Special Focus

Presidential Candidates Weigh In on Gifted Education

Volume 1 / Issue 1 / Fall 2000

The Duke Gifted Letter recognizes that bright students have special needs that all too often go unattended. In most states, funding for the gifted is grossly underappropriated.

To ensure that the needs of gifted children are not overlooked and to assist parents in making an informed choice in the upcoming presidential election, the Duke Gifted Letter invited candidates George W. Bush and Al Gore to state their position on the education of America’s gifted students. We asked the candidates how they would support the special educational needs of gifted students, what their position is on federal initiatives for the gifted, and how they feel about the Advanced Placement program.

Gore

I envision a new American school system for the twenty-first century—one with modern classrooms, smaller classes, smaller schools, and more individual attention for each student—to ensure that all of our children have the opportunity to rise to their highest possible level.

To challenge our most gifted children and tailor learning to every student’s learning pace, schools need the latest information technology. As president, I will finish the job of wiring every classroom to the Internet, ensuring that teachers and students are trained to use it well and helping provide schools with the latest educational software. This will allow students to access challenging coursework across the country and around the world while enhancing existing programs—opening new doors of opportunity to those with exceptional needs and abilities. School districts receiving federal funding will be required to develop strategies to hold all students to high standards, including providing qualified students in every high school with the opportunity to take Advanced Placement courses.

To complement new, smaller schools and smaller classes, we must also boost teacher quality and hold teachers accountable for their performance in the classroom. My proposed Education Trust Fund includes a comprehensive ten-year plan to recruit one million new teachers and boost teacher pay in exchange for higher teacher standards. Under this proposal, teachers reaching an advanced professional standard would receive an additional $5,000 salary increase—for example, given to those who teach gifted and special education classes.

With the right kind of investments and measures for accountability, we can help gifted students realize their vast potential and lift up all of our children to educational excellence.
—Al Gore, June 2000

Bush

Children are our most precious resource, and we must ensure that they achieve their highest potential. We must close the academic achievement gap for lagging students and insist on improved performance for our most accomplished students.

As governor of Texas, I signed legislation increasing funding for high school Advanced Placement classes, which created six new AP classes per high school and provided for student testing and teacher training.

As president, I will encourage states to expand opportunities for advanced coursework and talented and gifted programs. In return for improved student achievement, my plan gives states more flexibility with federal funds to establish and expand advanced courses. A $500 million Achievement in Education Fund will reward states that increase the number of students who are proficient on the National Assessment of Education Progress, that raise SAT/ACT scores, and that increase the number of students who take and pass AP and International Baccalaureate exams.

My plan challenges America’s colleges and universities to increase opportunities for advanced K–12 math and science achievement. I have proposed a $1 billion Math and Science Partnership for institutions to undertake initiatives such as training AP instructors for high-need schools and developing online AP curricula.

My plan provides incentives to high school students to take advanced college preparation courses. I have proposed establishing enhanced Pell Grants for students who take college-level math and science courses in high school, allowing them an additional $1,000 to pay for college tuition.

We must prize educational excellence and make it a top national priority. We must enact bold reforms that insist on high standards to match the high hopes of America’s parents.
—George W. Bush, July 2000