Election Guide for Gifted Education in NZ

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1 Gifted Children are Priority Learners Too. Election Guide for Gifted Education in NZ 2014 in association with

2 This election guide provides a snippet of what political parties had to say about gifted education. What We Asked Them: We asked them three questions and we ve included all parties who have responded.you can get their full responses from our website 1. What does your Party s education policy provide for gifted and talented students? 2. What actions would you take in order to support the progression of gifted education in New Zealand? What resources would you commit to achieving your goals? 3. What is your Party s vision for learners with special education needs within our education system? This guide was compiled by New Zealand Centre for Gifted Educaiton, The Professional Association for Gifted Education (giftednz), and New Zealand Association for Gifted Children (NZAGC). NZCGE New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education New Zealand Centre for Gifted Education was established in 2014 as the result of a merger between The Gifted Education Centre and Gifted Kids. Collaboratively, the organisations are New Zealand s largest specialist provider of gifted services directly to children. They have over 35 years experience in delivering specialist programmes from early childhood, through primary to college aged students and include the programmes One Day School, Gifted Kids, Small Poppies, and Gifted Online, operating from Dargaville to Invercargill. The Centre also offers a gifted education consultancy service. Gifted Education Centre

3 The Professional Association for Gifted Education giftednz is the professional body for those working in the field of gifted education in New Zealand. It provides a way of working together to nurture our gifted and talented students: teachers, principals, counsellors, RTLBs, educational psychologists, teacher educators, professional development providers, researchers, postgraduate students and anyone with a professional interest in gifted and talented education. giftednz s goals are: To advocate for equitable educational opportunities for gifted and talented students. To enhance the profile of gifted and talented education in New Zealand. To create a professional community for networking, supporting and learning. To encourage the pursuit and sharing of best practice in gifted and talented education. To provide liaison with international organizations and other national associations for gifted and talented education. New Zealand Association for Gifted Children The New Zealand Association for Gifted Children (NZAGC) founded in 1975, exists to promote the needs of gifted children. NZAGC publishes Tall Poppies magazine, and APEX - the NZ Journal of Gifted Education, NZAGC also have an extensive library of books magazines and resources for members to borrow. Membership of the NZAGC is open to all individuals, associations or schools who wish to support the goals of the Association, to parents of gifted children, and to others with a professional interest in the field. The autonomous regional branches organise activities club-days, speakers, parent evenings and camps where gifted children and their parents can find support, friendship and stimulation. NZAGC is a not for profit organisation run by parent and teacher volunteers. Our National Council is made up of parents, professionals and gifted education advisors. NZAGC provides an environment where gifted children, their parents, teachers and other professionals can meet, learn from each other and work in partnership to best serve our gifted children.

4 What They Said: Ensure that the professional development of teachers and staff working with special needs students is funded separately rather than having to come out of the Special Needs Grant and thus reducing the amount available for directly supporting students. Promote an increase of funding for early identification of children with special needs and disabilities with targeted systematic, intensive and high quality interventions. UnitedFuture acknowledges that gifted children are among some of the most neglected due to perceptions that they are fortunate rather than the truth which is that they are poorly catered for. Better educate student teachers and current classroom teachers on how to identify and respond to the needs of gifted children Fund specialist education programmes for children assessed as requiring such provision. seek to establish tagged funding for student extension and enrichment within schools operation grant. establish nationwide teacher professional development and funding support for high ability and gifted students. welcome greater attention to the report findings of GEM (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor) as the can-do attitude and make it happen capacity of Kiwis is known throughout the world. It is imperative that the proportion of New Zealand students achieving at the highest levels is trending upward.

5 the comfort, safety and self-recognition of mana in every learner early identification of over- or under-sensitivities in tamariki which may cause barriers to learning and functioning within the classroom through free health assessments the importance of the home-school relationship in fostering individual talents and gifts the importance of a positive teacher-learner relationship the wider application of Māori practice models, such as tuakana-teina peer mentoring, across mainstream learning spaces With a commitment to: R&D funding in the area of gifted Māori learners specifically contact teachers to support local learners through online programmes education to be understood as a series of learning conversations and interactions between the learner, their school, their home, and their community the development of learners who will share their gifts and talents with the world MANA will boost funding for special education, including the education of gifted and talented children, in kura kaupapa, wharekura and schools and eliminate the barriers to accessing it. A 100% free, high quality public education system, from early childhood to the tertiary level, is the best investment a country can make in its own future. MANA is committed to ensuring the public education system is fully equipped and funded to enable all learners to achieve to their full potential.

6 We have a vision for an education system where every child is recognised for their uniqueness and supported to achieve all they re capable of, regardless their home life, their culture or any disability or special ability. For gifted and talented learners, inclusiveness means first having their gifts recognised and then having their specific needs and aspirations met at school. We would see gifted education services, and other special education providers, as key parts of many school hubs and will work with the sector to make this happen. We d like to see schools report on the numbers of children identified as gifted and talented and how their needs are met so that researchers can evaluate how to better meet these groups needs. Our goal of 100 per cent inclusion can only be real if we enough support staff and resources to make it real. We want gifted and talented students to realise their potential, and to be well supported in doing so. That is why schools are required to identify gifted and talented students and make sure these students, their teachers, and families are well supported to realise their potential. This Government has invested in a range of programmes and initiatives to support gifted and talented students, and we will continue to do so. This investment includes supporting schools to implement quality, sustainable gifted and talented programmes by: Providing professional support for teachers. Developing resources. Implementing supplementary programmes.

7 ACT believes that every child is different and special. For this reason we reject the idea of a highly centralised, government driven education system. We believe that governments should fund education, but students and parents should have more choice about the schools they spend their money at. We favour this approach because nobody has all of the answers for educating a gifted, or any other, child. Nobody, therefore, can construct a national plan to do so. What does work is giving students choices and educators room to innovate. ACT s Partnership Schools are an example of this approach. While they are not currently targeted at gifted students, these schools allow innovative educators to offer new choices and new styles of schools. The same can be said for independent schools, a number of which offer novel choices for gifted children, at a price. ACT s policy is to increase choice by increasing the subsidy for independent schools (and therefore reducing cost to parents), increasing the flexibility afforded to educators in State and Integrated schools, and, in time, expanding the Partnership School program to help more students. These initiatives will open up more space for innovative educators to provide education that is as diverse and special as New Zealand s children. The Labour Party stands for an inclusive education system in which every New Zealander is given the opportunity to achieve to their full potential. We recognise that everyone is different, we all learn at different rates, and we all have different strengths and abilities. Labour will support: the development and retention of programmes that aim to extend gifted and talented students. professional development programmes for classroom teachers, school leaders, and school support staff aimed specifically at bringing out the best in gifted and talented students. Our track record shows that where we can, we have provided financial support to programmes for gifted and talented students, and we will do so again when we are next in government. Every student with an identified learning need gets the support necessary for them to achieve to their full potential.

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