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Background of Gifted Education in the State of IllinoisThe State of Illinois systematically removed all reference to gifted children from the school code in 2002. Along with that all targeted gifted funding was turned over to districts as block grants, which can be used to fund all aspects of education. Not surprisingly, once the gifted mandate was removed, many school districts dismantled their gifted programs. The Illinois Association for Gifted Children succeeded in 2005 in reinstating the gifted mandate. The language of the new statute can be seen by linking here. Thank you to everyone who testified, wrote letters, called legislators. Our efforts paid off! See how Illinois rates compared to other states by clicking here. This is an election year. Have you contacted your representatives to ask them how they feel about gifted education? Now is when they might listen! The IAGC advocacy goal for this year is to reinstate some level of state funding for gifted education. It is the Illinois State Board of Education that recommends education funding levels to the legislature.
Who are the people making decisions about the education of your child in Illinois? Your State Representative: click here to enter your zip code to find your representative. Your Illinois Senator: (one of the following)
Governor
Rod R. Blagojevich - (Democrat) The State Board of Education (appointed by the governor):
Per the new gifted legislation, there is a Gifted Advisory Council whose role it is to advise ISBE on issues related to the education of gifted children. See the ISBE press release for a list of the individuals you can contact if you want to provide ISBE with feedback regarding gifted education. The Interim State School Superintendent: Dr. Christopher Koch Back to Top |
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