Updates!

State and Local Update
 
Advocacy matters, and here are a few highlights of positive advocacy work:

• This summer the Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented (AAGT) facilitated a successful school visit for U.S. Congressman Raúl Grijalva. Representative Grijalva is a senior Democratic member of the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.  Here is the video, press release, and a news article highlighting their Congressional visit. 
• The Connecticut Association for the Gifted (CAG) helped their state pass “the second gifted-focused law in three years.” “The new law requires schools to inform parents about not only the results of a student’s gifted-identification process, but also an explanation of how the student was identified.”
• The Massachusetts Association for Gifted Education (MAGE) has been equally busy working on five gifted education bills. 
• The New Jersey Association for Gifted Children (NJAGC) has been working to pass the Strengthening Gifted Education Act. This Act includes various provisions to support gifted and talented education such as multiple measures for identifying gifted and talented students.  Earlier this month the New Jersey Senate passed this legislation. 
• Looking toward the next legislative session, the Washington Coalition for Gifted Education is making universal screening their number one priority.

Javits Update

Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate appropriations committee proposed maintaining the current Javits education grant program funding at $12 million.  The U.S. House of Representatives education appropriations subcommittee proposed $4.4 billion in new funding for the United States Department of Education, and it included a $2 million increase in funding ($14 million) for the Javits gifted education program. 
 
Please continue to work with your Federal legislators to encourage them to support Javits funding in the final bicameral appropriations bill at the $14 million level proposed by the House.   

NAGC Statement on NYC Panel Recommendation

NAGC Statement on NYC panel recommendation to eliminate gifted education:
https://www.nagc.org/about-nagc/media/press-releases/reframe-problem-challenge-find-ways-expand-gifted-education-services