For exceptional students. . .

Here's something West Virginia would do well to consider. This is from The Daily Independent in Ashland. For the full story, click here. But these few words are the part that struck me:

The state’s first Academy of Mathematics and Science is taking applications.The academy, which is funded by state legislature, will be the 14th nationwide residential school with a focus on math and science for 120 advanced high school students. ... Kentucky ranks 47th in the number of scientists and engineers. ... The academy will be based at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. WKU is also home of the Center for Gifted Studies for middle and high school students. The program is a residential early admissions college for 60 high school juniors and 60 high school seniors who have demonstrated interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The goal is to enable exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment which offers advanced educational opportunities. After two years, academy students will have their high school diploma as well as any where between 60 to 70 college credit hours. “There are students across the state with needs that cannot be met by traditional educational,” Alderdice said. “These students have outstripped their curriculum and schools don’t know what to do with them.”

I envy the kids who will be accepted into this program. I don't know that I was mature enough as a high school junior to have participated in such a program, but it would have been nice to be able to try, assuming I was qualified (probably not, but we all have our fantasies).

Kentucky recognizes that its best high school math and science students have no business being in high school. Franklin County, Ohio, is doing something similar by starting a new high school for advanced math and science kids. We could do something in this region, drawing on the resources at Marshall. If only we recognized academic talent the way we do athletic talent.