Author: Rebecca

SPARK’s program model, Young Scholars, highlighted in School Administrator article

By Jane Clarenbach/School Administrator, September 2015

“Now I view myself as a talent scout, always thinking of how I can challenge my students so that I can see what they are capable of.”

-Lisa Rogers, gifted education specialist, Marietta, Ga.

With what seem to be ever-increasing demands on educators and limited resources, turning all teachers into trained talent scouts would appear to be a lofty ideal in K-12 education. But absent such a commitment to proactively identify talent by knowing what to look for and nurturing it to the point of excellence, countless students go unidentified for advanced learner services. This results in a significant amount of talent going undeveloped or underdeveloped, which is a loss not only for the students but also for their communities and our nation. Continue Reading…

Neag Professor’s Gifted and Talented Project SPARKS U.S. Ed Officials to Award $2.5M Grant

by: Cindy Wolfe Boynton

Neag School of Education faculty member Catherine Little received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s revitalized Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program to better serve gifted and talented students being stymied by extreme poverty, race, disabilities or other barriers.

It was the largest Javits award given to a single researcher this year.

UConn Press Release on Javits Awards

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – The University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education announced today (Oct. 15) that it is receiving $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to support its ongoing efforts to improve programs for gifted and talented students nationwide.

The Neag School of Education was the recipient of major funding for two grants in the most recent round of funding by the U.S. Department of Education’s revitalized Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education program. The Javits funding strengthens Neag’s position as a national leader in gifted and talented education and research. Continue reading…