My goal today is to provide all of you with some tips about excellent websites that have information about gifted students and gifted education resources. While some of you who frequent this blog are likely already aware of most or all of these links, a significant number of readers here are new to learning about gifted students and I want to help equip you with additional (and high quality) resources. I know there are a lot of you out there who are regular classroom teachers (or future teachers) who want to know what to do for (and about!) the gifted students in your classrooms. I hope that some of these links will be helpful in your search for ideas, answers, and enlightenment.
The first and most important site to mention is the Hoagies site. Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page was first created more than a decade ago, waaay back when the Internet was still in its embryonic stage. This site is updated nearly every single day. It is nicknamed the “All Things Gifted” page because it literally does include information on just about everything out there on gifted education. You can find lists of resources (every imaginable type of resource), links to online forums about gifted education and gifted students, a very thorough section for parents of the gifted, details about the different methods often used for identification of the gifted, curriculum resources for teachers, a section for gifted kids, and multiple sections covering the various aspects of social and emotional needs of the gifted. Look for the site’s handy Search bar to help find whatever it is that you’re looking for. The Hoagies site is also a winner of an NAGC Community Service Award and a PAGE Neuber-Pregler Award. New to learning about gifted students? Check out Hoagies’ Gifted 101 and Gifted 102 links.
SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) was created in 1981 to bring attention to the unique social and emotional needs of gifted individuals. The SENG website includes many articles on social/emotional topics written by experts in the field. SENG’s community forums provide a place for people to learn about and discuss issues surrounding the social and emotional needs of the gifted. Parent discussion groups, with SENG-trained facilitators, can be found in hundreds of places around the country. Finally, SENG hosts a conference every summer for parents, teachers, mental health professionals, and gifted individuals to expand their learning about gifted issues.
The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented is comprised of research teams at the University of Connecticut and the University of Virginia. The NRC/GT’s purpose is to conduct research on topics relevant to the identification of gifted individuals from underrepresented groups, such as the economically disadvantaged and underachieving gifted. Many of their research monographs can be downloaded in PDF format here. The NRC/GT is funded through the Department of Education’s Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act.
A Nation Deceived (subtitled “How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students”) is the 2004 comprehensive report about research on acceleration, published by the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development. It overwhelming concluded that acceleration has positive benefits for gifted students. You can download a copy of the full report directly from the Nation Deceived website. Thanks to the John Templeton Foundation, you can also order a free print copy of the report. It comes in two volumes and would make an excellent gift for the principal of your child’s school!
The National Association for Gifted Children is America’s national organization for parents, teachers, and administrators interested in spreading knowledge and awareness about gifted students and gifted education. The NAGC website includes national gifted education standards, links to the websites of all state gifted organization websites, a glossary of gifted terms, suggestions for how to best advocate for gifted students and gifted education, information on their annual convention, an online store of NAGC publications, and sections for parents and educators.
The Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students (AEGUS) focuses on awareness about and interventions for this often-misunderstood segment of the gifted population.
GT Cybersource is the Davidson Institute’s “Gateway to Gifted Resources.” At GT Cybersource, you will find a multitude of articles about gifted students, other resources, and links to summaries about each state’s status on gifted education.
The Center for Talent Development at Northwestern University offers a number of online learning opportunities for gifted students of all ages, including some online AP courses.
The Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University actively seeks students with the highest academic abilities and provides challenging educational opportunities for them, such as summer programs and online courses.
A Different Place is a compilation of many links on gifted topics, such as social/emotional growth, underachievement, and the highly gifted.
You can use ERIC (the Education Resources Information Center) to search for the tens of thousands of research articles published about gifted students.
Gifted Sources is a site aimed at gifted kids that focuses on providing links to hundreds of interesting and educational websites.
The Institute for Educational Advancement provides direct student programs, advocacy, and consultation services, all with the aim of nurturing highly able individuals.
The Apprenticeship Program at the Institute for Educational Advancement and Mentor Connection at the University of Connecticut are both opportunities for gifted high school students to spend some summer time working side-by-side with researchers and other exceptional professionals around the country.
Renzulli Learning offers an assessment of a student’s learning style and interests, and then compiles a list of suggested relevant online resources for that child.
As well, I am not the only person out here in cyberland blogging about gifted education. Other blogs focusing on gifted students (of which I am aware) that you might also enjoy are Gifted Exchange, Educating the Gifted and Talented, A Not So Different Place, Gifted and Talented, Gifted Mind, Gifted Child Information, The More Child, Eide Neurolearning, and Growing Up Gifted.
Certainly there are countless other valuable websites available with information about gifted students and gifted education. The ones I have highlighted here today are simply the ones that I seem to access more often. Feel free to mention your own suggestions of great gifted sites in the comment section! In a few days, I will post for you links to my favorite companies that publish and sell resources about gifted education and gifted students.