|
|
|
|
Featured
Topic | Resources |
In the News |
For Your Students |
Davidson Institute Updates
|
|
Featured
Topic - A Nation Empowered
|
| |
 Earlier this year, the
Acceleration Institute released
A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students,
an update to the work initiated by
A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students.
A Nation Deceived delved into research-based practices for challenging academically talented youth.
A Nation Empowered tells the story of how well we have applied what we have learned. The purpose of
A Nation Empowered is to inform educators, parents and policymakers of current research on acceleration, how that information has been applied to educational policy, and how educators can use the findings to make decisions for their brightest students.
We are also including some professional development resources and tools for you to use in the classroom. We hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the school year!
 Guest Q&A – Dr. Susan G. Assouline
Susan G. Assouline is the director of the
University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, a professor of school psychology, and the Myron and Jacqueline Blank Chair in Gifted Education. She is especially interested in the identification of academic talent in elementary students and is co-author of both editions of
Developing Math Talent: A Comprehensive Guide to Math Education for Gifted Students in Elementary and Middle School. As well, she is co-developer of the
Iowa Acceleration Scale, a tool designed to guide educators and parents through decisions about grade-skipping students; she has consulted on hundreds of decisions concerning acceleration. She is a leading expert on the decision-making process for acceleration and has consulted on several hundred acceleration cases. She has conducted numerous workshops for parents and teachers on acceleration, development of mathematical talent and twice-exceptional students. Dr. Assouline is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences. In 2015, she co-authored, with Nicholas Colangelo, Joyce Van Tassel-Baska and Ann Shoplik,
A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students.
How has the educational landscape changed since the 2004 publication of
A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students?
A Nation Deceived is still relevant! However, the educational landscape has changed tremendously since the 2004 publication. One major change is the creation and implementation of the
Davidson Academy! As well, there are more STEM residential schools, an expanded new research agenda regarding twice-exceptionality, and more exhaustive research on the impact of acceleration. There are also new educational issues including the widespread use of the Common Core Curriculum and better research on the excellence gap that exists for bright students who are economically vulnerable and/or attend under-resourced schools. These changes are reflected in the fact that Volume 2 of
A Nation Empowered includes new chapters and reflect the advances in the educational landscape.
Research shows that acceleration works, so why isn’t it used more often?
Although we know that the impact of acceleration is universally positive both academically and socially-emotionally, there are still barriers to implementation. One barrier, which is slowly being eliminated, relates to the pre-service training of teachers and counselors. In fact, professional development for teachers and counselors is another new chapter in
A Nation Empowered. Also, many people think that there is only one form of acceleration; however, there are
20 types and they vary in degree depending upon the needs of the students.
Can acceleration have long-term social benefits for gifted students, in addition to academic benefits?
The long-term benefits of acceleration are unequivocal. Volume 2 has an updated chapter on the long-term benefits as well as a new chapter explaining the effects of academic acceleration on occupational prestige, earnings and satisfaction.
 Can parents
and educators use A Nation Empowered to advocate for their students?
Parents and educators can – and should – use either or both volumes of A Nation Empowered to advocate for their students. In 2004 when we were publishing
A Nation Deceived, we received excellent advice from Jan and Bob Davidson, which led us to develop one volume for parents, administrators and policymakers, and a second, edited volume for educators and researchers.
A Nation Empowered has the same two-volume format. Of course, we think it’s best to use both volumes in tandem regardless of the individual’s primary role.
A Nation Deceived was widely distributed at no cost because we had a very generous grant from the John Templeton Foundation.
A Nation Empowered was developed with a small private grant from different philanthropists; however there was no funding for distribution. That is why we did everything we could to make it accessible to both professionals and parents.
How does one access a
copy of A Nation Empowered?
Anyone can obtain free digital PDF versions of A Nation Empowered, Vols. I
and II. Visit the
“Products” page of Belin-Blank’s IDEAL Solutions website and place the PDF
items in your shopping cart. You will need to create a login, then the
download(s) will be made available once you click on “Checkout.”
The print and bound volumes are beautiful, extensive and the cost is relatively minimal.
We are offering a 10 percent discount by using the following
coupon code: EMPOWER1516. There is also an ePublication available at a nominal cost.
Orders may be placed from the
Acceleration Institute website which also hosts a wealth of information.
|
|
|
|
Resources
|
| |
Acceleration
Watch videos of acceleration stories from current and former students at the University of Iowa
here.
Strategies for Teaching Gifted Students
Professional Development
Conferences
Other Resources
|
|
|
|
In
the News
|
|
|
|
For
Your Students
|
| |
 Intel
Science Talent Search
The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS), a program of Society for Science & the Public (SSP), is the nation’s most prestigious science research competition for high school seniors. 2016 applications are now open to students who have completed individual, independent science research and could be eligible to compete for up to $150,000 in awards! Applicants submit their research in the form of a research report, and also submit essay questions, teacher recommendations, test scores and transcripts. Three hundred semifinalists are chosen and awarded $1,000. Forty finalists are then selected and win an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C. to compete for a total of $1,012,500 in awards. Please visit the
website for more information.
The 2016 final application deadline is November 11, 2015.
 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation will soon accept applications for its
College Scholarship Program. Recipients will be awarded as much as $40,000 per year for four years for tuition, books, living expenses and other required fees. Do you know of any high-achieving high school seniors with financial need who seek to attend the nation’s best four-year colleges and universities? Applicants must plan to graduate from a U.S. high school in spring 2016 and enroll in an accredited four-year college in fall 2016.
The application deadline is November 3, 2015.
 EngineerGirl
Contest
Every year, EngineerGirl sponsors a contest dealing with engineering and its impact on our world. The National Academy of Engineering invites students to submit an essay about how they would protect the environment and the safety, health and well-being of the public as a responsible engineer. The contest is open to individual girls and boys
in grades
3-12. For more details, please visit this
website.
The application deadline is February 1, 2016.
|
|
|
|
Davidson
News
|
| |
 Davidson Young
Scholars
The
Davidson Young Scholars program provides FREE services designed to nurture and support profoundly gifted young people and their families, including talent development and educational advocacy, an online community, annual get-togethers, and the Ambassador Program. Applications are due the first of each month. For more information, see the
How to Apply and
Qualification Criteria
pages.
 Educators Guild
All educators, and people interested in gifted education, are invited to join
the
Educators Guild Discussion Group on Facebook and contribute to the ongoing conversation about how to best serve the academic needs of our nation’s brightest
students.
|
|
|
|
Closing Thought
|
| |
"There is still a culture in the majority of our Colleges of Education that does not fully promote the integration of gifted and talented programs into teacher training,” Dr. Susan Assouline says. “Until that happens, gifted education won’t be fully integrated into our schools. Understanding that is critical to empowering what we do and to empowering us as a nation."
~ Dr. Susan Assouline, A Nation Empowered, p. 44
|
|
|
|
If you have information to include in future
Educators Guild Newsletters, please email EdGuild@DavidsonGifted.org.
If you have been forwarded this newsletter, and wish to receive future editions,
sign-up here. |
|
Davidson Institute for Talent Development
Supporting our nation's brightest young minds.
9665 Gateway Drive, Suite B, Reno, Nevada 89521
Phone: 775-852-3483 Fax: 775-852-2184
Email: EdGuild@davidsongifted.org Web: www.DavidsonGifted.org
www.DavidsonGifted.org/EdGuild.
NOTE: The appearance of selected programs and/or resources in the Davidson Institute's Educators Guild Newsletter does not imply an endorsement or affiliation. Programs and resources are highlighted for informational purposes only.
Visit the Davidson Institute's
Educators Guild Newsletter archive page.
"Like"
the Davidson Institute on
Facebook
and follow us on
Twitter.
The Davidson Institute also has a number of
YouTube videos!
|
