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News and Events
August, 2004
Be Impressed. The Davidson Institute, a private foundation devoted to recognizing and supporting profoundly intelligent young people, has announced its 2004 Fellows. Nicole Ali, 16, of Saint Paul, MN, is one of four Davidson Fellow Laureates. Ali was awarded a $50,000 scholarship. Her project title: Twisted Gastrulation and Chordin Can Aid Primitive Human Hematopoietic Cell Expansion Ex Vivo. The Institute says that “Nicole’s work could help treat blood disorders, such as leukemia. Nicole also developed statistical software for more efficient analysis of data related to her research.”
Dyslexia Rules in SF. SchwabLearning points out that San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom recently admitted his dyslexia. Addressing students at a Bay-area private school for those with language-based LDs, Newsom described how he has to read newspaper articles twice and how his notes to staff members contain lots of spelling mistakes. He shared his experiences as a student, including having to stay after school three days a week for extra help.
Resource from SchwabLearning. Another recent SchwabLearning piece was the four-page “A Guide to Finding Local Resources When Your Child Has Learning Disabilities or AD/HD.”
Yearning to Be Headmaster? The July 2005 opening for Headmaster at Bridges Academy in the Los Angeles area is still open. For details, see the June issue of 2e Newsletter or go to www.wickenden.com.
Nerd Camps. A mid-July issue of the New Yorker contained “Nerd Camp,” an article about a summer program for gifted children at Johns Hopkins University. An interview at www.newyorker.com with the article’s author, Burkhard Bilger, contains discussion of the social, educational, and recreational problems facing the very smartest students. Bilger says he observed “a real giddiness in the campers – a sense of relief at finally getting to hang out with kids who were like them.” (See “Who Needs Normal” in this issue of 2e Newsletter.)
Assouline Co-Authors Report. 2e Newsletter Editorial Board member Dr. Susan Assouline of the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa is one of the lead authors of the Templeton National Report on acceleration titled “A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students.” The report, scheduled for release in September and based on 50 years of research, contends that acceleration is, overall, the most effective intervention for highly capable students. Underwritten by The Sir John Templeton Foundation, the report will be free to schools, the media, and parents requesting copies. Starting September 1, the report will be available at www.nationdeceived.com.
Another Country, Same Story. In a New Zealand survey, about one-fourth of the parents interviewed said the educational system did not challenge bright children. One mother surveyed has a son assessed “at the top of the scale” but with difficulty in writing and past behavioral problems (“behavioural” in NZ). The mother said, “Schools need to acknowledge that gifted children have special needs and they do learn differently. By teaching them the same way as the other 80 percent of children, you’re not going to help that child. They’re going to end up frustrated, bored, and often have behavioural problems. People think that because children are bright, they’ll be all right and they can cope.”
September 8-11, 2004, Levels of Giftedness: Meeting High Ability Needs in a Mixed Ability World with Deborah Ruf, by Our Gifted On-Line Conferences, www.neiu.edu/~ourgift/. (Celebrating one year of serving list members!)
October 1-3, 2004, A Celebration of Homeschooling, Plainfield, VT. A weekend retreat for homeschooling families with teens, featuring workshops on college studies for homeschoolers. By Goddard College, Info: 802.454.8311 x353 or www.goddard.edu/events/goddardevents.html.
October 15 and 16, 2004, 10th Annual New England Conference on Gifted and Talented, Groton, CT. Hosted by the Connecticut Association for the Gifted and the Connecticut State Department of Education. Over 75 workshops for educators and parents. Info and a brochure at www.necgt.org; conference email address, necgt2004@yahoo.com.
October 16, 2004, SpecialNeeds SpecialKids Conference, Silver Springs, Maryland. To provide parents and professionals with a pragmatic approach to dealing with the issues of special needs children. By SpecialNeedsSpecialKids, specialkidsdc@aol.com.
November 3-7, 2004, Salt Lake City, Utah, NAGC 51st Annual Convention. By National Association for Gifted Children, www.nagc.org.
November 11-12, 2004, 20th Annual Learning Differences Conference, including “Understanding Executive Function: Implications and Opportunities for the Classroom,” Cambridge, Massachusetts. By the Harvard Graduate School of Education, www.gse.harvard.edu/ppe.
August 3-7, 2005, Gifted Child 2005/16th Biennial World Conference, New Orleans. By the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, 818.368.7501 or www.WorldGifted.org.
For state association conferences relating to giftedness, see www.hoagiesgifted.org/conferences.htm on Hoagies’ page.
For additional conferences on learning differences, see www.sped.cec.org/pd/meet.html on the website of the Council for Exceptional Children.
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