Is Unequal Funding for Gifted and Talented Students Fair? Special Education Discussion (Personal Opinion Example)

Discussion: Funding for gifted and talented students versus students with disabilities

A great deal of educational money is spent on children with disabilities, including assistive technology such as communication devices for children with severe and profound disabilities. These children have a right to this support. However, children who are gifted and talented receive less funding and educational support. Do you feel it is fair to give a disparate amount of money to gifted and talented children?

Why or why not? How would you explain this to the parent of a child with advanced development? What if you were the parent? This is your personal opinion.

Original example for study purposes (about 370 words). This is a personal opinion question, so revise the view to reflect your own beliefs and experiences.

In my opinion, it is fair for schools to spend more money on students with disabilities than on gifted students, but it is not fair for gifted students to receive little or no support. Fairness in education does not mean equal dollars for every child; it means each child receives what they need to learn and grow. A child who cannot speak needs a communication device simply to access instruction, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees students with disabilities a free appropriate public education. Those services are often expensive because the needs are significant. Gifted children, however, also have real learning needs. When they are not challenged, they can become bored, disengaged or underachieving, and some gifted students, especially those from low-income families or those who are “twice-exceptional” (gifted and with a disability), are overlooked entirely. Because there is no federal mandate for gifted education, support depends heavily on where a child lives.

Explaining this to a parent. If I were talking to the parent of a child with advanced development, I would acknowledge their concern honestly and explain that disability funding reflects legal requirements and the cost of giving some children basic access to learning. I would then focus on what we can do for their child: differentiated instruction, flexible grouping, curriculum compacting, acceleration in a subject or grade, enrichment projects, advanced online courses and competitions or mentorships. I would invite the parent to partner with me in setting goals and to advocate at the district and state levels for better gifted education funding.

If I were the parent. As a parent, I would probably feel frustrated if my child were bored and unchallenged while resources seemed limited, and I would want the school to take my child’s needs seriously. At the same time, I would not want support taken away from children with disabilities, because I would want every child, including mine, to be treated with dignity. I would advocate for additional funding and creative solutions rather than competition between groups of students. In the end, I believe both groups are “exceptional learners” who deserve appropriate education, and the goal should be to expand opportunities for all children rather than divide limited resources against each other.

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