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May 2012 |
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What's New in Gifted Education | Davidson News | Legislative & Policy News | On the Web | In the News | In the
Spotlight
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What's New in Gifted Education
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Intel Science and Engineering Fair -
A Showcase of Worldwide Science Innovation
 More than 1,500 outstanding high school science students, representing
approximately 70 countries, exhibited their inventive,
wide-ranging projects at the
2012 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Taylor Wilson, a graduating student at The Davidson Academy of Nevada,
received the first award of $3,000 in the Physics and Astronomy category
and an award of $800 from the American
Association of Physics Teachers and the American Physical
Society for his project, "A Novel Process for the Production
of Medically Relevant Radioisotopes." Athman Adiseshan, a
Davidson Young Scholar, received
a award in the Behavioral and Social Sciences category for
his project,  "Predicting Real World Characteristics from Virtual Behavior."
Jack Andraka of Crownsville, Md. (pictured, center) was awarded
the top prize for his new method to detect pancreatic cancer.
Ari Dyckovsky of Leesburg, Va. (left) and Nicholas Schiefer
from Canada (right) each received the
second prize: Ari investigated the science of quantum
teleportation, and Nicholas conducted research on search engines' capabilities.
Source: CNBC (Photo courtesy of
SeekingAlpha.com)
Beast
Academy – A New Curriculum for Aspiring Math Beasts
 Beast Academy, a new project from
Art of Problem Solving, will provide a full, rigorous and entertaining curriculum for aspiring math
students in grades 2-5. Four fully-illustrated guides per grade will provide complete lessons, delivered by the
Beast Academy instructors in an engaging comic book style. Companion Practice books will include challenging problems, puzzles and games to reinforce the lessons. All Beast Academy books are aligned to the 2010 national Common Core State Standards for Mathematics.
Juilliard School and Connections Academy Joining Forces
Starting in the 2012–13 school year, The Juilliard School and
Connections Academy are launching JUILLIARD eLEARNING, for K–12 students and educators everywhere.
The program will offer standards-based courses in
elementary, middle- and high-school music. Future plans include courses in music and dance theory and history, as well as live online music lessons. Sources:
Baltimore Sun,
Press Release
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Davidson News
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 The Davidson Academy of Nevada
A free public school, The Davidson Academy of Nevada
encourages and supports the abilities, strengths, and
interests of profoundly gifted middle and high school
students. The Academy is specifically designed to meet the
needs of profoundly gifted middle and high school students
who score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ or college entrance
tests, such as the SAT or ACT.
Prospective
students interested in receiving email updates about the
Academy can subscribe to
The Davidson Academy eNewsletter by
clicking here.
For the second consecutive year, The Davidson Academy has been ranked as one of the nation's "Top-performing schools with elite students" by the Washington Post's Jay Mathews. The 22 alphabetically-listed schools were excluded from the main Washington Post
High School Challenge list of the best high schools in America because, despite their exceptional quality, their admission rules and standardized test scores indicate they have few or no average students.
The Academy also made Newsweek’s 2012 list of
America’s Best High Schools, ranking in the top 100. This ranking highlights the best 1,000 public high schools in the nation, per criteria that show these schools are the most effective in graduating college-ready students.
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.
 Davidson Discussions
Davidson Discussions delve deeper into information and topics specific to parents of profoundly gifted students who
can experience similar issues. These videos,
posted on the Davidson Institute's
YouTube channel, are a current and fresh way for the Davidson
Institute Family Consultant team to share their experiences of
working with this unique population of students during the
past 12 years. The latest episode, "Parental Guilt: Meeting Your Child’s Needs to the Best of Your Ability (and being OK with that!)" examines the process of guilt-free decision making.
 Educators
Guild
The Davidson Institute's
Educators Guild
is a FREE national service for active elementary, secondary
and post-secondary educators, as well as other professionals
who are committed to meeting the unique academic needs of
gifted students. You can become a member of this online community with access to free consulting services and Educators Guild publications
by subscribing
here.
There is also an Educators Guild
discussion group on Facebook
- join today!
Gifted Issues Discussion Forum
 The
Gifted Issues Discussion Forum is a meeting place for all things gifted. Register and become a part of one of the most active gifted education forums on the web! With more than 5,500 registered members, it's a great place to share and interact with others about a wealth of gifted topics.
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Legislative & Policy News
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NATIONAL –
A $232,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
will allow Vanderbilt University’s
Programs for Talented Youth at Peabody College
to provide accelerated academic opportunities for up to 60 low-income gifted students. Students from high-poverty school districts in Kentucky, Alabama and Tennessee will be recruited for participation in
Vanderbilt Summer Academy, a summer residential program for rising 8th-12th graders, and the
Summer Academy at Vanderbilt for the Young for rising 1st-7th graders. Source:
Vanderbilt University News
ARIZONA – A self-contained classroom for gifted students in the Gilbert Unified School District
will open in fall 2013. Currently, the district is using a cluster model, in which gifted students are put together in one classroom by grade level with other students. Source:
AZ Central
ILLINOIS – With plans to open a new hybrid gifted/Montessori middle school, the Maria Montessori magnet program in the Rockford School District will expand, allowing more students to take part. Source:
Rockford Register Star
MONTANA – The Great Falls school district is cutting funding for the Gifted Education program beginning with the 2012-2013 school year. Source:
KRTV
NEW JERSEY – The Paterson School District
has developed a new gifted and talented program that will begin next school year. The district plans to eventually offer the program to students in grades K-12. Source:
Paterson Press
NEW YORK – With
a substantial rise in the amount of New York City preschoolers
testing in the 97th percentile, the process of a student
getting placed into one of the city's five gifted and talented kindergarten
programs next school year is getting increasingly competitive. With more than
2,600 students qualifying for about 400 spots in the programs, parents are
looking into private school options, which are also competitive as well as
expensive. Sources:
New York Times,
DNA Info
To compensate for the influx of new students who are qualifying for the gifted and talented kindergarten programs, the city will implement more difficult tests to determine placement in the future. Source:
DNA Info
OHIO – The Olentangy Local School District will offer online summer courses this year to help cut costs and offer students greater flexibility in how they earn credits. Source:
Columbus Dispatch
PENNSYLVANIA – A new three-part review process for identifying gifted students in the Bear Creek Community Charter School has recently been approved. Source:
The Abington Journal
SOUTH CAROLINA – The Charleston County School District has developed six criteria and a scoring system to determine which middle school students will take honors classes. This fall, the new criteria will be applied to every middle school student to assess the kinds of classes they need to take. Source:
Charleston Post Courier
TEXAS – A new partnership between Angelo State University and the San Angelo Independent School District will allow high school students to earn college credit while still in high school. Source:
San Angelo Standard Times
WISCONSIN – A new school for gifted students in grades 3-6 in the Green Bay area, The School for Academically Gifted Learners, will open this fall. Sources:
Fox 11 News,
WBAY
How gifted-friendly is your state? Find out
on the
Davidson Gifted Database State Policy Map.
If you know of new legislation, please contact the
Communications Team.
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On the Web
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Gifted Exchange Blog
Read Laura Vanderkam's take on all things gifted.
One of her recent posts is, "Digital learning and acceleration." Join the discussion
today!
Center for
Talent Development (CTD)
 Center for Talent Development is hosting an informative summer conference designed to guide gifted students and their families in making wise educational decisions. Parents hear from professors, psychologists
and more on diverse topics ranging from gifted children's needs to saving for college. Students in
grades PreK-3 will enjoy games and activities, while students in grades 4-12
will attend workshops presenting fascinating applications of their favorite subjects and introducing them to various career paths. The conference takes place on Saturday, June 23 from 1 to 5 p.m. on Northwestern University's Evanston, Illinois campus. For more information and to register
visit here.
The Gifted LearningLinks
online program is taking applications for its Accelerated
Summer Option. A wide range of honors and Advanced Placement
courses are available. GLL also offers a family program and
enrichment courses. Apply by June 1 to avoid late fees.
ADHD, Autism, and Giftedness: A Conversation
Great Potential Press recently announced their
blogger series on Misdiagnosis and Giftedness, written by Marianne Kuzujanakis. Dr. Kuzujanakis
is a pediatrician and a current director on the board of
SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). Join Dr. Kuzujanakis as she explores the connections between Giftedness, ADHD, Autism, and Misdiagnosis, and stay tuned for a conversation between Dr. Kuzujanakis and the authors of
Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger’s, Depression, and Other Disorders.
 Featured
Articles and Resources
The Davidson Gifted Database at www.DavidsonGifted.org/DB is a gateway to resources for
and about gifted students.
See what's new!
The Twice-Exceptional Newsletter is "the only publication aimed squarely at the intersection of giftedness and learning challenges."
The current issue includes the article, "Brain Bases of
'Late Blooming'" and more!
Tips
for Parents articles are summaries of online
seminars held for the parents of Davidson Young Scholars.
These articles are written by the facilitators of these
seminar covering topics from all over the gifted education
spectrum, and can be accessed by anyone, regardless of
whether or not they were a participant in that seminar.
Recently added Tips for Parents include:
Tips for Parents: The Zen Valedictorian: Helping Your Child Stand Out Without Burning Out
Tips for Parents: Forging Partnerships with Teachers, and Why They Often Don’t Work!
Tips for Parents: Making Early College A Happy Experience for Everyone
Tips for Parents: Doing Poorly on Purpose: Underachievement and the Quest for Dignity
The focus of the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum is to link families with information and resources regarding educating a gifted child at home.
Suggest a Resource
Suggest an Article
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In the News
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May 20 -
CBS News,
Dropping out: Is college worth the cost?
(Staff)
May 20 -
Washington Post,
2012 Challenge Index rankings--why small schools rule
(Jay Mathews)
May 16 -
Education Week,
Gifted Programs Aim to Regain Budget Toehold
(Nirvi Shah)
May 15 -
Begabungs,
How to help Gifted Children?- An Interview with Prof. Dr. Karen B. Rogers
(Roya Klingner)
May 14 -
T.H.E. Journal,
MIT, Khan Academy provide videos for K-12 lessons in engineering, science
(Tim Sohn)
May 9 -
The Guardian,
Just what is gifted and talented?
(Staff)
May 9 -
Detroit Free Press,
Is your child gifted?
(Jeff Seidel)
May 8 -
Education Week,
Studies Shed Light on 'Twice Exceptional' Students
(Sarah D. Sparks)
May 3 -
The Hill/Congress Blog,
Stop short-changing our most gifted children
(Paula Olszewski-Kubilius)
May 2 -
Education Week,
Summer Learning
(Tamara Fisher)
April 16 -
Huffington Post,
Can 'Genius' Be Detected in Infancy?
(Scott Barry Kaufman)
April 14 -
BBC News,
Tell-tale signs of a genius child
(Linda Serck)
April 11 - Washington Post,
How to get off that college wait list
(Jay Mathews)
Discuss these stories and
more on the
Gifted Issues Discussion Forum.
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In the
Spotlight
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SaraJane Griffiths
A Davidson Young Scholar Making a Difference
 Inspiration for “The Group Guide”
When I was in 4th
grade my teacher talked to our class about
the importance of group work and how it is an
area that is difficult for 3rd and 4th graders to grasp. As I
started to think about improving my own skills, I started to
realize how important group work is at school and throughout
adulthood. As I researched my topic, I
found out that group work can be very challenging in the work
place. I decided that I wanted to make a difference for
elementary aged kids by placing an emphasis on group
dynamics.
I completed research and talked to teachers,
students, friends and administrators about the topic of
group work for children. As my passion for helping kids
evolved I attended a Summit through the
Davidson Young Scholars program, and heard many
Davidson Ambassadors talk about their own service projects. I knew that was the training I needed to make my project
successful.
“The Group Guide” is now a self-published book
to help elementary aged students understand the basics
of group work. I developed characters with witty names that
demonstrate different roles that students play in a group. I
use these characters as basis for a classroom presentation
that I presented in neighborhood schools. The program is
designed to help students start learning about group work
and their own strengths and weaknesses within a group at a
young age. I also developed and maintain a website, TheGroupGuide.com, to promote group work for kids.
How has the Young Scholars
Ambassador program helped you to reach your goals and achieve your accomplishments?
The Young Scholars Ambassador program
not only had a significant impact on the success of my project, but
also the way I think about the world. The program provided me with leadership skills and gave me the skills to plan, create and run a
nonprofit successfully. The Ambassador program gave me the ability to look at any situation or problem in the world and make strides towards creating a solution. My Ambassador Advisors, Nuntiya
Smith and Erik Schwinger, and other Davidson Institute staff members
helped make my vision into a reality, whilst giving me
invaluable advice and training for the future. I received so
much support, knowledge and encouragement from the other
Ambassadors who helped to shape my project into a success.
Please describe your academic setting and some positive experiences with mentors.
I currently attend my neighborhood school, and I am grade and
subject accelerated. I love being able to go to school with friends from my neighborhood, and have my classes be at
the right pace and level. The Young Scholars program has
provided support throughout my school career, in addition to
my local
mentor who has helped me with schooling and my
“Group Guide” project. She is a retired middle school
teacher who encouraged me and showed me the importance of
group work in everyday life.
What are some of your short-term and long-term plans?
I plan to continue my work with “The Group Guide” by getting my book published and making it accessible to the kids who need it. I plan to continue making presentations at elementary schools to help students learn about group work.
One of my many passions is goalkeeping in soccer. As with many sports, there is a risk of concussion and other head injuries. I would like to start a campaign to ensure that all players, particularly goalkeepers, are protected from such injuries by wearing protective headbands. I hope to start my journey on this project in the near future.
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Closing Thought
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"We support the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair because we know that math and science are imperative to future global growth. This competition encourages millions of students to engage their skills for innovation and develop promising solutions for global challenges."
~ Wendy Hawkins, Executive Director of the Intel Foundation
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Davidson Institute for Talent Development
Supporting our nation's brightest young minds.
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Phone: 775-852-3483 Fax: 775-852-2184
Email: administrator@davidsongifted.org Web: www.DavidsonGifted.org
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