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Summary: Documents a great weakness of the public school system
Review:
I liked this book. This book has an exhaustive review of how the public school system is failing the needs of gifted children. I found it very informative and well written. I had not realized just how many problems gifted children struggle with in schools. The book document dozens, maybe even hundreds, of problems gifted children have to deal with in the public schools.
The Davidsons started up a software company, sold it, and now use their money to help talented and gifted children. They have a nonprofit organization, which coordinates their efforts. They frequently mention their web site: www.geniusdenited.com.
With the "No Child Left Behind" law there has been a huge push to make sure that the slower children get extra attention. According to the book close to 20% of the education budget for elementary and secondary schools is targeted for the bottom 10%, while less than 1% is targeted for the top 10%.
About a quarter of the book is stories of talented individuals. Some children learned to read at ages three or four, and by first grade were reading at college level, yet the schools forced the children to move along with everyone else. Others were playing complex classical music at seven, yet at school they would be forced to day after day do simple beats on a drum. One common theme was just how bored most gifted children are in school. The schools are wasting their time. Most of these stories were painful to read. Many gifted children are really suffering in schools today. They become depressed, they become disruptive, and suffer in other ways. They are like young thoroughbreds ready to run races, but forced to shuffle along with a bunch of turtles.
The authors make the point that most gifted children in the public schools are underachievers; they are no where close to reaching their potential.
Another interesting point, the authors make is that most schools will spend a lot of money on their talented athletes, but many people seem to feel it is bad to put an focus on meeting the needs of the intellectually talented.
The authors cover a number of ways we can improve the situation. There are suggestions for parents, suggestions for teachers, suggestions for politicians, and so on. I was surprised to learn that half of the families the authors work with homeschool their children.
If you have gifted children, or if you teach gifted children, this is a good book to read. It is a quick read. There are many good suggestions on how we can better meet the needs of talented and gifted children.
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Summary: www.GeniusDenied.com
Review: "Genius Denied" has a companion website, www.GeniusDenied.com, which extends the book with resources for students, parents, educators and policy makers. This website also features 1) an extensive library of over 400 research and informational articles, 2) detailed information on federal and state gifted education policy for each of the 50 states, 3) a discussion forum for readers who wish to be proactive in improving gifted education, and 4) GT-CyberSource, a large database of resources for gifted learners, their parents, and teachers featuring schools, books, games, summer programs, contests and competitions, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Authors lack the training to sustain their arguments.
Review: As a former gifted student and current teacher, I can honestly say that the state of gifted education in the country troubles me. I currently teach in Washington, DC - a district that is breaking the law by not offering any evaluation system to determine giftedness. It's a shame.However, the book falls short and has week argumentation. I believe the major cause of this shortfall is that the authors, as prolific as they might be, do not have a background in education. They should have cowritten with someone who would have the background knowledge and training to make their argument more cohesive and persuasive. The authors lack a basic understanding of human social and cognitive development, and for that reason fail to realize that children's academic needs are only one need and only one reason for their being in school. Should all children be challenged all the time? Yes. Do I provide for this in my classroom? Yes. Children routinely do differentiated work and 'projects,' and this allows me more classroom time to confer with learners who need me - both below and above level students. Teachers ARE trained to do this on order to be certified. But the book simply falls short. As a gifted child, I was often depressed and lacked friends, and being accelerated did nothing to solve that. Kids need SO much more than just "harder work." There are distinct social and emotional needs these kids have, and I wish the book wouldn't have consisted of saying the idea "kids should be accelerated" 1,000 times in 1,000 different ways. The book was boring and tedious. The best part was the end. Please don't waste your money. The book does nothing to help educators or parents.
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Summary: Educators can learn from this book....
Review: As a parent of 2 "profoundly" gifted children, (20 yrs, 10 yrs) I am literally jumping up and down over this book!! And, with due respect to all concerned, I'm grateful a person with "education" training in the more traditional sense was not involved. Unless you have parented a gifted child, hold no less than a Master's in Gifted Education and have not been party to the discrimination against the advanced learners among us, it is improbable that you know anything about what it takes to teach a gifted child how to learn! This book helps to demolish the myths held by so many... that good grades mean a good education. I commend the Davidsons for their in-depth comprehension of "the real world" and only wish there were more like them!
The Davidsons, both with their foundation and their writings, have saved my youngest from the torture of being denied a Free and Appropriate Public Education, and, after trying to educate my oldest under "accepted" practices, find this a valuable service.
After 13 school districts in 12 states, (husband transferred frequently) it is very obvious to me that America has dumbed-down public education, targeting curriculum to the average or below-average learners. Inclusion policies are wonderful in theory, but if we are to really practice inclusion, should the gifted be left out? Think about it.
If you have a child who learns quickly, buy this book. If you are an educator, buy this book. If you are simply interested in how to improve the quality of life in these United States, buy this book. Share it, quote it and above all, learn from it. "Genius Denied" should be required reading for any job in any educational field, anywhere.
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Summary: Care about Gifted Students? - Don't Miss This One!!!
Review: As a teacher of gifted students, I am very familiar with the unique challenges inherent to meeting the needs of bright students. Genius Denied and the companion website www.GeniusDenied.com helped me to better understand the options available to me as a teacher. Genius Denied is a great balance of story and practical solutions. It really made me think about what kind of teacher I want to be. I thought I was doing the right thing when it came to my gifted students and I now see that there is so much more I could be doing, and that it isn't going to take a lot of time or money! I can't recommend this book enough. It is a must read for teacher, parents and students.
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Summary: In response to hmigdo1
Review: Dear Former Gifted Student & Teacher, It is "weak", not "week". In addition, I want to add that there are times it takes people who are NOT a part of the normal process to see and improve the process from the outside. Most great inventors were from "the outside" looking in. To be required to have "an educator" attached to their book infers they have nothing to contribute unless it contains the normal educational myopia of someone who is a part of the system. In every sport, field, discipline of life, there are always innovators -- and many come from without. One of my personal favorites was Bill Boomer, a man who became a swim coach (with no prior swimming or swim coaching experience) and turned the entire swimming world upside down with his theories and methods. Now everyone is learning to swim his way. In drumming, ONE drummer changed the grip for just about every other drummer out there. J.K Rowling took the publishing world by storm with no "industry" experience. And I could go on. Your ONE star review of an excellent book is not justified in the least -- it is an EXCELLENT book. I really wonder what your real intent was with your review...
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Summary: In response to hmigdo1
Review: Dear Former Gifted Student & Teacher, It is "weak", not "week". In addition, I want to add that there are times it takes people who are NOT a part of the normal process to see and improve the process from the outside. Most great inventors were from "the outside" looking in. To be required to have "an educator" attached to their book infers they have nothing to contribute unless it contains the normal educational myopia of someone who is a part of the system. In every sport, field, discipline of life, there are always innovators -- and many come from without. One of my personal favorites was Bill Boomer, a man who became a swim coach (with no prior swimming or swim coaching experience) and turned the entire swimming world upside down with his theories and methods. Now everyone is learning to swim his way. In drumming, ONE drummer changed the grip for just about every other drummer out there. J.K Rowling took the publishing world by storm with no "industry" experience. And I could go on. Your ONE star review of an excellent book is not justified in the least -- it is an EXCELLENT book. I really wonder what your real intent was with your review...
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Summary: Essays Vs. Information
Review: Genius Denied is a very partisan nonfiction account on how we are wasting the best minds in America. Genius Denied is written by Jan and Bob Davidson. This book starts to tell about Rachel, who as a four year old wanted to write a story about strife, but didn't have the vocabulary to describe what she wanted to say. She was reading the Chronicles of Narnia and other fantasy books by second grade. Later she was stifled by teachers who took off points when she exceeded expectations in the length of her works. She became seriously depressed and thought of committing suicide. This story is supposed to stress the point of allowing gifted children room to grow. The whole book is many stories like Rachel's, along with essays, research data and how to fix the problems. Genius Denied tells about the No Child Left Behind Act and the problems it causes for gifted education. The book also stresses the benefits of grade acceleration.
Genius Denied is interesting for about the first thirty pages, but by then you are looking to the bottom of the page to see if they accidentally reprinted the same page twice, no such luck. It's hard telling Rachel apart form Barry, Nousha and all the other gifted children in this book. It's amazing that these minds are only in the top five percent of the population as there are so many stories about them. The stories all have similar plots and only drag down the book. The book is annoyingly negative in parts, but this con is balanced by the great ways to fix the problems that they introduce. Science Olympiad and Mathcounts programs will most certainly help teachers and parents better educate gifted children, the fact that the book mentions this only can help it. Overall this book was very informative but you have to read through all the Barry's Nousha's first to find the actual information. However the statistics and information you do find are pure gold.
The organization of Genius Denied, was hard to follow. It didn't appear to follow any clear distinct order, which was annoying for referencing purposes for this review. The back of the book was very well ordered however, moving through an alphabetical index, then endnotes and lastly a bibliography. The vocabulary was fairly uncomplicated, though there was the occasional educational term one might have to look up.
The authors put much of the blame on society, which in some cases is rightfully deserved. However, the writers almost seem elitist in the way they phrase it. Reading Genius Denied made me feel inferior in intellect, for the fact that I couldn't play Mozart at two. They also made it seem as if those who are failing need less help then those that are ahead but fail to discuss the point directly. The book would have been more persuading if they had discussed the point previously mentioned.
Overall Genius Denied was an interesting read, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone looking for a light read, don't be fooled by the fact that it is only a two-hundred page book, it's still a heavy read. The authors who wrote the book is the founder of the company that created Math Blaster. The book is kind of depressing, so it is an important read for those willing to recognize the inequity in our educational system.
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Summary: Genius Denied- No longer!
Review: Genius Denied is an excellent resource for parents, educators, administrators and policy makers of gifted and talented youth. Jan and Bob Davidson have accurately described the real problem facing this underserved population. For too long gifted students have been over-looked and neglected by educators and schools believing these learners are not in need because they are already achieving adequately. With Genius Denied, gifted and talented students and their parents are given practical solutions to help nurture their talents. I applaud the Davidsons for their efforts to expose this crisis.
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Summary: An invaluable resource
Review: Genius Denied is an exceptional resource for educators, administrators, professionals, and parents of gifted and talented students. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in making a positive difference in the lives of gifted youth. It not only addresses the challenges that the gifted population faces in our education system today, but it also gives practical suggestions as to what one can do to effect change in gifted and talented education across the nation.
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