WHEREAS, One hundred thousand Washington State children and youth are gifted and talented; and
     WHEREAS, Without appropriate support, these children have high dropout rates, between 15 and 30%, and a number of other risk factors; and
     WHEREAS, K-12 Highly Capable students are present in all cultural and linguistic groups, across all socioeconomic strata, co-exist with all manner of disabling conditions both visible and invisible, and manifest across all areas of human endeavor; and
     WHEREAS, Highly Capable students perform, or show potential for performing, at significantly advanced levels when compared with others of their age, experience, or environments. Outstanding capabilities are seen within students' general intellectual aptitudes, specific academic abilities, creative productivities within a specific domain, and leadership skills; and
     WHEREAS, Prior to implementation of ESHB 2261, only 181 out of 295 of Washington State's school districts offered Highly Capable services of any kind; and
     WHEREAS, For the 2010-11 school year, Highly Capable grant funds alone supported only 22,859 of the estimated 100,000 students who require Highly Capable services; and
     WHEREAS, Education for all students must include opportunities to nurture and support learning at the highest levels, laying the foundation for positive outcomes for all students; and
     WHEREAS, Research-based teaching practices drawn from gifted education can be used to enhance learning for students in their strength areas, and will have a positive impact on all students; and
     WHEREAS, High-end learning with a focus on expanding excellence will lead to a more highly qualified workforce ready to address the challenges we currently face and the ones we will certainly face in the future; and
     WHEREAS, Maximum development of each individual's intellectual and creative powers ensures the challenges of the future will more likely be met; and
     WHEREAS, Washington has tens of thousands of gifted and talented children, whose full potential can be tapped only through the farsighted cooperation of education, community, and government;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize March 19, 2013, as Gifted Education Day in Washington State and March 17 through 23, 2013, as Gifted Education Week in Washington State;
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to the Washington Coalition for Gifted Education.