For Parents of Gifted Children
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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 9 / Issue 1 / Fall 2008 Legislation/Law Special Populations
You may think that the recent update to the federal Higher Education Act (formally H.R. 4137: College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2008) won’t have much of an impact on you and your family until you have a child applying...
College Planning Volume 9 / Issue 1 / Fall 2008 Legislation/Law Makel, Matthew C.
Stephanie Monroe, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education, has issued an open letter to public schools regarding students with disabilities who want to enroll in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other accelerated programs in...
Volume 9 / Issue 1 / Fall 2008 Legislation/Law Makel, Matthew C. 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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 8 / Issue 3 / Spring 2008
Provided as a Service of the National Association for Gifted Children You have a right... …to know about your giftedness. …to learn something new everyday. …to be passionate about your talent area without apologies. …to have an identity beyond...
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 7 / Issue 4 / Summer 2007 Model Program/Schools
Wendy Skinner’s account of raising her two highly gifted children, Ben and Jillian, in Infinity & Zebra Stripes: Life with Gifted Children (Great Potential, 2007) will be familiar to those parents confronted with similar circumstances. Skinner’s experiences working with...
Book Reviews Volume 7 / Issue 4 / Summer 2007 Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 7 / Issue 3 / Spring 2007
Florida recently passed legislation that requires all high school freshmen to declare a major. Each high school will decide which majors to offer from a list of 442 possibilities. The aim is to help students focus on potential careers and...
Educational Strategies Volume 7 / Issue 3 / Spring 2007 Stephens, Kristen R.
Not since the Sputnik era has the federal government exhibited such a vigorous interest in increasing the rigor of math education in America’s public schools. In April 2006, President Bush created the National Mathematics Advisory Panel. This body advises...
Educational Strategies Volume 7 / Issue 2 / Winter 2007 Legislation/Law Research and Theory Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 7 / Issue 2 / Winter 2007 Research and Theory Social-Emotional Issues
Will universities stop requiring students to submit an SAT or ACT score as part of their application? Some universities are finding that scores on these tests are poor predictors of collegiate success. George Mason University in Virginia indicates they are...
Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006 Stephens, Kristen R. Tests & Testing
Ever offer your children money, gifts, or special privileges for every “A” they bring home on their report card? If you do, you’re not alone. Across the nation parents are rewarding their children for good grades in a variety of...
Educational Strategies Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006 Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 7 / Issue 1 / Fall 2006
In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush called for 70,000 teachers over the next five years to lead Advanced Placement math and science courses. This would be an expansion of nearly 38,000 teachers with such training. The...
Volume 6 / Issue 4 / Summer 2006 Legislation/Law Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 6 / Issue 4 / Summer 2006 Model Program/Schools
An Associated Press–America Online poll of 1,085 parents and 810 teachers of kindergarten through 12th-grade students finds that they disagree on many aspects of education, from homework and the Internet to standardized testing and discipline. When asked about the subject...
Volume 6 / Issue 4 / Summer 2006 Parenting/Advocacy Stephens, Kristen R.
Walk into most classrooms these days and you are likely to see a teacher monopolizing class discussion. Most schools remain largely autocratic even though democratically run schools tend to have fewer discipline problems, greater civic involvement, higher student engagement,...
Educational Strategies Volume 6 / Issue 3 / Spring 2006 Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 6 / Issue 3 / Spring 2006 Legislation/Law
The Youth News Team is a Kentucky-based group of students and parents committed to engaging young people in education policy issues. The organization’s 2005 report, High School Students Have Parents, Too, explores the relationship between parents and their children’s...
Volume 6 / Issue 3 / Spring 2006 Parenting/Advocacy Phan, Dihn Xuan Research and Theory
In about a dozen cities, school district administrators are thinking of eliminating middle schools and reverting to K–8 schools. Their belief is that middle school students will perform better academically in a smaller, more nurturing atmosphere. Studies conducted in...
Educational Strategies Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006 Model Program/Schools Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006 Social-Emotional Issues
Many parents who homeschool are becoming interested in having their children participate in extracurricular activities and selected classes offered through the public school system. However, many districts are resisting the idea, citing administrative issues regarding resources, transportation, liability, and...
Volume 6 / Issue 2 / Winter 2006 Legislation/Law Stephens, Kristen R.
Antediluvian ('an-te¯-di-"LOO-ve¯-un), meaning “old-fashioned” or “out-of-date,” was the winning word in the 1994 Scripp’s National Spelling Bee (www.spellingbee.com). Even though the national spelling bee began in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1925, it is anything but antediluvian. In fact, spelling bees...
Volume 6 / Issue 1 / Fall 2005 Model Program/Schools Stephens, Kristen R.
A new Web site, www.schoolmatters.com, provides the general public with search and comparison tools applicable to a wide range of data about local schools and school districts. Using these tools, parents can find high-performing schools and make more informed...
Volume 6 / Issue 1 / Fall 2005 Parenting/Advocacy Stephens, Kristen R. Technology
Is social studies another unintended casualty of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)? Nationwide, instruction in history, geography, civics, and economics is being squeezed out as schools feel the pressure to meet proficiency goals in reading and math. Al...
Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Legislation/Law Stephens, Kristen R.
Kaplan, Sylvan, Peterson, and Princeton Review are just a few of the companies offering test prep courses for the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT Assessment. As students aspire to get into the college or university of their choice,...
College Planning Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Stephens, Kristen R. Tests & Testing
According to an article in Edutopia, about 11 percent of teachers resign before their first summer vacation, 30 percent after three years, and 45 percent within five years. The reasons? Surprisingly, salary is not one of them. A survey...
Volume 5 / Issue 4 / Summer 2005 Parenting/Advocacy Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Social-Emotional Issues Special Populations
A new survey reveals that 79 percent of American middle and high school students participate in some sort of extracurricular activity both after school and on weekends. Activities range from sports to music, with 57 percent of students participating...
Educational Strategies Volume 5 / Issue 3 / Spring 2005 Stephens, Kristen R.
For years acceleration has been misunderstood and has been the least accepted intervention for highly capable students. Finally, A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students, a national report that provides key findings from 50 years of...
Educational Strategies Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Educational Strategies Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Parenting/Advocacy
Dual enrollment, whereby high school students enroll in college courses and earn high school and college credit simultaneously, is increasingly the subject of state legislation. Do your state’s policies promote or impede such programs? State Dual Enrollment Policies: Addressing Access...
Educational Strategies Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Legislation/Law Stephens, Kristen R.
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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 5 / Issue 2 / Winter 2005 Parenting/Advocacy
A new Web site based on the book Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds, by Jan Davidson, Bob Davidson, and Laura Vanderkam (Simon and Schuster, 2004), pulls together an array of information often needed by parents,...
Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 Legislation/Law Parenting/Advocacy Stephens, Kristen R.
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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Creativity 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,...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 5 / Issue 1 / Fall 2004 Research and Theory
The No Child Left Behind Act may be leaving out the nation’s gifted students. A recent Wall Street Journal article reports that, to ensure that all of their students are proficient in reading and math by 2014, the public...
Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004 Legislation/Law Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004
Can gifted students receive appropriate instruction in a regular classroom, or do they need to be grouped together for their curricular needs to be met? A recent article in Educational Leadership (vol. 61, no. 2) explores various researchers’ views. There...
Educational Strategies Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004 Stephens, Kristen R.
Are students who are bullied at greater risk of developing depression? Researchers from Wichita State University observed 266 elementary school students from the beginning of kindergarten through the end of the first grade. Their findings reveal that, on average,...
Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004 Social-Emotional Issues Stephens, Kristen R.
A growing number of students are looking for alternatives to traditional education. Many online or virtual schools have emerged to meet the demand, and business is booming. Nationwide, about 50,000 students took virtual courses in 2002. Such a learning...
Volume 4 / Issue 3 / Spring 2004 Model Program/Schools Stephens, Kristen R.
One parent alone probably cannot do much to improve a school, but a group of parents working together can be a powerful instrument for change. That is the message from the Parent Leadership Association (PLA), an organization that provides...
Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004 Parenting/Advocacy Stephens, Kristen R.
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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 4 / Issue 2 / Winter 2004 Social-Emotional Issues
More schools, taking to heart a recommendation made in “Raising Our Sights: No High School Senior Left Behind” (DGL spring 2002), are assigning senior projects. The goal is for students to demonstrate skills such as planning, researching, writing, and presenting;...
Educational Strategies Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003 Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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....
Collins-Perry, Bobbie 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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 4 / Issue 1 / Fall 2003 Social-Emotional Issues
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004
A U.S. Department of Education report reveals that parents of middle school children become less involved in their children’s education, because they feel that the children should do their homework themselves and that parents should not help unless they...
Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004 Parenting/Advocacy Stephens, Kristen R.
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 Collins-Perry, Bobbie Volume 4 / Issue 4 / Summer 2004
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...
Collins-Perry, Bobbie Educational Strategies Volume 1 / Issue 2 / Winter 2001