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Book Reviews
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Midwest Book Review "One could have all the intelligence in the world but it means nothing if it's not nurtured. Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children is aimed at parents of gifted children who want to cut through the piles of bureaucratic red tape and give their child the education they need to make the most of their gifted skill in the field of academics. It covers everything from other parents’ experiences with gifted children to the definition of the subject, testing, classes, what to do about underachievement, and much more. (This book) is a solid and recommended guide for parents, a must for those who suspect their child is more than just the average student." |
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Carolyn K., Hoagiesgifted.org "All the priceless information that it took me years to collect, all in one easy-to-read book! Barbara Gilman pulls together the collective wisdom of decades of parents and professionals, from identification to accommodations to acceleration and beyond… This is the manual we all wish came with our gifted children." |
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Christine Ohtani-Chang, Board Member, Hawaii Gifted Association "(Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children) has an acute sense of the gifted child's emotional sense of being. And as the introduction mentions, a parent's perspective lends a more in-depth and emotional tie to the child and their growth pattern. The social issues and emotional cues were good prompts to pay attention to, not only in a youth, but also in the adult." |
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Connecticut Association for the Gifted eNewsletter "Author Barbara Jackson Gilman gets it. Her book Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children: A Parent's Complete Guide is written as straight-forward advice that could only be given from one parent to another. As she explains immediately in the opening lines of her introduction, her book 'could only have been written by a parent. No amount of training in issues of the gifted or generalized desire to help gifted students could create the insistence that fuels [her] book.' "And that tone Ms. Jackson Gilman sets continues throughout the entire publication. Whether suggesting successful programs for gifted students, offering models of advocacy to help parents fight for the needs of their children, or outlining a plan parents can follow as their kids advance from elementary school, through high school, and beyond. The frustrated parent looking for solutions will feel comfortable throughout, as if the author was a neighborhood friend facing the same problems at the neighborhood school just down the block. Readers will find familiar the stories of the 'four-year old who is already an avid reader and is begging to attend school early... [or] the fourth grader who seems to have an easy understanding of algebra concepts at home and is frustrated with the academic drill and practice at school... [or] the gifted high-school student [who] has attendance problems and is in danger of being expelled from school.' "Yet for all those parents across the country struggling with what to do when their school can't or won't meet their child's needs, Ms. Jackson Gilman is both that friendly, commiserating shoulder to lean on and, at the same time, so much more. She is the Associate Director of the Gifted Development Center in Denver, CO, and holds degrees in Child Development and Psychology. She has extensive experience testing gifted children, making educational recommendations, working with the highly gifted and gifted children with learning disabilities. Herself a mother of highly gifted sons, she is a veteran of gifted committees and has helped create an accelerated charter middle school. The expert information she shares about educational options, testing considerations, curriculum, successful programs, and planning a child's education comes from both her professional background and a readily apparent passion for helping gifted kids that is profound and personal. From start to finish, Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children is not only a treasure trove of information and suggestions, but is also an obvious labor of love... all with the goal of helping children avoid miserable school experiences, while keping their love of learning intact." |
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Elaine Wiener, Gifted Education Communicator "What a package! Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children is advertised as a book for parents. Not true. It seems like it's everything for everyone: all that a parent needs to know for their gifted child; all that a teacher wants to know about the topic of gifted education, including many details of how and what to teach these children; certainly what administrators should know about gifted children in their school district; and if a smart superintendent or politician wants to be in the know, they should carry this book around. It is a book for all seasons! "What about the professional educator of the gifted who has been in the business for decades? That person, above all, should buy this book to see where he or she has been. It's gifted education organized; it's facts and strategies forgotten or lost in the shuffle or presented for those new to the field. Bravo!!! "In addition, this book is written with style. It flows. It's easy--to read, not to have written. It's a Legacy Book Winner and ForeWord Magazine's Silver Book of the Year. Those awards are well deserved. "Barbara Jackson Gilman starts her book with these words: 'This book could only have been written by a parent. No amount of training in issues of the gifted or generalized desire to help gifted students could create the insistence that fuels this book. That can only come from the outrage that a parent feels when a child has been hurt.' "Any parent can relate to that statement, and a teacher who has no children of her own can feel the passion. "And so the story begins with what happened to Ms. Gilman's family in their search for an appropriate education for her son. Woven into that story is the story of giftedness. This is not one of those whining tales of things gone wrong because Ms. Gilman is an educator herself and then also became an expert in gifted education. "Each chapeter is divided into very small detailed categories, easily found when looking in the table of contents. It is truly a handbook...after reading this, you will be a tactful, knowledgeable, but ferocious advocate for your child." |
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J. Bernish, Cincinnati, OH "Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children is the book I wish I had written. It is filled with truisms and insightful observations. The author clearly has been there - and not in a clinical sense - but in a real world in-your-face all politics aside public school system sense. No matter the state - no matter the 'gifted' program in your school - no matter how the classroom teacher is 'differentiating the curriculum' - you must read this book! If you suspect that your child is bored in school regardless of the accommodation in the gifted program - you must read this book. If you have a child with other exceptionalities who is being treated by his school as less than average in spite of having a photographic memory - you must read this book. If you have a child or grandchild who you suspect may be gifted - read this book! And if you are a teacher and have ever had or expect to have a gifted student, you definitely must read this book! "As I continue to experience the world of gifted education in schools across the state of Ohio I have my own longitudinal data to draw from. I have seen children literally fall off the map and been astonished at how many gifted children become unproductive adults - dropping out of high school, self-medicating in their misery of not belonging in an average world, or worse, leaving this world because it seems to offer them nothing yet expects everything from them. Giftedness has more to do with the way you learn and process information and I am so glad that someone has taken the time to explain this! The label 'gifted' is highly charged and quite misleading - perhaps this book will open the discussion and help parents and educators understand what has taken me a lifetime - that high ability is not a 'gift' or a 'special favor from God' - or an unearned honor. When we talk about giftedness we are really talking about a learning style and the way the brain processes information. Using the term 'gifted' to describe high ability is like using the term 'cursed' to describe low ability. You would never do so! When parents and adults understand that accommodations are necessary to support learning for that particular child - then the student's needs are met and the risk of losing that student to underachievement are minimized." |
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Jacquelyn Drummer, President, WI Association for Talented and Gifted "The world of gifted education is an increasingly complex one. The No Child Left Behind Act, the movement toward inclusion, the middle school movement, other anti-gifted forces – all of these have had an impact on gifted students and gifted education. "In her book, Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children: A Parent’s Complete Guide, Barbara Jackson Gilman, gives us hope and direction. She joins forces with Quinn O’Leary (a now-grown gifted child) to share scenarios, possible action plans, and glimpses into the mind of a gifted child. Ms. Gilman carefully crafts a complete guide for gifted education as it exists in 2008. She tackles all of the issues that confront schools, educators, parents and gifted children, and deals with them pragmatically, analytically, and creatively. Chapters are dedicated to identification processes, to programming delivery models, to opening charter schools for the gifted, and to the myriad of issues that we deal with in gifted education on a daily basis. In her afterword, Ms. Gilman issues a call to arms, and shares lists of resources that can be used to further our missions. Quoting the work of Karen Rogers and Linda Silverman often, Ms. Gilman offers 'best practice' solutions that work in today’s world of gifted education. "This book—a rare combination of intimate frustrations and joys (the commentary from Quinn O’Leary), and the step-by-step action guide with many specific examples, is a much-needed resource for parents and for educators. As advocates for gifted students, we can no longer hope and wait. We must act." |
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Joyce R. Schilling, parent and advocate, Denver, CO "The wisdom in this book is so important to know when planning for success for your child or student. This is a must-read for every parent or educator of gifted children. If there were only one book to read on the gifted, this is the one!" |
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Karen Rogers, Ph.D, Professor of Gifted Studies, University of St. Thomas, Author of Re-forming Gifted Education: How Parents and Teachers Can
Match the Program to the Child "This book is a treasure. It provides the advice parents need...based upon Gilman’s professional training, as well as her own experiences as a parent of highly gifted boys. The chapter devoted to teachers is among the best I have seen. If the advice in this book is followed, one could almost guarantee rewarding education experiences for a gifted child." |
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Kathi Kearney, M.A. M.Ed., Gifted education consultant and nationally recognized expert in curriculum for gifted students, home schooling, and assessment of gifted students "The best book I’ve ever read about advocacy for gifted children. Gilman provides us refreshing nitty-gritty reality, equipping parents and teachers with specific skills to advocate for real children in real schools." |
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Kathy Geary, parent of two gifted young adults, board member of the Minnesota Council for Gifted and Talented (MCGT) and chair of MCGT’s advocacy project, 'Shoulder-to-Shoulder' Parents of gifted children recognize the hazards of growing up gifted: experiences of being 'different,' boredom at school due to appropriate lack of rigor and challenge, loss of enthusiasm for learning, refusal to do homework because it is busy work, perfectionism, bullying because they 'answer all the questions right,' teacher concerns about disruptive classroom behavior, underachieving, or significant struggles with depression. Subsequently, the necessity of working with schools to advocate on behalf of their children and their unique learning needs becomes glaringly apparent. When beginning advocacy efforts, parents typically face a conundrum: where to start, how to proceed, and what will be the most effective action. It is this dilemma that Barbara Gilman seeks to resolve in Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children: A Parent’s Complete Guide. At the Gifted Development Center in Denver, CO, Barbara Gilman consults with parents, assesses gifted children and makes educational recommendations to meet the unique learning needs of gifted students. In addition to her professional expertise, she is the parent of gifted children. "According to Gilman, 'This book is meant to be a crash course in everything you need to know to advocate for your gifted chilled – immediately.' To that end, this book walks parents through the advocacy process, providing the information necessary to be an effective and successful advocate. Effective advocacy requires comprehension of what it means to be gifted, the corresponding learning needs, and clearly understanding our child’s strengths, weaknesses, and individual learning style; this book gives us this necessary information and the tools with which to understand our children. It is also essential to be knowledgeable about the best practices in gifted educations, successful instructional strategies, and the unique learning styles and needs of gifted learners. Equipped with this essential information, parents are guided through the specific concrete action steps for productively working with schools. "Parents often face the dilemma of assessment: should they have their child assessed, who should do the testing, how much will testing cost, should they choose IQ or achievement testing, what tests are typically used, the limitations of each test (including ceilings), norms, what will be learned from the testing, and how can the results be used to support advocacy efforts. The chapter on 'Testing Considerations' seeks to assist parents in answering those questions. The information is concise, well-organized information and presented in an understandable format. How to prepare a child for the testing experience is also covered. "Underachievement is a major concern for many gifted children. Issues faced specifically by underachieving girls and boys, as well as more general causes of underachievement, are examined. When underachievement becomes more difficult to understand, a learning disability or another learning deficit should be considered. Information is presented on learning disabilities, learning deficits and how to work effectively with the schools on behalf of these twice-exceptional children. "Throughout the book, Gilman wisely acknowledges the wide diversity of gifted students and the complex challenge of meeting their unique learning needs. Parents are encouraged to understand that one size rarely fits all and their child’s discrepant learning needs will require ongoing revisions to the educational plan. Moreover, a child’s appropriate education is often a conglomeration of opportunities both in and outside the traditional classroom. In addition to individual advocacy, parents are encouraged to stand with others committed to supporting gifted students and work for the educational programs, instructional strategies, and support services necessary to meet the needs of the gifted. "While this book’s target audience is parents of gifted children, teachers will also find this book instructive. Chapter 9, 'Teachers of the Gifted,' offers the philosophies, ideas, and experiences of three teachers of the gifted, one from each of the levels of public schools-elementary, middle, and high school. They explore effective strategies for gifted students, bravely tackle some 'hot topics' in gifted education and make recommendations for teachers interested in supporting gifted students. "Throughout this book there are individual case studies of students of all ages and levels of giftedness. These stories make the research-based information presented both accessible and realistic. Gilman includes a student’s first person account of his experiences as a gifted youth. Writing on different topics throughout the book, Quinn O’Leary shares his personal journey as a gifted and very creative youth. His story affords the reader a window into the pain he experienced as a gifted youth whose unique learning needs were ignored; he also shares how his life took a dramatic turn when he attended a school which provided him the rigor and room for creative expression he needed. Quinn’s story, as well as the stories of the many other gifted students, leave no doubt about the need for parents to be a 'vigilant advocate.'” |
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Ken Arenson, Parent, activist for better education for exceptional learners, trial attorney, part-time woodworker, and father of gifted learners "I like this book because it is about kids who are like my kids, but I love it for the expert information on advocating for them at school. For children who learn fast and differently, motivation to learn at all can be lost if they are held to the slow pace of regular classrooms. Why parents must advocate becomes clear through poignant examples both dark and hopeful." |
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Linda C. Neumann, Editor, 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter "In Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children, author Barbara Gilman provides several books in one. There's the primer on giftedness, then the basics of testing, and finally the guide to advocacy for the gifted student...(This book) is well-written and filled with useful information for both parents and educators. It can serve as a handy reference guide on giftedness, and it does a good job of justifying the need for advocacy for gifted and twice-exceptional children." |
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Lorel Shea, Gifted Education Editor, BellaOnline.com "Barbara Jackson Gilman of the Gifted Development Center wrote this book to assist parents who need assistance in advocating for their gifted children. Because Barbara has worked closely with gifted children and their families for over 15 years, and parented her own gifted children, she knows firsthand that highly intelligent kids need support just as any other children who are outside the norm. She has seen the damage that may be done when gifted kids are not challenged in school, and has worked with many brilliant kids who tune out or give up and drop out of school. This book also contains heartfelt essays written by Quinn O'Leary. Quinn shares his reflections on growing up as a precocious boy who didn't often find adequate challenge in school. "Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children-A Parent's Complete Guide is a complete handbook on advocacy, but also a useful resource for parents who are striving to understand their gifted children. Barbara explains that gifted children often experience the world differently, and devotes a generously sized chapter one to this topic. Chapter two is titled, 'What Do We Mean By Gifted?' and it covers asynchrony, personality traits, levels of giftedness, and more. Chapter three will be tremendously helpful to those who are still considering testing or assessment, as well as those who are trying to determine what exactly, their child's test results mean. Sometimes it is important to choose the right instrument for testing. Gilman states, 'The WPPSI-III can be given to six-year-olds, but the WISC-IV is usually a better choice when the child is likely gifted.' My son's score on the WPPSI taken at age six was in the gifted range, but nowhere near what we'd anticipated based upon his developmental milestones. I wish we'd known enough to request the WISC. School administrators tend to assess more kids who are at the lower end of the spectrum, and are not always familiar with how to do things with extremely bright children. "Chapter seven outlines varieties of gifted programs and educational options. Gilman is a proponent of homeschooling, especially for kids who are highly to profoundly gifted. She points out which school programs are more successful for gifted students, and which are not so successful. The further reading suggestions at the end of the chapter include some terrific books, articles, and websites related to gifted education. "The must-read chapter for parents who need help with school advocacy is chapter eight. The author carefully walks the reader through the steps necessary to get academic accommodations in place. She explains, 'Parents should trust themselves to assess the level and urgency of their child's needs, and they can wisely consider various alternatives. Sometimes the best choice is to work with the school and the current teacher to provide accommodations; sometimes it is to move to another classroom, grade, or an entirely different school; and sometimes it is best to remove a child form school altogether. There is no benefit to teaching a child to graciously accept being held back.' If advocacy steps don't lead to an appropriate placement, she advises the reader on when to give up, how to look for a better school, and how to get started in homeschooling. "Gilman also interviewed several extraordinary teachers and talked to them at length about how they work with gifted students. These vignettes will be helpful if a parent is still wondering what it would be like to have their child in the care of a motivated teacher who actually enjoys working with bright students." |
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Nancy Golon, Highlands Ranch, CO "If you are the parent of a gifted child, you MUST READ this book! Author Barbara Gilman gently guides the reader through the maze that is educational advocacy…(to ensure) that gifted children receive an education appropriate for their special needs." |
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Nancy M. Robinson, Ph.D., Former Director of the Robinson Center for Young Scholars, University of Washington "Barbara Gilmore shares her extensive knowledge of gifted-child advocacy with sufficiently detailed tools and how-tos to make parents' own advocacy successful. What's right for one gifted child isn't right for another. Gilman makes sense of their many variations and the multiple options that can fuel their talents and keep them looking forward to school every day." |
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Paula J. Hillmann, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Educational Psychology, President and Executive director, Advanced Learning Resources, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
"Families I work with are eagerly seeking the best information on giftedness and on programs that address the high abilities and advanced learning needs in their child. This search often parallels their need for developing advocacy skills in working with their child’s school and teachers. Barbara Jackson Gilman’s book Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children provides a means for all three! Her subtitle: A Parent’s Complete Guide is very accurate, and the graphics on the cover of the book help communicate the focus of the work very clearly, i.e., …here are some great, research-based ideas for parents who are navigating through the maze of giftedness, schooling, and parent engagement in a talented child’s pathway to learning. "As a former teacher, school principal, and K-12 gifted education services coordinator – and now in private practice as an educational psychologist and gifted & talented consultant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – I am thrilled to have this book as part of the growing collection to our field of literature on parenting for high potential! I am already using it with families I work with and recommending it to parents as a 'must-have' in their quest for ideas and information on becoming an 'engaged' parent advocate. In the future I hope to use it as a foundation for one of my parent book study groups, too. "Congratulations to Barbara Jackson Gilman on her work and to GPP for their publication of this fine resource!" |
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Sarah B., mother, Maryland "I am a mom of gifted children and have read much of the literature available on giftedness. Two reasons to buy this book are: one, there is a wealth of knowledge offered here that is extremely helpful in understanding giftedness, and two, much of this information isn’t readily available elsewhere. If you suspect your child…may be gifted, then this is THE book to buy." |
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Sue Love, A Different Drummer, Publication of the Oregon Association for Talented & Gifted "Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children is packed with invaluable information for both parents and educators. In the brief introduction she recounts her oldest son's journey through school, which ended with him dropping out of school on the Monday following senior prom. This book is born not only out of Gilmans' experiences, but also of many others, which she shares throughout the book. Quinn O'leary's student observations can be found at the conclusion of several of the chapters. Reading these insights, written by a gifted young man, brought an additional insider's sensitivity to the topic covered...This book encourages the reader to advocate for these children so that these students are able to remain engaged in the classroom and maintain their enthusiasm for learning throughout their lives." |
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Tanglebox Reviews "Gifted education is the underdog of education. Myths, ill-formed opinions, lack of funding, and lack of research have beleaguered this educational population. In the past 10 years or so more attention has been paid to gifted education, and we are now seeing some solid research, support, and a culture shift among educators and parents. The change is still slower than most would like, but with books like Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children, those of us with gifted children, and those who educate them have yet another excellent resource. "Giftedness is a term and a subject that has come under fire from those outside the field, and both parents and educators are continually put on the defensive about their needs and choices while battling myths, prejudice, and poorly formed opinions. Anyone who doubts that gifted education is real need only read the first well written chapter titled 'The Experience of Giftedness'. Also extremely helpful is the chapter on testing. Not many people in the general public understand that IQ is not simply a single number from a single test or a definitive measurement. "Anyone who reads Academic Advocacy should come away with a good appreciation for the experience and trials of being a gifted child including: asynchronous development, difficulty in finding appropriate peers, battling school systems that do not understand the absolute necessity to accommodate gifted learners, the challenges of underachievement, perfectionism, the duality of learning disabled and gifted, Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities, and the isolation that gifted children experience. Parenting and teaching these children is not easy. "This book aims to help map out and give options for supporting the educational needs of gifted children. Parents are given terms, tools, and options to explore and pursue. Homeschooling is not treated as a fringe-of-society oddball, but as a real, viable option for gifted children. If homeschooling is not possible, parents are walked through various other means such as IEPs, charter schools, subject acceleration, whole grade acceleration, and it also explores topics such as special schools for the gifted and concurrent college enrollment. Equally helpful, the book discusses approaches that are not successful for gifted learners. A good amount of space is taken to explore characteristics of gifted children versus disabilities and what those disabilities can look like in a gifted child who may be able to compensate for those deficits. A chapter is devoted for teachers specifically, and another chapter is devoted to the charter school concept. Each chapter in this book has resources for further reading including books and websites. "The ultimate resource, the Gifted Development Center in Denver, is mentioned a few times throughout the book as the author is employed there as Associate Director. Linda Silverman, the Director of the GDC, is a welcome presence felt in the writing and gently supportive tone found in the wisdom, anecdotes, and experiences used to create this much needed resource book. It was a pleasure to read such an even-handed, solidly written book, and I will happily recommend it to any parent or educator who is interested in seriously learning about and supporting gifted children and their parents and teachers in whatever educational situation is at hand." |
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Teresa Rowlison, Ph.D., New Mexico Association for the Gifted "Academic Advocacy for Gifted Children: A Parent’s Complete Guide by Barbara Jackson Gilman is an excellent resource tool for advocates of gifted education. Reading this book was very timely for me, because our state legislature is considering a new public school funding formula that will take gifted out of special education and eliminate the add-on funding provided for gifted services. New Mexico is one of the few states that include gifted in special education, and many of us in the field of gifted education would like it to stay there so that the protections available through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are also available to gifted students and their families. "This book provides a wealth of information about why gifted students need special education services and an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Acceleration and enrichment are discussed with emphasis on relevant enrichment that increases the depth and breadth of instruction and acceleration that allows for mastery of materials and affirms the right for a student to move on to more challenging instruction. Gilman states, “The provision of enrichment experiences may be enjoyable and even offer the opportunity to be with other gifted children, but accelerated curriculum modifications are needed as well” (pp. 193-194). "Risks associated with not providing appropriate educational opportunities for gifted students include poor work habits, inadequate organizational skills, and fluctuating attention and motivation to learn. Gifted students need IEPs “to normalize their experience in school” (p. 325). IEPs also help to ensure that gifted students are exposed to new instructional material daily that is challenging and requires the development of problem solving strategies and organizational skills, which they will not learn if the work is too easy. “The experience of many gifted children attests to the fact that their needs must be met adequately enough to avoid destroying their motivation to learn or limiting the realization of their potential” (p. 11). |