I have three adult daughters who attended Baltimore County schools and were involved in their gifted and talented programs ("Baltimore County school officials want to drop 'gifted and talented' label; parents object," Aug. 7).
Throughout their educational experience, school system administrators tried to get rid of the programs or dilute them, and we had to fight back through data-driven research showing that gifted and talented children have special needs.
The strategies and expectations that are used to teach gifted children can be applied to other students and they can improve academically, but that does not negate the special needs of these children.
Also, whenever I have seen research about putting children of different ability levels together, they can have success with small groups and well trained teachers.
Sad to say Baltimore county does not have those assets, however.
If the schools get rid of their gifted and talented programs, they better have the resources to meet those children's needs as well as the other children's needs.
If administrators want to make big changes in education, the school board should first authorize small clusters of the program to see how the changes work and then implement them slowly.
Our children suffer from the constant changes In systems. But is this really about meeting the children's needs?
Linda Boteach, Reisterstown