Links for Portland Parents of Talented and Gifted Children
Newspaper/Media articles about Oregon TAG programs
(Note: many newspaper articles are cached in archives that charge a fee; however they should still be available from your public library)
Portland's TAG Program Not Up To State Standards by Bilal Qureshi for Oregon Public Boradcasting, Portland, OR March 7, 2008 917 a.m.
"Parents who challenged the Talented and Gifted programs in Portland Schools now have an answer. The Oregon Department of Education has decided that the district’s TAG programs do not meet state standards.....
http://news.opb.org/article/portlands-tag-program-now-state-standards/
"State Begins Investigation Of Portland Schools' Gifted Program" by Rob Manning for Oregon Public Broadcasting, May 4, 2007
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1070284
"Schools fall down on TAG service delivery" by Lisa Lednicer for the Portland Oregonian, November 29, 2007http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1196306718125040.xml&coll=7
Review faults program for talented students: Access at Sabin falls short in instructional hours, other areas By Jennifer Anderson, The Portland Tribune, Apr 17, 2007
"Portland Public Schools’ Access program — the district’s only separate program for talented and gifted children — is out of compliance with state standards on five counts, a recent report found.....
The scrutiny of the Access program is happening on a parallel track to a broader review under way of the TAG offerings district wide....The purpose is to find out whether the TAG program is in compliance with Oregon Administrative Rules that govern its operation."
http://www.portlandtribune.com/ news/story. php?story_ id=1176763905996 62700
"Portland schools' gifted program gets poor grades: The district is working on solutions for Access after parents complain" by Paige Parker, The Oregonian Thursday, May 31, 2007
http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf/base/portland_news/1180578390192890.xml&coll=7
"Parents ask if gifted kids get all they need: TAG program varies from school to school within the district" By Jennifer Anderson The Portland Tribune Oct 30, 2006
http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=116224744575229100
"Questions Of Bias Surround ODE-Charter School Squabble" By Rob Manning for Oregon Public Broadcasting, September 9, 2006:
"The Oregon Department of Education recently drew the ire of charter school supporters when it cracked down on admissions policies at Oregon's fastest-growing charter school. But ODE's fast action also got the attention of other school advocates, who have criticized the state for years for lax enforcement of other violations."
http://publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=970579§ionID=1
"Schools stay under the ‘gifted’ gun" by Todd Murphy for the Portland Tribune Tue, May 17, 2005
"A Multnomah County Circuit judge has sided with a group of Portland parents and told the Oregon Department of Education it must reconsider its ruling that the Portland school district was providing appropriate educational services to the district’s “talented and gifted” children......."
http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=29909
Re-evaluation of TAG programs ordered by Besty Hammond for the Portland Oregonian
A judge tells Oregon to determine whether schools are doing enough for talented-and-gifted students
Court Hands TAG Parents Victory By Rob Manning for Oregon Public Broadcasting
PORTLAND, OR 2005-05-13 (OPB Radio) - A group of Portland-area parents has been battling education officials for seven years over the identification and instruction of Talented and Gifted students. Yesterday afternoon, they got a measure of satisfaction. Immediately after hearing oral arguments, a Multnomah County Circuit Judge
ruled that the Department of Education could not defend the legality of Portland's procedures.......
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=771899
Parents Contest State Decision on TAG Program By Rob Manning for OPB
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=670460
Oregon State Department of Education issues Final Findings releasing Portland Public Schools from the TAG complaint; parents appeal
See also: Oregon State Department of Education issues Amended Order concerning TAG complaint.
Schools Failing Gifted Kids, Parents say by Todd Murphy for the Portland Tribune
"Seven years have passed, and Margaret DeLacy is still waiting.
In 1997, a group of Portland parents led by DeLacy filed a complaint with the Oregon Department of Education. Their complaint charged that the Portland school district wasn't giving their kids the schooling that state law mandated for "talented and gifted" children.
Seven years later -- DeLacy's talented and gifted 10th-grader of back then now is nearing college graduation -- DeLacy and the other parents still are waiting for the state's investigation to be completed. And they're waiting, the parents say, for sanctions against the Portland school district, or forced changes in what one parent calls the "pathetic" way the district educates most intellectually gifted kids.
For the parents, the issue is not about smart kids getting special treatment. It is about the Portland schools complying with state law, they said. And, the parents said, it is about not putting children in educational situations that can cause them to become depressed, to think they're mentally ill, or to get bored and drop out of school."http://www.portlandtribune.com/archview.cgi?id=23201
Beaverton talented students underserved by teachers, survey reports by Melissa Navas, The Oregonian March 06, 2008 0939AM
"While Beaverton has nearly twice the state's rate of talented and gifted students, the district has found its teachers are not provided adequate training or time to assess and instruct high achievers.
To improve services, the district is proposing increasing its TAG budget by 65 percent to $1.2 million next fiscal year to provide more training, hire new staff and launch a three-year plan to evaluate and refine its program.
A January survey of district staff reveals that the needs of struggling students often supersede those of high achieving students, according to results reviewed by the district budget committee Tuesday night." ...
http://blog.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/2008/03/beaverton_talented_students_un.html
Options in Works for Students (Beaverton's Summa academy) by David Anderson for the Oregonian
http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/metro_west_news/1077800390227780.xml?oregonian?wn
District aims to beef up talented, gifted offerings, by Wendy Owen, The Oregonian, Thursday, September 21, 2006 :
"The Lake Oswego School District is hoping to improve the consistency and depth of its gifted education for junior high students with a new program called TAG Challenge....
As the district pilots TAG Challenge, it also will be studying its overall program for talented and gifted students, a process accelerated by parents concerned about the quality of gifted education in the district "
See also....
an article by Maya Blackmun in the Oregonian, about an innovative new PTA for TAG parents, Tuesday, April 19, 2005
State's schools chief approves TAG upgrades By Tracy Loew for the Statesman Journal May 30, 2008
Salem — State Schools Superintendent Susan Castillo has approved the Salem-Keizer School District's plan to improve its services to Talented and Gifted students......
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/NEWS/805300350/1001
District removed from TAG lawsuit: Salem-Keizer group may appeal judge's decision by Tracy Loew for the Statesman Journal, May 15, 2008
The Salem-Keizer School District no longer is part of a lawsuit brought against it and the state by parents upset about services provided to gifted students....
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20080515/NEWS/805150343/1001
District offers plan to fix gifted-student program: State must approve S-K's proposal; funding is at stake By Tracy Loew for the Statesman Journal May 13, 2008
"Salem-Keizer School District has completed a plan to improve services to Talented and Gifted students.
In February, after an 11-month investigation, the state cited the district for two violations of state TAG laws in its middle- and high-school programs. State officials gave the district until Monday to outline solutions.
District officials said they think the plan, submitted to the state Friday, addresses all of the problems found in the investigation....."
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/NEWS/805130332/1001
School district long has failed TAG students: Lawsuit verdict shows what many parents have argued unsigned editorial in the Salem Statesman-Journal, February 17, 2008
"For years, the Salem-Keizer School District has told its most creative, questioning students, in effect Help yourselves to extra work if you're bored. Our hands are too full with struggling students to give you much time.
That has driven many parents nuts. They've reasoned, rightly, that talented and gifted kids deserve teachers' attention just as much as any other group...."
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/OPINION/802170318/1048
Leadership lacking from ODE and Castillo commentary by Bill Church for the Salem Statesman-Journal, February 17, 2008
"State Sen. Peter Courtney recently did a Larry, Curly and Mo on the Oregon Department of Human Services brass at a hearing about the state hospital and its, ahem, "problems."
Perhaps the Senate president should convene a hearing with Susan Castillo, the state superintendent of public instruction. If anyone needs a verbal poke, it's the head of the Oregon Department of Education.
Two ODE-related stories last week earned plus-size headlines on the front page. Neither story is a resume-builder for ODE's titular leader, whose name always seems to pop up whenever politicos talk about who will run for governor in 2010...."
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080217/COLUMN0701/802170323/1064
Talented and Gifted students program is violating law, state says
Salem-Keizer's TAG curriculum is cited for two infractions by
TRACY LOEW for the Statesman Journal, Wednesday, February 13, 2008
"The Salem-Keizer School District is not complying with state laws regarding the education of Talented and Gifted students, an 11-month state investigation concludes.
The investigation report, released by the school district late Tuesday, cites the district for two violations of the law in its middle and high school programs:
# Not having in place any system for assessing TAG students' accelerated rates or levels of learning, and not providing appropriate instruction at an accelerated rate or level of learning for TAG students.
# Not providing an opportunity for parents to provide input and discuss programs and services to be received by their children.
The district must submit a plan within 90 days detailing how it will correct the violations. It will have until the 2008-09 school year to implement the changes....
The report comes a week after frustrated parents filed a lawsuit to force the investigation's completion. It took nine months longer than allowed under state statutes....
TAG report delay leads parents to file lawsuit by TRACY LOEW for the Statesman Journal
Thursday, February 7, 2008
"Gifted-students program investigation by the state is nine months past deadline
Salem-Keizer parents frustrated by repeated delays in a state investigation into the district's Talented and Gifted program are suing to force its completion.
The lawsuit, filed this week in Marion County Circuit Court, claims that the Oregon Department of Education has failed to act in good faith.
It asks the court to order the state to complete the investigation, which has taken nine months longer than allowed under state statute....."
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080207/ITK/802070343/1016
Parents upset about pace of investigation: They have asked state to look into education for talented, gifted kids by Tracy Loew, for the Statesman Journal, December 7, 2007
"A group of parents advocating for talented and gifted students say they're frustrated that the state has taken nine months to investigate their complaints about the Salem-Keizer School District's programs. That's six months longer than allowed by state statute.
But state education officials say their hands are tied by insufficient funding.
The Salem-Keizer Student/Parent Advocacy Group filed 33 complaints about the district's TAG services with the state in March 2007....."
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071207/ITK/712070339
Salem-Keizer Parents Lament Lack of Gifted Programs by Tracy Loew, for the Statesman Journal, November 7, 2007http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711080343
State to address complaints about TAG: Parents say S-K curriculum has shortcomings by Tracy Loew, for the Statesman Journal, November 3, 2007
"State officials say the Salem-Keizer School District may not be complying with state laws requiring adequate education services for Talented and Gifted students.
The Oregon Department of Education launched an investigation into the district's middle school and high school TAG programs last spring, in response to parent complaints......"
http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711030322
State presses Sisters schools on TAG by Tia Duerrmeyer, the Sisters Nugget, Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2007
"The Sisters School District has been ordered by the state to further improve its programs for its Talented and Gifted (TAG) students.
Sisters has been found "conditionally standard" regarding programs and services it provides to TAG students. That means Sisters' TAG program is out of compliance with state standards.
As a result the state superintendent of public instruction Susan Castillo has ordered $5,000 be withheld monthly from operating funds the district receives. The funds will be withheld until the district corrects its deficiencies......."
Talented plus Gifted Equals Trouble by Rob Manning for OPB (state meetings) http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=614788
"Educators Focus on Lifting Gifted Students" by Anne Williams for the Eugene Register
Guard March 16, 2004
"TAG, You're It": a one-hour call-in program about Talented and Gifted education in Oregon aired on Oregon Public Broadcasting February 18, 2008, with an associated blog. Streaming audio:
http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/posts/list/802210.page
"Purse strings loosen slightly for gifted students, their parents" 03/17/2007
http://www.kgw.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D8NU47CG2.html
"Leading Minds Left Behind" by Anne Williams, Eugene Register Guard, Monday, Dec. 25, 2006
"Gimre Siblings Thrive as 'Exceptionally At-Risk' Kids" a radio story by Rob Manning of Oregon Public Broadcasting, August 22, 2005. Profile of the Gimres with comments by Jan Davidson. Text version: http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=809935
Conference Focuses on Needs of Gifted Students by Rob Manning for OPB http://publicbroadcasting.net/opb/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=699587
The disparities of college prep by Paige Parker for the Oregonian"Oregon Scores Stay High on ACT tests" by Betsy Hammond for the Oregonian http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news/1061380656263600.xml?oregonian?lced
Sounds good? Read the rest:
"...Oregon students who took the ACT test, "indicated they feel boxed in by their choice of courses
Nearly one in three Oregon students who took the ACT reported that they were dissatisfied with the number and variety of courses offered at their high school. About 43 percent said they were satisfied with the courses offered; the rest were neutral. Nationally, students were significantly more positive about their choice of high school courses.
Richard Ferguson, chief executive of the ACT, said the lack of preparation for college math and science was particularly striking among African American students, suggesting they are not getting the counseling or rigorous coursework they need in high school."
"Summer Lessons Tackle Neglect of Bright Young Minds" by Elena Lesley for the Oregonian, East Metro edition, July 2003.
"Underachievers aren't the only students who need attention.
The brightest minds in a class are often neglected by teachers who assume that good students can do their work with little instruction, said Kristine Fosback, a Reynolds School District teacher for 25 years. Just the opposite is true, she said.
"We have to feed that thirst for knowledge," she said. "There are so many programs for children below grade level, but children above grade level have just as many needs. They need to be challenged; they need to work hard; they need friends they have something in common with."http://www.oregonlive.com/search/index.ssf?/base/metro_east_news/1059134952289110.xml?oregonian?en
"Bright Students, Dim Budgets" by Wendy Lawton for the Oregonian
"half of the state's school systems during the 2001-02 school year didn't set aside a cent to test and teach their most academically accomplished students. ...Faced with the possibility of closing schools early or jacking up class sizes, districts are eliminating instruction programs, slashing teacher training and whacking testing and supply budgets.
When sharp kids aren't challenged, research shows, they often tune out, act out or drop out. With money for Oregon's gifted and talented students at the lowest point in nearly two decades, parents and educators worry that some of the state's 45,000 gifted and talented students will fall through the cracks."
http://www.oregonlive.com/education/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1055419315322500.xml
"Clarion Call to Action" An article by Melissa Steineger for the NW Regional Educational Laboratory http://www.nwrel.org/nwedu/fall_97/article3.html
can be found at http://www.geniusdenied.com/articles.aspx?articleid=15&NavID=11_7
individuals can sign up for the free e-mail monthly update on news from the Davidson Institute at
http://news.ditd.org/signup/signup.html