Universities Run E-Schools for K-12 Gifted Students

Virtual schools aim to meet the needs of gifted students

By Katie Ash

Several research universities around the country are running online college-prep schools that tailor teaching and learning to the needs of high achievers, essentially establishing an on-site research base to evaluate the effectiveness of personalized online learning for gifted students.

Those students are often underserved in regular public schools, which may not have the time or money to provide courses that challenge them or allow them to pursue particular academic interests, says Patricia Wallace, the senior director of information technology for the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth, which runs an online prep school called CTYOnline for pre-K-12 students.

“Schools are really under pressure to differentiate the curriculum for all students, and their main pressure is at the remedial end,” Wallace says. “The funding for these programs for students who are in the top level is just really pennies compared to what students...