Garland Area Parent Association for Gifted and Talented

Parenting gifted children is a unique challenge and navigating the avenues of education can create many questions and choices. The Garland Area Parent Association for Gifted and Talented was formed to help offer parenting resources, advocacy information, and partnership opportunities. When parents and teachers have access to resources, they can make informed choices about what they believe is best for their child or student. 

Gifted and talented children have special issues when it comes to education. The Texas Education Agency developed an outline which mandates certain expectations for educating gifted and talented students, and parents can help hold schools accountable if they are familiar with the state guidelines. In addition, our local school district offers many options for meeting the educational needs of GT students, and parents can be better advocates for their children if they have accurate information about the available choices. Links are available on our resources page to the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students as well as programming options available in GISD and other areas.

Advocating for gifted and talented children is especially needed now as increased emphasis is placed on achieving basic competencies and valuable resources are directed to meeting minimum standards. The Texas Association for Gifted and Talented (TAGT) and the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) work with state and federal agencies in making policy decisions regarding gifted and talented children, and we join their efforts, and those in our local schools, to help all children reach their potential.

Sometimes reaching their potential requires support beyond the regular classroom. Partnerships with community members and businesses are needed to provided sponsors, mentors, independent study programs and enrichment opportunities. The intense curiosity of gifted and talented students can be nurtured and guiding to develop strong individuals capable of remarkable achievements. We need community support to meet these needs.

Whether we are parenting or educating gifted children, it helps to network with others.  So we hope you will join us as we strive to meet these goals and challenges. For more information, you may contact us at gapagt@gapagt.org.