Duke Gifted LetterFor Parents of Gifted Children

Collins-Perry, Bobbie Archives

Anyone involved in the education of a child who needs special accommodations or services for a learning difficulty or disability should read the Special Needs Advocacy Resource Book, by Rich Weinfeld and Michelle Davis, Prufrock, 2008. The authors define...

Currents Volume 9 / Issue 1 / Fall 2008 Legislation/Law Special Populations

Parents who have the determination will find hope and the tools to help their children in Understanding Your Child’s Puzzling Behavior: A Guide for Parents of Children with Behavioral, Social, and Learning Challenges, by Steven E. Curtis, Lifespan, 2008. This...

Currents Volume 8 / Issue 4 / Summer 2008 Special Populations

The Web site, Once Upon a School, is looking for do-gooders and has the goal of telling 1,000 tales of happy endings for public schools in one year. The site seeks adults and businesses in local communities to identify and...

Currents Educational Strategies Volume 8 / Issue 4 / Summer 2008

Foundations for Success The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel The Mathematics Advisory Panel, created by President Bush in 2006, was charged with making suggestions to improve America’s math education and student achievement using the best scientific...

Currents Educational Strategies Volume 8 / Issue 3 / Spring 2008 Talent Development

More than just a superficial tease for a book, the Web site www.brainrules.net is part of a multi-media package. The book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, by John Medina, Pear Press, 2008,...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 8 / Issue 3 / Spring 2008

Ninety percent of middle-school students state they plan to attend college. However a deeper look into a study released by the National Association of Secondary School Principals and Phi Delta Kappa International reveals that only 66 percent actually go on...

College Planning Currents Volume 8 / Issue 1 / Fall 2007

By now we’ve all heard about the “achievement gap” that No Child Left Behind was enacted to address. But a survey of middle school students reveals an “information gap” between their educational goals and their ability to follow through...

College Planning Currents Volume 8 / Issue 1 / Fall 2007

In August, 120 of Kentucky’s brightest students will begin the school year at the state-supported Kentucky Academy of Mathematics and Science. As its name implies, the school will focus on a strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum and...

Currents Volume 7 / Issue 4 / Summer 2007 Model Program/Schools

In addition to the costs of taking college entrance exams, purchasing college guides, making campus visits, and paying application fees, many families are now budgeting for private college counseling. Test preparation used to be the extent of college planning. Now,...

College Planning Volume 7 / Issue 3 / Spring 2007 Special Focus

Several movements are underway to re-evaluate the way colleges and universities are ranked. For many years, the standard has been the U.S. News & World Report annual “America’s Best Colleges” report. However,  this ranking is often criticized for relying too...

College Planning Currents Volume 7 / Issue 3 / Spring 2007

Ever wish you had a manual for that extraordinary, perplexing child of yours? Take heart, a new book, A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children, by James T. Webb, Janet L. Gore, Edward R. Amend, and Arlene R. DeVries, Great...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 7 / Issue 2 / Winter 2007

Research conducted over the past two decades has established that bullying leads to violence and mental health problems—for bullies, victims, bully victims (those who are both bullies and victims), and even bystanders. Bullies are more likely to land in...

Currents Volume 7 / Issue 2 / Winter 2007 Research and Theory Social-Emotional Issues

According to a U.S. Census Bureau report (2004), 12 percent of boys drop out of high school, compared to a dropout rate of 9 percent of girls. In Helping Boys Succeed in Schools (Prufrock, 2006), education experts Terry Neu...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006

Exploring life in a residential high school, Nurturing Talent in High School: Life in the Fast Lane (Teachers College, 2005) shows how the combination of rigorous academics and residential life creates an environment that accelerates the pace of development for...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 6 / Issue 4 / Summer 2006 Model Program/Schools

Although Educating Gifted Students in Middle School: A Practical Guide, by Susan Rakow (Prufrock, 2005), is written for educators, parents can glean from it excellent information about what shapes middle school educational policy and how to bring recommendations to their...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 6 / Issue 3 / Spring 2006 Legislation/Law

Deborah L. Ruf, in her new book Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind (Great Potential, 2005), contends that far more intellectually advanced students exist than is commonly thought and that to educate them effectively, degrees of giftedness must...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006 Social-Emotional Issues

Nearly 40 percent of schools across the nation no longer use class rank. It seems to be losing value because of a variety of inequalities. In many cases, rank is decided by a minuscule margin. A student who finishes...

College Planning Currents Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005

Some gifted children may be misdiagnosed as having psychological or behavioral disorders because of a lack of knowledge about characteristics commonly associated with giftedness, according to Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults, by James T. Webb et...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Social-Emotional Issues Special Populations

Challenging the belief that programs for gifted children are elitist, Being Smart about Gifted Children, by Dona Matthews, PhD, and Joanne Foster, EdD (Great Potential, 2004), shows that providing appropriate educational experiences for children of high ability is the right...

Book Reviews Currents Educational Strategies Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Parenting/Advocacy

You’re partway through the school year and looking to ensure that your child is having a positive and productive educational experience. Turn to the National PTA Back-to-School page at www.pta.org/parentinvolvement/bts/index.asp for expert guidance and resources. You’ll find advice in...

Currents Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Parenting/Advocacy

Jan and Bob Davidson are the founders of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a national nonprofit organization that supports highly intelligent youth. The Davidson Fellows Program recognizes original, significant work of young people (18 years old or younger) in...

Currents Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 Model Program/Schools

Arts with the Brain in Mind, by Eric Jensen (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001), details how schools can make arts education a core subject and how to integrate the arts into every subject. Jensen, who reviews what programs...

Book Reviews Creativity Currents Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004

The Center for Applied Linguistics cites the following benefits of studying a second language: lifelong ability to communicate with people from other backgrounds and countries, overall improved school performance, superior problem-solving skills, higher scores on standardized tests, including the SAT,...

Currents Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 Research and Theory

Want to step into the world of your middle schooler? Not Much, Just Chillin’: The Hidden Lives of Middle Schoolers, a new book by Linda Perlstein, will give you that opportunity. Perlstein, a staff writer for the Washington Post,...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004

Funding for AskERIC, an online educational database search service, has been cut by the U.S. Department of Education and will be discontinued on December 19, 2003. The service connects parents, educators, and citizens with experts who can reference articles and...

Currents Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004 Technology

How many times have you heard a teacher say that your child has tremendous potential “if only he’d apply himself” or “if only she’d work a little harder”? How often have you said the same thing yourself to your child?...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004 Social-Emotional Issues

U.S. News and World Report, which publishes the annual “America’s Best Colleges,” is removing the controversial yield rate from their ranking method in response to concerns from educators. The yield rate is the percentage of applicants admitted to a...

College Planning Currents Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003

Young people often have a hard time deciding which behaviors are right or wrong in the virtual world. Author Doug Johnson explains that “many don’t see their online actions [as] having the same significance as actions in the real...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003 Technology

And they can spot an application prepared with a pro’s help a mile away. Even so, about 6 percent of college applicants get professional help, and double that number will seek coaching services in the next decade. Why? Because...

College Planning Currents Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003

Teens tend to get sleepy about 11 p.m. and wake up around 8 a.m.—a biological drive that maximizes brain development. So, when school starts at 7:30 a.m., it’s the equivalent of an adult attending a meeting at 4:30 a.m....

Currents Educational Strategies Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003 Research and Theory

Dealing with Boredom How do you react when your child laments, “I’m bored!” or “School was a drag today.” When do feelings of boredom go beyond normal, commonplace, and bearable? How do you handle the behavioral problems that stem...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003 Social-Emotional Issues

Ideally, the decision to treat a child with medication for psychological disorders should involve the child and a team of caregivers, including parents, teachers, counselors, the child’s pediatrician, and a psychologist. Drs. Ronald T. Brown and Morgan T. Sammons...

Volume 3 / Issue 4 / Summer 2003 Research Briefs Research and Theory Social-Emotional Issues

Re-forming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child, by Karen B. Rogers. Great Potential, 2002. Paperback, 512 pp., ISBN 0-910707-46-4. $28.00 An informative and valuable read for parents of gifted children, Rogers provides parents a primer in gifted...

Book Reviews Volume 2 / Issue 4 / Summer 2002 Stephens, Kristen R. The Top Shelf

A student’s demonstrated interest in a college is an increasingly important consideration in admissions decisions. The Chronicle of Higher Education, citing a recent survey of almost 600 colleges by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, reports that 56...

College Planning Currents Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004

Have you ever been amazed by your child’s imagination and inventiveness? Understanding Creativity, by Jane Piirto (Great Potential Press, 2004), explores the creative process and gives biographical examples of artists, musicians, dancers, entrepreneurs, architects, and writers. Readers gain insight...

Book Reviews Currents Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004

. . . awaits the gifted and talented learner on the Internet. Children are naturally curious, and gifted children in particular are sensitive to social and cultural issues. We’ve compiled the following international news Web sites to help you broaden...

Volume 2 / Issue 1 / Fall 2001 Technology Technology Matters

Stand Up for Your Gifted Child: How to Make the Most of Kids’ Strengths at School and at Home, by Joan Franklin Smutny. Free Spirit, 2001. Paperback, 190 pp., ISBN 1-57542-088-0. $14.95 Smutny’s statement that “advocacy doesn’t require educational...

Book Reviews Volume 2 / Issue 1 / Fall 2001 The Top Shelf

A rigorous admissions process, instruction in attitudes and skills needed to do well in college, and a close-knit community of like-minded peers ensure the success of young students who attend the University of Washington’s (UW) Transition School and Early Entrance...

Volume 1 / Issue 3 / Spring 2001 Magna Cum Laude Model Program/Schools

It’s the middle of the school year, the winter skies are gloomy, and your child is restless. What better way to break up the winter doldrums than to plan for summer? A summer program can offer your child a challenging...

Currents Educational Strategies Volume 1 / Issue 2 / Winter 2001