Is there a Federal Law that Public Schools must provide a free appropriate education to highly gifted kids?
If so, are there Parent Advocates who help it really happen?

I'm not aware of other states,But in the state of florida there are programs. This web page may help anwer some of your questions.For some reason public schools do not tell parents everything.
http://secondarypgms.brevard.k12.fl.us/gifted_services.htm

also

http://ericec.org

Nice website! Hits all the major points! I especially like the program goals - what methods do you use to meet the needs of these students?

I also followed the eric link and posted the question at edu.gov. they said I can expect a responce within 5 days.

Wouldn't that be nice - a federal law mandating that gifted children receive an appropriate education. Instead we have No Child Left Behind which has the opposite effect in many areas. It requires that all children have minimum skills at each grade level and exacts severe penalties on those who do not. If little Johnny has already exceeded those standards on September 1 - then that is one less child that MUST be worked on.

Further, this serves as a reason not to grade skip children, unless they have also already exceeded the minimum standards for the grade they have skipped into.

Someone mentioed the other day that we should all be fighting to have gifted children be a group to be monitored in NCLB - at least that way we could insist on minimum yearly progress!

Now if you are lucky, your state might require an appropriate education for all gifted children. Here in Illinois we aren't so lucky.

Trinity,

No, there is nothing, no law, no policy, only talk, lots of talk, talk that says our schools are doing a great job except for the "gap".

President Bush seems to think that by having more high school students take AP chemistry and math classes, the USA math and science scores will increase. To me this is just more "one size fits all" which is the cause of the problem in the first place.

You should check your individual state Education Mandates. Iowa has the Postsecondary Enrollment Options Handbook from the Iowa Code 261.2C The handbook states that if a students school can not provide an appropriate education the school must pay for classes at a college. I just learned about this informaton last night and haven't read all of it yet but if it applies to anyone here search: Iowa Code 261C.2

My favorite is the states (such as AL) which mandate gifted education - but provides no funding and no specifics about how it should be done.

Uhh.... What might that result in? How about my school district? If your kid is gifted, you get to pick them up and take them to another school for 2 one hour sessions a week. Otherwise, normal classroom - and plan on drugging them or fighting the school because (and this is a bonna fide quote) 'All gifted kids are ADHD.'

Try checking genius denied for more state specific information.

Connecticut madates identification. No programing, no mandated accomidation. I was wondering if the Feds could help.

I don't know... the feds don't seem to be doing very well at the things that they have done in the past.

Besides, most education laws are heavily influenced by educators. As long as they generally believe that gifted doesn't much matter - I don't see a law being passed to really help gifted kids.

Mary
Sometimes I am so cynical.