As we begin a new year, we are reminded that education is not only about maintaining what works, but about safeguarding what matters. In Wisconsin, gifted education is once again at risk of being minimized and caught in the tension of shifting priorities, limited resources, and systemic pressures at multiple levels. When this happens, students who have exceptional talents, abilities, and potential are often placed in learning environments that are not engaging, rigorous, or meaningful for them.
This is not a minor concern. It is a loss of opportunity, both for students and for our communities.
Students identified as gifted are not “already taken care of” simply because they perform well on grade-level work. In fact, when students who have already mastered content are asked to repeat the same tasks day after day, the impact can be profound. Some comply quietly. Some stay engaged only socially. Others disengage entirely, unsure how to advocate for themselves or fearful of standing out. Over time, this lack of challenge dims curiosity, creativity, and motivation.
If we believe that all students deserve to make academic growth each year, then we must ask an important question:
Why would we push some learners to grow, but not those who are capable of and need continued challenge?
Here are three reasons why we must not let the light dim on gifted education.
1. Growth Is a Right, Not a Reward
We rightly emphasize that students who struggle deserve support and interventions to help them grow. That same principle applies to gifted learners. Growth should not stop simply because a student has reached grade-level expectations early.
When gifted students are provided with rigorous, engaging instruction, they expand their thinking, deepen their understanding, and learn how to grapple with complexity. This kind of growth builds habits of mind, persistence, intellectual risk-taking, and reflective thinking which students carry with them long after they leave our classrooms. When growth is denied, stagnation takes its place, and no student benefits from that.
2. Limiting Challenge Limits Potential
When we limit learning opportunities for gifted students, the effects go beyond boredom. Over time, students may lose interest in school altogether. They may stop seeing learning as something joyful or meaningful. Creativity and innovation, qualities we claim to value as a society, begin to fade when students are not invited to think deeply, ask big questions, or explore their passions.
Conversely, when students are challenged appropriately, their creativity expands. They learn to generate ideas, solve novel problems, and approach the world with curiosity and confidence. These are the very skills that lead to innovation, leadership, and productive citizenship. If we want a future workforce and community that can think boldly and act wisely, we must nurture those capacities now.
3. Equity Includes Those Who Are Ready to Go Further
Equity in education is about meeting students where they are and that includes students who are ready to move beyond the standard curriculum. Gifted students exist in every community, across all backgrounds, cultures, and identities. When gifted education is minimized, it is often the students least likely to self-advocate who are most affected.
Providing quality gifted programming is not about privilege; it is about responsibility. It is about ensuring that no child’s potential is quietly capped because it is inconvenient or misunderstood. When we fail to provide appropriate opportunities, we send an unintended message, that excellence beyond the norm is optional or expendable.
Moving Forward: Keep the Light On
As we move into 2026, let us recommit to letting the light shine for our gifted students. Let us advocate for instruction that is rigorous, engaging, and meaningful. Let us ensure that students who are ready to grow are given the opportunity to do so academically, creatively, and intellectually.
When we nurture growth, minds expand. When minds expand, innovation follows. And when we invest in gifted education, we are investing not just in individual students, but in the future of Wisconsin itself.
Let’s not dim that light. Let’s help it shine brighter than ever.
- Michelle Burch, WATG Board Member
Thank you to Kristen Eiswerth for her translation of this article for our Spanish- speaking educators and families.
