs in general. More will appear in Tuesday’s column.

, DataTimes MEMO: “Bagpipes” appears Tuesdays and Thursdays. To respond, call Cityline at 458-8800, category 9881, from a Touch-Tone phone or send a fax to 459-5098 or e-mail to dougf@spokesman.com. You also can leave Doug Floyd a message at 459-5577, extension 5466.