Some gifted kids do well in school. A lot of them don't. Sometimes nobody knows what's going on: not the kid, not the parents, not the school. Performance is up and down. Behavior is up and down. Nobody's comfortable, and nobody knows why.

If this sounds like something that's happening around a kid that you know, you may want to check out the website of Bob and Jan Davidson and their Davidson Institute for Talent Development. Select Getting Started, Parents.

Then select Frequently Asked Questions. The first paragraph has a link to the kind of criteria they use for their "profoundly gifted" awards: they do pay attention to the usual tests, but they also allow submission of a Portfolio in place of them.

Move on to the discussion of characteristics. Note, in particular, the following: "Some of them excel in their classes; others do not." Then take note, among characteristics, of: "An inability to concentrate on a task that is not intellectually challenging, such as those that involve repetition or that present material in bite size pieces... A propensity toward underachievement, particularly in females and adolescents who want to fit in with their classmates." These kids can be perfectly well-adjusted, given the right circumstances. Often their development is uneven, and they need programs that challenge their minds while they have plenty of emotional support for whatever normal stage they're growing through. Otherwise they suffer. If they're bright, people are likely to assume they can change. The bad news is that they usually can't, without special help.

Another place for sound information is the site of the California Association for the Gifted. At top right, select Resources. Try selecting Special Needs and see what's offered. Some states address special education issues at both ends of the spectrum in the same funding stream. It's a good idea.

Here in California, we have Special Education funding (SPED) on the one hand, and funding for Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) on the other. See the California Department of Education for the legislation. If you think the kid you know needs GATE, take a look at the applications are available online. June 15 is the deadline, so it's tight.

You need to know that Governor Schwarzenegger has released his May Revision to the proposed 2005-2006 state budget. What he wants is called "Mega-Item Transfer Authority." It would allow the Governor to tell school districts they can redirect up to fifty percent of their GATE funding to other programs. School districts are under severe pressure already (the school funding agreement for last year has not been honored) so they need to scratch for funds everywhere. GATE funds were reduced by twenty percent during the last budget crisis, and this may gut the program. If you should want to get in touch with your legislators, you can find out how to on the web.