GATE DAC

San Diego GATE Key

Your Key to Unlock the Power of Gifted Education

GATE District Advisory Committee

What is the GATE DAC?

The GATE DAC is one of several key parent-led committees that officially advise the school district on specific matters (such as gifted education, special education, Title 1, and English Language Learning). The main role of the GATE DAC is to: 1) Educate GATE parents on current developments, issues, problems and solutions in/around GATE identification, placement, programming, best practices, and evidence-based GATE strategies; and 2) Advise district staff and BoE via feedback, input, and recommendations regarding district plans for programming, goals, objectives, and services for the GATE program.

In order to facilitate parent input in planning and evaluation of GATE programs, parent representatives from each school volunteer to work with the school's GATE Team Leaders to coordinate efforts on parent development, to promote communication on GATE issues, and to enhance the school's GATE program. The bylaws are available here. The GATE DAC meeting schedule, meeting agendas and meeting notes are posted here.

When does it meet? 2023-24 Meeting Dates

GATE DAC meetings are held virtually on the 2nd Mondays/month from 6:30-8pm.

Everyone is welcome. The virtual meeting link for 2023-24 is:

https://sandiegounified.zoom.us/j/83445268406

Meeting ID: 834 4526 8406

Meeting dates for 2023-24 are:

September 11, 2023
October 9, 2023
November 13, 2023
December 11, 2023 (Planning Meeting)
January 8, 2024
February 12, 2024
March 11, 2024
April 8, 2024
May 13, 2024 (Elections)
June 10, 2024 (Planning Meeting)

How do I participate?

The meetings are open to everyone so you can attend and learn from the District staff and guest speakers who make presentations or provide updates. To take it to the next level and become a formal voting member of the committee you must be nominated by your Principal as your school's official representative or alternate. Find out who is your school rep by asking your Principal or looking at the GATE Program Summaries posted here.

Update: This long-established system (where schools nominated parents as representatives to sit as committee members on the GATE DAC ) has fallen out of use since before the pandemic. While the District has said the school GATE Program Summaries will be updated, we have no news to report about that at this time. The District has not provided the GATE DAC a current list of which schools are offering either GATE Cluster or Seminar. Check with your Principal to find that out.

Who is in charge?

The GATE DAC is led by an executive team consisting of a Chair plus 2 Vice-Chairs that is elected to serve a 2-year term. It is a volunteer-run organization, so consider nominating someone, or running yourself. Two additional members at-large may be nominated by the Chair but those positions are currently unfilled. Information about our elections is here.

The GATE DAC Chair for 2023-24 is Jennifer Marrewa (Madison Cluster).

The 1st Vice-Chair is Mary Ann Hawke (Clairemont Cluster) and the 2nd Vice-Chair is Melinda Therkalsen (Point Loma Cluster). All of them volunteer their time to run the GATE DAC and attend District meetings on behalf of GATE families.

You can contact the GATE DAC leaders at gatedacsdusd@gmail.com

Where can I get more information?

The District's official GATE DAC website is here.

The 2023-2024 GATE DAC meeting schedule and meeting notes are posted here.

The GATE DAC has a Facebook page - search Facebook for "GATESD"

You can email the volunteer-led executive team for GATE DAC at gatedacsdusd@gmail.com

You can email the District about GATE issues at gate@sandi.net

Inquiries re GATE testing/identification should be directed to your school Principal and/or school site psychologist. Current information about testing is posted here.

Some schools post their GATE Program Summary online here.

Your school Principal is your main POC for any inquiries about the GATE program.

More about the GATE DAC

Origins

Role of GATE Parents

For over 45 years, the GATE DAC has served as an important partner for program development, review, innovation, and implementation. Through it's decades of work, the GATE DAC has engaged parents as stakeholders and helped maintain program quality.

Since it was organized back in 1972 by Dave Hermanson and Eugene Brucker, GATE parents representing all the schools across the District have met monthly with SDUSD program administrators.

Role of GATE Parents

Through their active involvement in the GATE DAC, parents have played a key role in the SDUSD gifted program. Parents have always used their voice to advise the District, and channel community questions and concerns for followup and action.

They also act as the liaison between the District and families to help disseminate program information and educate parents and teachers about gifted education.

Partnerships

Role of GATE Parents

Some GATE History

The GATE DAC is one of several District Advisory Committees that report annually to the Board of Education. It partners with these other DACs on cross-cutting issues such as special education, Title 1, and ELL.

Other key partners include the California Association for the Gifted (CAG) and Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) as well as University of California San Diego Extension (which delivers GATE teacher certification training for SDUSD).

Some GATE History

Importance of Advocacy

Some GATE History

San Diego City Schools had been providing gifted students with special educational programs for 11 years when in 1961, the CA legislature passed AB361: the Mentally Gifted Minors (MGM) program. It was based on a 4-year study of 17 statewide GATE programs, in which San Diego was hailed as a success story.

San Diego's GATE program has a a strong and proud legacy. According to Bonnie Demming's history of GATE in San Diego: “The GATE program has been recognized throughout the City, County, and Nation as the most exemplary community involvement with gifted children in the nation.”

The influential federal Marland Report (1972) made the following statement:

"Gifted and Talented children are, in fact, deprived and can suffer psychological damage and permanent impairment of their abilities to function well which is equal to or greater than the similar deprivation suffered by any other population with special needs served by the Office of Education."(pp. xi-xii)

After four decades, the Federal government's role in the delivery of GATE services is still virtually non-existent - allocating only 0.02% of its budget via the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act which is perpetually under attack by political opponents.

More GATE history here.

Importance of Advocacy

Several key events have coalesced to make GATE advocacy in San Diego even more critical. At the state level, the passage of LCFF legislation in 2013 mandates parent engagement in developing and reviewing the school district's 3-year LCAP. This is now parent's main point of leverage for influencing all SDUSD priorities, including GATE.

In 2013, the sections of the CA Education Code about GATE were repealed. Parents need to impress upon educational decision-makers (including state legislators, the County Office of Education, SDUSD administrators, the Board of Education, and even Principals at individual school sites) the significance of GATE and the need to explicitly write it into policy. Now that GATE in California is voluntary and not specifically funded, parents have a pivotal role to play to ensure that GATE is understood and supported, not eliminated.

At the local level, SDUSD closed their GATE office in 2017 (eliminating both the GATE manager and resource teacher positions) and adopted a "site based" model for GATE, which gave Principals direct control of their own programs. This new more dispersed model of GATE management weakens the oversight role of District administration and makes it much harder for the GATE DAC to act effectively.

How to Get Involved

Importance of Advocacy

Do something! Big or small! Get involved!

~Does your school have a rep sitting on the GATE DAC? Ask your Principal and volunteer.

~Attend the GDAC meetings and volunteer on one of the special interest working groups.

~Help out your school 's GDAC rep; e.g., set up a GATE info table at your school's family events (print our DIY GATE Info poster on the Downloads page here).

~Check your school's GATE Program Summary online here - is your school living up to it? If not, speak to your Principal and your schools GATE Team Lead Teacher.

~Participate in the LCAP process - this year will be key since the next 3-yr plan will be written (is GATE mentioned in it?)

~Attend your Cluster meetings or find out who from your school does and talk about GATE issues.

~Participate in your school site governance councils that set priorities and assign funding (the SSC or SGC). Ask your Principal if there is anyone on that team representing GATE.

~Become a member of a gifted advocacy organization such as the CAG, SENG, or NAGC.