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Every parent believes his child is the smartest in the class, but what happens when you really do have a kid who is head-and-shoulders above the rest academically? Most teachers and parents believe that to adequately challenge these children, there must be accelerated programs to accommodate them. Hence, the gifted and talented program was born.

Children who belonged in this upper echelon were usually identified in the schools, by the teachers who worked with them every day. However, many parents also got quite busy behind the scenes, ensuring their children met the requirements for special programs that would increase their odds of success later in life. In fact, numerous children are receiving preparation for gifted and talented programs long before their feet even touch the hallowed halls of academia.

Track for Success

According to an article in , many residents of the Big Apple are whipping their children into academic shape as early as their preschool years. The competition for the limited number of slots in selective elementary schools across the city has led parents into a frenzy of preparation shortly after children learn to walk and talk. It is not unusual for parents to hire tutors and test their children's IQs long before enrolling them in New York schools.

Because the competition at many of these stellar schools is so stiff, few will look at children who

For decades, studies have shown that schools with a high number of students living in poverty do not experience the same academic success as schools in wealthier districts. Many programs have been instituted to narrow the gap since the "War on Poverty" was launched by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965 and the Elementary and Secondary School Act of 1965 was established.

Unfortunately, recent reports show that instead of narrowing the poverty gap, there is a growing divide between low and high-income students at public schools.

The Condition of Education 2010

has recently been released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This annual report is federally mandated to provide an assessment of the condition of the educational system in the United States. This year's findings were sobering, as they indicate that the gap between high and low-poverty schools is a widening one.

According to the report, high-poverty schools are defined as institutions where at least 75% of the students enrolled are eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program. Approximately 6 million elementary students and one million secondary students are enrolled in high-poverty schools today.

This video looks at the disparity between rich and poor school districts.

Characteristics of High-Poverty Schools

The NCES report looks at a variety of characteristics of high-poverty schools, including:

• Locations of the schools
• Characteristics of the students
• Qualifications and characteristics of

With concerns over the state of our educational system today, it seems there is yet another worry to add to the list: the safety of drinking water in schools. Recent reports of unsafe tap water in school districts across the country are alarming parents and school officials alike. Safeguarding our children's health now involves tuning into the potential dangers lurking in school plumbing systems.

AP Investigation

Late last year, the Associated Press released the findings of an investigation they launched over the safety of school drinking water from coast to coast. This investigation found that contaminants have appeared in drinking water at schools in all 50 states, according to a report on .

Unfortunately, the problem of safe drinking water has not been properly monitored by the government. This has allowed many school districts to run contaminated water through their systems for years completely unchecked. The responsibility for ensuring safe water is spread thin among a variety of local, state and federal agencies, limiting accountability and consistent standards.

"It's an outrage," Virginia Tech engineer Marc Edwards told CBS. "If a landlord doesn't tell a tenant about lead paint in an apartment, he can go to jail. But we have no system to make people follow the rules to keep school children safe?"

The AP study found the majority of problems were present at schools with wells, which is about 8-11% of the schools across the country. Data from the Environmental Protection Agency also showed

Public school curriculum is becoming a national hot topic of debate. From ethnic studies in Arizona to American history in Texas, major changes are being made to public school curricula.

The State Board of Education in Texas recently approved a new social studies curriculum that will be introduced during the next school year. Educators will spend the year getting trained on how to teach the new curriculum, which will be used in classrooms beginning with the 2011-2012 school year. The discussion over the seemingly religion-based revisions began in January and has been the source of intense international attention and comment, according to an update on the website.

What the Curriculum Includes

The revised curriculum, dubbed the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, will paint American history in a rather different light, with a definitive Christian, conservative slant. While the cited more than 100 amendments that have been passed on the curriculum since discussions began in January, the and the Texas Education Agency list some of the major themes of the curriculum, which will include:

• Comparing the inaugural addresses of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
• Examining why the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom and relating their intentions to the phrase "separation of church and state."
• Downplaying Thomas Jefferson's role in the creation of our country (Jefferson was just one of the founding fathers who was not a professing Christian)
• Giving more attention to President Reagan and his