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What's New in Gifted
Education |
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Summer Programs for Gifted Students |
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A variety of summer programs offer gifted
students access to challenging learning opportunities surrounded by intellectual peers.
Among the most academically rigorous summer programs is the THINK Summer Institute.
Twelve to 15-year-old students can earn up to seven college credits in three weeks on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno. THINK Applications are currently being
accepted on a space-available basis. For general information on gifted summer programs,
click here.
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Study Provides Insight on Nurturing Gifted Students |
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According to a 35-year longitudinal Vanderbilt University study, young gifted students need the full support of their teachers, parents and social networks to reach their full potential as adults. The study’s findings show that more than just a child’s innate cognitive ability is needed to excel - educational opportunities, motivation, and hard work are also crucial. Results also displayed significant differences
among the very top students measured: those who have scored highest are the most likely to earn more patents, get a Ph.D., and have higher incomes.
Sources: LiveScience.com, Medical News Today
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A Growing Phenomenon – Early College High Schools |
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As the number of early college
high schools continues to grow across the country, American high school students are gaining opportunities to earn college credits through these accelerated options. Many programs allow students to take courses that will count for both high school and college credit, also known as dual enrollment, earning both a high school diploma and college associate degree simultaneously. Browse Early Colleges. Browse Dual Enrollment Opportunities.
Sources: CBS News, Winston-Salem Journal, California State University, Los Angeles
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Legislative
News |
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FEDERAL
- The No Child Left Behind
(NCLB) Law just reached its fifth anniversary and President Bush outlined a number of proposed changes for the act in his State of the Union address,
including: increased, easily-accessible tutoring; a greater focus on science; and
providing families the flexibility of removing a
child from a poorly performing school.
Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act -
As we continue to await word on the amount of 2007 funding for the Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act, the
National Association of Gifted Children
has created an advocacy toolkit, designed for those interested in
helping to support the needs of gifted students. The toolkit also provides tips on how to contact your state representatives.
CALIFORNIA
- A state appeals court ruled that
California does not have to pay for the tuition for gifted students
under the age of 16. Sources: Metropolitan News-Enterprise, EducationWeek
CONNECTICUT
- Although a 2005 lawsuit challenging NCLB has been partially dismissed in federal court,
the state of Connecticut plans to continue to pursue legal action since the lawsuit was not dismissed in its entirety.
Source: EducationWeek.
(Editor’s note: It was incorrectly reported in the last edition of eNews-Update that this lawsuit had been completely dismissed. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused our readers).
FLORIDA
- The Department of Education proposed a rule change requiring all Florida students to be tested for entrance into gifted programs. This
new rule would allow children from families who are unable to afford private testing a chance to enroll in a more challenging program.
Also, under the proposed changes, the minimum IQ score to define a gifted child would be lowered from 130 to 120. Sources: The Gainesville Sun, The Sun Herald, The Herald-Tribune, The Miami Herald
ILLINOIS
- Gifted language returned to the Illinois school code in 2005, but gifted education is not yet mandated. The legislature must include a line item for gifted education in the state budget
in order to restore the mandate. Concerned parents and educators are working to ensure
that this happens. For more information, please contact the Advocacy Committee of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children. This feature was complied by Kim Moldofsky - Thanks Kim!
INDIANA
- A number of Indiana high schools will receive $50,000 grants to fund studies on creating “early college” high schools. High school juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to earn dual credit for certain courses, which will count as both high school and college credit. The grants were created in response to Gov. Mitch Daniels’ desire to make Indiana’s workforce more adept in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Source: The Palladium-Item
MASSACHUSETTS
- Norwood Public Schools received a $35,000 grant to start a math and science summer program for gifted and talented students, in grades 4 through 8. Teachers for the summer program will attend a six-month professional development course to learn how to develop appropriate curriculum.
Source: Daily News Transcript
A new course, titled “An Introduction to the Education of Advanced, Talented and Creative Learners,” has been created in the Nashoba Regional School District, thanks to a Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education grant. The grant will also fund curriculum development and training courses for teachers and school committee members this summer. Source: The Item
NEW YORK
- The New York City Public School System will begin using a new test to screen for gifted children, called the Gifted Rating Scales (GRS). The GRS replaces previously-used IQ tests and measures students’ aptitudes in six areas: intellectual ability, academic ability, creativity, artistic talent, leadership and motivation. Sources: EdNews.org, Florida State University
TEXAS
- The Texas Education Agency awarded grants, totaling $3.7 million, to establish
early college high schools in school districts throughout the state. Funding, which was authorized by the 2005 Texas Legislature, will be split between high schools and local colleges to create dual credit courses. Sources: North Texas e-News, Bryan College Station Eagle
WISCONSIN
- In January 2007, a judge ruled that Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction must invoke specific rules for school districts in the identification of gifted and talented students. This decision is in response to a lawsuit filed by two gifted education advocates on the grounds that the state had been ignoring laws that mandate opportunities for gifted students. One of the advocates described the ruling as "a tremendous victory for gifted students in this state." Sources: School Information System, MadisonUnited.org (PDF), Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
How gifted-friendly is your state? Find out at:
Gifted Education Policies.
If you know of new legislation, please let us know. Contact:
The Communications Team |
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On the Web |
| Gifted Exchange Blog
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Read Laura Vanderkam's take on all things gifted, with recent posts including:
- Aztecs vs. Greeks (Murray part 3) - In the last part of his series on intelligence in the Wall Street Journal, Charles Murray calls for gifted kids to be taught separately in classes designed just for them. That's not a reward, he stresses, but a way for them to learn the humility of actually having to work hard for something.
- Scaling up "Gifted" - Is the cause of gifted education helped or hurt when schools start identifying a larger percentage of students as gifted?
Join the discussion today!
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Stanford’s EPGY Online High School - 2007-2008 Application Deadlines |
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Albert Einstein once said, “It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.” Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY) has been serving the intellectual needs of
bright students since 1992. Last fall,
EPGY launched their Online High School (OHS) – the first diploma-granting
online high school for gifted students. Students who once felt isolated and
boxed in by the limitations of their local schools, can now discover and
explore in a place where it is natural to be extraordinary and where
students from across the country and around the world pursue their passions
with their peers in a real-time virtual classroom.
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Cogito.org
is Online Hub for Math and Science Students and Professionals |
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Funded by the John Templeton Foundation and spearheaded by Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, recently-launched Cogito.org
is an online hub for up-to-date information on the latest math and science news, events, competitions, summer programs, opportunities and professional connections.
Students passionate about math and science are encouraged to join the online discussions with other students, working scientists, professors and mathematicians. Source: Johns Hopkins Gazette
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RSI and USABO
are Nurturing Excellence and Leadership |
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Recognizing the importance of math, science and technology in the lives of young, gifted students for more than two decades, the Center for Excellence in Education
has sponsored the annual Research Science Institute (RSI) and USA Biology Olympiad (USABO). RSI provides approximately 75 high school students from around the world the opportunity to participate in a rigorous, six-week summer academic program, focused on advanced theory and research. The upcoming application deadline for RSI is February 9, 2007. The USABO is one of the top biology competitions in the United States and begins in February with a multiple-choice exam open to all U.S. high school students who have been nominated by their teachers.
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Duke Gifted and Talented Newsletter Launched Online |
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Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is offering their quarterly newsletter, the Duke Gifted Letter, online and free of charge. Content includes timely and practical information for parents of academically gifted children. Seven years of archived issues are also available on the website. Source: Duke University
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In the News
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February 2007 -
The School Administrator,
Gifted Education Left Behind
(Staff)
January 30, 2007 -
The Washington Post,
New Studies Say AP Works
(Jay Mathews)
January 25, 2007 -
The Culpeper Star Exponent,
Gifted Programs - The Cure for a Boring Summer
(P.
Sherman)
January 25, 2007 - RecordNet.com,
Schools seek new ways to find gifted kids
(Jennifer Torres)
January 18, 2007 - The Wall Street Journal,
Aztecs vs. Greeks
(Charles Murray)
January 15, 2007 - The Daily News Journal, Mother of gifted child wins battle
(Staff)
January 10, 2007 - Times-Union.com, Home-schooler, 13, has perfect score
(Staff)
January 10, 2007 - New York Daily News, Race is on for spots in classes for gifted
(Erin Einhorn)
January 7, 2007 -
The Daily News Transcript,
State approves grant to start program for gifted students
(B. Falla)
January 3, 2007 - Sarasota HeraldTribune.com, Pine View faces challenges with growth
(Liz Babiarz)
January 2, 2007 - Greenwich Time, Gifted program under scrutiny
(Hoa Nguyen)
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Upcoming Events |
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States with Gifted Conferences/Events in
February and March
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Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
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Connecticut
Illinois
Kentucky
Minnesota
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Missouri
Nebraska
New Jersey
North Carolina
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Ohio
Oklahoma
Virginia
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For
more, see the
Events Calendar on
Davidson Gifted Database,
your gateway to gifted
resources!
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In the Spotlight |
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 EdNews.org
Tracking Daily Education News
Across the United States and the World
A resource for education news from across the country and the world, EdNews.org provides daily summaries to readers worldwide as well as an online database of archived education news articles. Editor-in-Chief Jimmy Kilpatrick scans the top education news stories each morning and compiles items in an e-mail summary distributed to EdNews subscribers free of charge.
Kilpatrick first developed the idea for EdNews in 1994 when advocating for his son who has a
learning disability. After picking up news articles here and there, particularly those related to exceptionalities, he started collecting articles daily and e-mailing them to colleagues. During the past decade, EdNews.org has become an increasingly influential tool for those seeking to impact education policy. Top educators, opinion leaders and education reporters from all over the world read Kilpatrick’s list of news clippings.
“It mushroomed overnight,” said Kilpatrick, who now has more than 1.7 million unique visitors per month at EdNews.org and thousands more subscribing to his Daily EdNews email.
Kilpatrick’s staff consists of himself and a number of educational column writers. Others also regularly send in story links. Waking up at 2 a.m., and taking three- to four-hour naps throughout the day, he sorts through local, regional, national and international news to compile a list of
the day’s top education articles in an easy-to-read format. This routine has become a labor of love as Kilpatrick operates EdNews.org with virtually no outside funding.
“In order to be an effective advocate, one must know and understand
both sides of their issues. I work to present all sides of the issues we cover,” said Kilpatrick. “My goal is to help educational advocates throughout the world access information on a variety of issues.”
Kilpatrick also has a consulting business, LDAdvocates.com, designed to help parents with special needs children. As quoted on the LDadvocates.com site, "Jimmy Kilpatrick is one of the most knowledgeable people I know on reading and
learning disabilities,” said Dr. Rod Paige, former U. S. Secretary of Education.
Kilpatrick encourages eNews-Update readers to submit articles about gifted and talented education topics directly to his email address JimmyKilpatrick@EdNews.org, saying, “I am interested in doing anything we can to keep our readers informed about the needs of gifted students.”
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Closing Thought |
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"The good society is not one that ignores individual differences but one
that deals with them wisely and humanely."
~ John Gardner
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February 2007