Identifying and educating advanced students with Jonathan Plucker (Ep 32)

2024-08-23

Math professor Anna Stokke speaks with Dr. Jonathan Plucker, a professor and director of the Education Policy Program at Johns Hopkins University, about advanced education, acceleration and academic streaming. Jonathan discusses the flaws in traditional methods of identifying advanced students and advocates for universal screening to ensure equitable access to advanced programs. They cover various interventions, including acceleration, and discuss the drawbacks of de-streaming or anti-acceleration policies. They also discuss equity concerns. They talk about flexible ability grouping, the need to challenge stereotypes about advanced students, and...

They talk about flexible ability grouping, the need to challenge stereotypes about advanced students, and more. Jonathan emphasizes that education should meet the needs of every student, including students who excel academically, and he provides concrete advice for accomplishing that. A key takeaway from this episode is that offering advanced programs benefits all students and, ideally, every school should include advanced programming. This episode is a must-listen for educators of any subject, parents and policymakers.

NOTE: The resource page contains a list of research articles mentioned in the episode: annastokke.com/ep-32-resources

TIMESTAMPS

[00:00:00] Introduction

[00:03:42] Terminology: gifted or advanced?

[00:07:58] Are labels a problem?

[00:10:54] Identifying advanced students

[00:21:13] Equity in advanced programs

[00:25:28] Meeting the needs of advanced students

[00:27:46] Effective interventions for advanced students

[00:31:29] Enrichment vs. acceleration

[00:34:59] Supporting learners beyond minimum competency

[00:38:42] The case of San Francisco Unified School District