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2017 Davidson Fellows to be Announced Next Month
The 2017 Davidson Fellows will be announced in mid-August! The Davidson Institute offers $10,000, $25,000 and $50,000 Fellows scholarships to students 18 and under whose projects have the potential to benefit society, and are at the college graduate level. Application categories are in the STEM fields, humanities and outside the box. |
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What's New in Gifted
Education
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Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has awarded $855,000 to academic enrichment programs serving low-income rural students in elementary and secondary schools
in six
states.
The Cooke Foundation Rural Talent Initiative grants seek to expand opportunities for rigorous summer and academic year learning and enrichment for students in rural
areas, where access to educational opportunities is limited.
Read
more |
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2017 Class of Thiel Fellows
The 2017 class of
Thiel Fellows comprised of 25 young entrepreneurs was recently announced. Thiel Fellowships consist of separate grants of $100,000
over two years to young recipients. Thiel Fellows are mentored by hundreds of highly accomplished entrepreneurs, scientists, investors, thinkers and innovators
while
taking a two-year hiatus from the classroom so they can focus on creating innovative startups, technologies and nonprofits.
Read about the 2017 class. |
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Davidson
News
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Davidson Academy’s Two Options - Designed to
Be Different
The
Davidson Academy
offers two
educational
options
specifically
designed to
meet the
needs of
profoundly
gifted
students –
an online
school
for those
living
anywhere in
the U.S. and
a day school
on the
University
of Nevada,
Reno campus
for local
residents.
Both options
are centered
on a
rigorous
academic
environment
where
students can
thrive among
their
intellectual
peers.
Academy
classes are
grouped by ability rather than by age, providing profoundly gifted
students an
educational
opportunity
matched to
their
abilities,
strengths
and
interests.
Please read
the
School
Profile
for
additional
information
about the
Davidson
Academy.
Davidson Academy’s Online High School
The
2017-2018
school year
marks the
expansion of
the Davidson
Academy with
an
Online High
School
for
profoundly
gifted
students
living
anywhere in
the United
States. Open
to students
in eighth
grade and
above, the
Online High
School takes
the best of
a Davidson
Academy
education
and builds a
robust
online
community
where
students can
thrive. This
online,
accredited
option is
designed to
be different
from
traditional
online
education.
Online
students
benefit
from:
-
Live,
synchronous
sessions
-
Quality peer
interactions
-
Small class
sizes
-
Responsive,
caring
instructors
-
Guidance
counseling
-
College
planning
-
Personalized
Learning
Plans
Please visit the Davidson Academy’s
Online High
School
Qualification Criteria
and
How to Apply
web
pages for
additional
information. The
application
for the
Online High
School will
open
this October
for the
2018-2019
school year.
Davidson Academy’s Reno School
For more
than a
decade, the
Davidson
Academy's free public day school
located on
the
University
of Nevada,
Reno campus
has been
serving
profoundly
gifted
middle and
high school
students who
move to or
live in the
Reno area.
Academics at
the Davidson
Academy are
guided by
flexibility,
opportunity
and rigorous
engagement.
The
Academy’s
teaching
methods
focus on
thinking
skills and a
sincere
regard for
the
uniqueness
of each
individual
learner.
This
learning
environment
is
particularly
suited to
the needs of
extremely
bright
students in
other
respects as
well. The
interpersonal
and
instructional
dynamics at
the Academy
are an
atmosphere
that is
vibrant with
intellectual
energy and
dialogue.
Academy
students may
also enroll
in courses
at the
University
of Nevada,
Reno, under
a dual
enrollment
agreement.
Students
at the
Davidson
Academy have
the
opportunity
to
participate
in many
clubs and
extracurricular
activities
throughout
the school
year. From
the Fall
Festival and
Winter Dance
to Pi Day
and Spirit
Week, there
is always
something
fun
happening!
Please visit the Davidson Academy’s
Reno School
Qualification Criteria and
How to Apply
web
pages for
details. The
Reno school
application
opens next
month for
the
2018-2019
school year. |
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Davidson Young Scholars
The national Davidson Young Scholars program provides FREE services designed to nurture the intellectual, social, emotional, and academic development of profoundly intelligent young people between the ages of 5 and 18 (students must be between the ages of 5 and 16 when applying). Benefits of the program include:
- Consulting Services
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An Online Community
-
In-person Connections
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Community Service Endeavors
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Summer Programs (fee-based)
The Davidson Institute offers FREE, online educational planning
guidebooks focused on topics such as advocacy, early college and mentorships, gap year, homeschooling and giving back.
These comprehensive guidebooks help direct parents and students through the process of searching for an appropriately challenging educational setting. |
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Legislative
& Policy
News
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ARKANSAS
– The Siloam Springs
school district plans to expand its program for gifted and talented students next year. Source:
Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
CONNECTICUT
– A new law authorizes the state Department of Education to retain a gifted and talented specialist. It also calls for state guidelines to be developed to help districts with best practices and staff training in gifted education. Source:
CT Post
FLORIDA
– Twenty elementary schools in Palm Beach County will open full-time gifted programs, which could spell the end of local gifted cluster centers. Source:
MyPalmBeachPost
The Duval school district’s plans to expand gifted education classes is dividing some local parents. Source:
Florida Times-Union
MARYLAND
– A new pilot program aimed at increasing diversity in the Montgomery school district’s highly gifted centers and magnet programs has proved so successful that the district will expand it system-wide in the fall. Source:
WAMU
NEW
JERSEY
– The West Orange Board of Education (WOBOE) recently passed a Gifted & Talented Program assessment plan that included the use of an IQ test to evaluate whether current K-2 students should enter the district’s program. Source:
TAPinto.net
NEW YORK – Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. recently released a joint report outlining their proposals to make admission to the New York City gifted programs more equitable. Sources:
New York Post,
Brooklyn Daily Eagle,
DNAinfo
VIRGINIA
– The
Charlottesville
school
district is
continuing
its efforts
to refer and
identify
more
students to
its gifted
education
program.
Quest, the
city
schools’
gifted
program, was
able to
refer more
students
across
several
demographics
than the
desired goal
that was
made a year
ago. Source:
The Daily Progress
WASHINGTON
– An increase in state funding for the Highly Capable Program (HCP) has recently been proposed in the budget. Source:
Washington Coalition for Gifted Education |
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In the
Spotlight
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Sharleen
Loh - Davidson
Ambassador
The purpose of the Davidson Young Scholars
Ambassador Program is to foster learning and civic engagement through community service, volunteerism and leadership in highly motivated and mature Young Scholars.
Sharleen's
project is "STEM up 4 Youth."
What inspired you to start your project?
STEM has always fascinated me. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to travel around America, visiting various hands-on science museums and fairs as a child. The fun, interactive exhibitions from those trips not only opened my eyes and inspired my passion for STEM—they made me realize the privileges I have and not to take them for granted.
I have attended schools where underprivileged children are the majority. It saddens me to see these children (and my peers), many of whom are minorities and/or economically disadvantaged, with very little resources, at risk of being left behind. They are the most underrepresented in the STEM fields. With the kids in mind, plus the announcement of a national shortage of a large enough skilled STEM workforce for the next few decades, I decided to do something and make a change.
Tell me about the project you are working on to help make a positive difference in the lives of others.
In 2013, I initiated a first-ever STEM Night at an elementary school. After
nine months of researching and planning, the event turned out to be a huge success! 700 people attended the STEM Night! I was inspired by that experience and wanted to do more. A few months later, I initiated the first STEM program at a local Boys and Girls Club. Since then, I’ve spent day and night researching and developing over 100 hands-on activities for STEM programs. I believe that my hands-on approach allows kids to explore using their natural curiosity and ultimately allows their interest to flourish!
As my program size expanded, I started to recruit volunteers and
soon created
STEMup4Youth! Through word of mouth, my organization grew. I have since partnered with over 40 different organizations around Southern California, reaching out to 5000 children and engaging 140 volunteers from 15 local schools. I’ve also created
seven chapters to further spread my passion of STEM!
I’ve received several distinctions for my work with STEMup4Youth, including being selected as a National Young Woman of Distinction, Prudential Spirit of Community Service Distinguished Finalist, and earning the Presidential Gold Volunteer Service Award.
What are some of your short-term and long-term plans?
I hope to expand my STEM programs to the national level in the near future and spread my love of STEM to a broader audience.
In the future, I hope to pursue a career in a STEM field, possibly biochemistry. I hope to use my experience with and knowledge of STEM to make a bigger impact, and help more people in need!
How has the Young Scholars program helped you to reach your goals and achieve your accomplishments?
The Young Scholars program has been amazing help in providing information, guidance, and a community to share and learn about others’ experiences. I most definitely could not have reached this far without the Davidson Ambassador program's training and advice. I learned so much from the program’s seminars, and the guidance provided was invaluable. |
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“The lack of attention paid to talented students is most likely related to the stereotype that such students do not need help due to their intellectual advantages and resource-rich parents. But disadvantages related to poverty and parents with low educational attainment exist across the full range of talent . . . we as a society lose out on their intellectual and creative contributions.”
--Jonathan Wai and Frank C. Worrell, in the report Fully Developing the Potential of Academically Advanced Students: Helping Them Will Help Society
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