Schools

Board of Education Rejects Renzulli Academy For New London

Board members, parents have expressed concerns with gifted and talented model

A proposal for an academy for gifted and talented students in the New London Public Schools was rejected Thursday by the Board of Education.

Some parents and board members have expressed concerns with an idea, which would include New London as one of three districts—along with Bridgeport and Windham—sharing a $500,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cook Foundation to establish programs replicating those of Hartford’s Renzulli Gifted and Talented Academy. 

Windham will open a Renzulli within the Windham Middle School in the 2013-2014 school year, according to the district's March newsletter. Bridgeport plans to incorporate elements of the Renzulli program across its district, according to the Connecticut Post.

The New London board voted 4-3 to not accept the program, which was founded by Dr. Joseph Renzulli and one of the implementation steps under consideration in the New London Public Schools’ strategic operating plan for school improvement. In March, Fischer said the district was shifting consideration from establishing a full academy in the 2013-2014 school year to creating an incubator program within the Harbor School.

Dr. Miriam Taylor, director of student services for New London Public Schools, said students would be selected based on standardized test scores as well as qualitative factors such as student motivation and study habits. Board member Bill Morse, who voted in favor of the program, said he thought an incubator program addressed some of the concerns that parents have raised over whether the program would segregate advanced students in a separate building.

“I think this idea would have more acceptance if we were able to contain the program in the child’s school,” he said.

Board President Margaret Curtin said she did not there had been enough data presented on the subject and that the Board had not looked into other factors. She said she did not think the Hartford program had a good record in diversity of race or students with special needs.

“I just don’t feel comfortable voting for something that I don’t have any backup on or anything in writing on,” she said.

Superintendent Nicholas Fischer said he thought the Board concerns on the program were valid, but said the grant would guarantee $140,000 toward staff training and open a source of funding for a sustained gifted and talented program. He said the district would have to find another source for such training if the program was rejected.

“We’re trying to provide opportunities for students,” he said. “There’s no perfect opportunity out there.”

Board member Barbara Major said she thought the program would be beneficial for students who might otherwise have a difficult time fitting in at the school.

“You’re giving them salvation, whether you know it or not," she said. "Some kids just thrive on it. I’m going to vote for it. I think we need to take a chance.”

Secretary Jason Catala said he was in favor of the program because he thought it would raise standards for student achievement and that the training for teachers would go toward benefiting other classes. However, he also said he had concerns over the methods by which gifted and talented students would be chosen.

“They might not score highest on the tests that we give, but they may do well on an oral exam or reading some poetry or different arts,” he said.

Sandy Grande, chairman of the department of education at Connecticut College, said said the department concurs with the New London Parent Advocates’ argument that the Renzulli program is a “separate but not equal policy.” However, she said she agrees with the NLPA’s support of classroom differentiation and that the college would be willing to partner with the district to develop this approach.

Alison Ryan, principal of Bennie Dover Jackson Middle School, said the Renzulli model was used by teachers in her childhood. She encouraged Board members to check with other alumni to hear about the results of the program.

“When you do you’ll hear the kids say, ‘It was finally OK to be myself. It was OK to be smart. I didn’t have to pretend not to be smart,’” she said.

Mirna Martinez, a member of NLPA, said she thought schools should be working across the district to promote the idea that intelligence is not a stigma.

“It is an environment, an institution, that is limited to a few hundred students,” she said of the Renzulli program.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here