As a part of 优蜜视频鈥檚 , 优蜜视频 commissioned the first ever national survey assessing the American public鈥檚 views on gifted education. Linked below you will find a summary of the national survey, completed in 2016, that sought to understand the public鈥檚 perception of gifted students in the United States. This poll was designed in collaboration with leaders in the field of gifted education, including the National Association for Gifted Children, and conducted by Beneson Strategy Group and The Winston Group.

The summary contains helpful information about the state of gifted education in the U.S. and details recommendations for how to communicate about gifted students and advocate for this cause. Our hope is that this document would be a tool for the gifted community, families, teachers, and professionals alike to use when advocating for these unique learners.

Thank you to Alan Arkotov of , Dr. Jim Delisle, Dr. Shelagh A. Gallagher, Ren茅 Islas of , Michael Petrilli and Chester Finn of , Ann Smith of Gifted Support Center, Dr. Amy Shelton of and Adam Umhoefer of for their assistance and support.

How can you use this information to advocate for gifted learners in your state? Share your ideas below!

鈥淎ttention is the doorway to gratitude, to wonder, to reciprocity.鈥� 鈥� Robin Wall Kimmerer

The annual Bradley Seminar is a place where you can鈥檛 help but pay attention. In the blink of an eye, it has come and gone. The Seminar is significant because it brings together some of the most interested and accomplished national merit-based high school scholars; it provides a venue for Caroline D. Bradley Scholars, parents, educators and professionals to connect, discuss issues of intellectual, personal, and global interest; and it strengthens a community that they will continue to influence and rely upon in perpetuity. I love it precisely for its strength of attentiveness 鈥� a weekend filled to capacity with such extraordinary individuals, challenging conversations, and genuine connectedness demands we lay distractions aside and keep our eyes open. Wide open.

The 2016 Bradley Seminar commenced in Pasadena, California from March 18 鈥� 20, hosting over 180 participants from across the country. The weekend events kicked off on Friday afternoon, welcoming the Class of 2014 Scholars to The Barder House, a space rife with symbolism for the CDB community. Dedicated and named after the Scholarship鈥檚 generous benefactor, Sarah D. Barder, it was donated to the Institute for Educational Advancement in 2011 by Ms. Barder to serve as the home base for 优蜜视频, as well as a meeting place and touchstone for the 优蜜视频 and the CDB community.

Following a welcome dinner and introductions, parents attended a session led by Dr. Jim Delisle, while Scholars and Alumni participated in ice-breakers and a hotel-wide scavenger hunt. Among the various tasks that teams were instructed to complete were items like, 鈥渇ind something at least 100 years older than anyone on your team鈥� and 鈥渞ecord a video of everyone on your team doing 20 jumping jacks in unison鈥�.

Each year, the Seminar is guided by a different overarching theme intended to serve as the focal point for thought and conversation throughout the weekend. The 2016 theme was Finding & Cultivating Your Voice, which pursued questions like: What am I passionate about and what matters? What does it mean to have a voice and how do I share these passions with a community, local or global, in meaningful ways?

KR Sridhar, Founder, President, and CEO of , explored this theme on Saturday morning through a keynote presentation on the relationship between voice, passion, and resilience. 聽Betsy Jones, 优蜜视频 President, guided intergenerational conversations between students, parents, visiting educators, and guests to examine the Seminar theme in smaller intentional groups. 聽These discussions channel incredible value for their ability to bring a diverse group of individuals together as equals to discuss issues of common interest. One Scholar noted, 鈥淭he table talks helped facilitate open and serious conversations鈥� The topics addressed were relevant to my life, especially the topics in the intentional conversations.鈥�

Saturday night featured workshops and panels led by CDB Alumni and parents, educators, clinical psychologists, and consultants covering a range of topics: American Misconceptions of Giftedness, Career Paths, College Counseling, Finding Your Voice Through Depression, Intensities and Sensitivities, and Mindfulness.

While the day was bookended with content-heavy sessions, Scholars and parents were able to relax through various outings on Saturday afternoon to the Griffith Observatory, Huntington Library & Gardens, and EscapeRoom LA.

As the Seminar concluded on Sunday morning and good-byes became imminent, I reflected on the wonder of the weekend. I recalled Kimmerer鈥檚 words on attention, gratitude, and reciprocity as I watched the generosity of the CDB community extend outward in the form of financial support and volunteerism to the 优蜜视频 community. 聽This only confirmed my feeling that when we come together and pay attention 鈥� when we put down our phone, participate in our environment, engage in what it means to be present 鈥� something happens. As Thich Nhat Hanh writes, 鈥淭he most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.鈥� I can鈥檛 help but agree.

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Nearly two weeks have passed since the 2015 Bradley Seminar, and I remain energized by the abundance of community, conversation, and enthusiasm that infused our weekend in Washington, D.C. The Bradley Seminar 鈥� an annual three-day event 鈥� is a keystone of the program. Each year, the Seminar unites CDB scholars, alumni, parents, educators, and 优蜜视频 staff in a space that promotes the deep and honest exploration of important questions. The CDB community is geographically scattered – Scholars hail from both the sunny coast of California and cloudy banks of Maine as well as everywhere in between 鈥� and the Bradley Seminar is always an anticipated reunion for this diverse community of passionate learners and peers.

Our largest seminar to date, more than 130 Caroline D. Bradley scholars, alumni, and parents gathered in Washington, D.C. from March 27-29 to discuss this year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淲hat Does It Mean to be a Leader?鈥� During intergenerational conversations, we discussed questions pertaining to leadership about who we are, what we believe, and what we value. We shared stories and perspectives on leadership, and we explored the historical richness of our nation鈥檚 capital by bus, by metro, and by foot.

Helaine Klasky, Chief Communications Officer for Energy Management at GE, helped begin the conversation by delivering a keynote address on Friday night. Speaking from nearly 30 years of experience in politics, academia, and corporate professions, Ms. Klasky emphasized the value of team leadership and communication. She encouraged students to make plans for the future but to be willing to forego those plans when new and unexpected opportunities arise. Advice like this carries significance for CDB Scholars, who like so many gifted students, have a . Following Ms. Klasky鈥檚 presentation, CDB alumni and Scholars enjoyed ice breakers and ice cream, while CDB parents spent time with 优蜜视频 Board Member, Yunasa Fellow, , and gifted educator Dr. Jim Delisle, discussing the joys, challenges, and everything-in-betweens of raising a gifted teen.

Bright and early Saturday morning, the group braved brisk temperatures and explored the museums, landmarks, and terrain of Washington, D.C.

Back at the conference center, 优蜜视频 Co-Founder Jim Davis directed intentional conversations on the topic of 鈥淪acred Leadership鈥� 鈥� leadership grounded in deep meaning and connectedness which serve the greatest good. The evening was capped off by a stunning evening walking tour of several Washington, D.C. monuments.

Guest speakers Deb Delisle, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education for the U.S. Department of Education, and Bob Nunnally, retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, continued the discussion on leadership Sunday morning, focusing on teamwork and positive working relationships. After breakout sessions and workshops led by 优蜜视频 staff and CDB parents and alumni, the group reconvened for one last conversation on the power of leadership, concluding the weekend with our annual CDB class photos.

Every year, we look forward to the speeches delivered by the graduating class of seniors. This year鈥檚 batch of seniors 鈥� the eighth graduating class of CDB Scholars 鈥� did not disappoint. As an unexpected bonus, they regaled the group with original lyrics about the CDB Scholarship and 优蜜视频, set to the tune of “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Miserables:

When you chose us to be yours,

Back on that glorious fateful day,

Touching us at our very cores,

That鈥檚 the I-E-A!

As I continue to reflect on the question 鈥� What does it mean to be a leader? 鈥� the idea of hope appears again and again. A leader – whether an individual or a team working toward a common end 鈥� is someone who looks ahead, who propels forward through action, ingenuity, creativity, strategy, and hard work. We must lead as we learn; we must try new things, take risks, and accept the possibility of failure, as failure is often the most valuable catalyst for growth. In the words of poet Jack Gilbert: 鈥淎nything worth doing is worth doing badly.鈥� As we take steps forward, we do so with the belief that there is room still to move ahead. This is hope. To be a leader, one must sustain faith in a future that is yet to exist but imagined to be possible.

Here鈥檚 to the teachers who encourage their students to think outside the box. To the teachers who make learning fun. To the teachers who care about more than a test score. To the teachers who apply classroom concepts to the outside world. To the teachers who allow students to pursue their passions, even if they lie outside the curriculum. To the teachers who challenge every student in their class every day. To the teachers who engage. To the teachers who see beyond the disruption to root out the true cause. To the teachers who recognize a student鈥檚 gifts. To the teachers who recognize that giving a student more work is not the solution. To the teachers who understand that there are some students who just learn differently. To the teachers who recognize that there is more to the gifted student than intellect. To the teachers who inspire.

Many different voices have contributed to this blog over the last two years. And, in looking back on what has been written, it is evident that teachers play an enormous role in the life of a gifted child. This Teacher Appreciation Day, we encourage you to look at these past posts by several different writers that talk about teaching gifted youth and about the difference that teachers can make in a gifted child鈥檚 life.

Lisa鈥檚 son went from a daydreaming fifth grader to the top of his high school class, and the more she explored the cause, the more she realized it had to do with his educational environment and the teachers who created it.

Dr. Delisle has been teaching and working with gifted kids for 36 years. Learn why he keeps coming back for more.

Louise Hindle has more than 20 years of experience in education and now serves as 优蜜视频鈥檚 Academy Program Coordinator, shaping the supplemental educational experiences 优蜜视频 provides gifted Kindergarten-8th graders. Here she reflects on what our gifted children need academically.

优蜜视频 Program Coordinator Min-Ling Li was so greatly influenced by teachers who encouraged her love for learning that she became a teacher herself to encourage and spark the same love for learning in others.

Thank you to all of the teachers who make a difference each and every day.

Has a teacher made a difference in your child’s life? Please share in the comment section below!

When I first began working with gifted kids in 1978, I had no idea that I’d still be doing so 36 years later. Those first gifted 4th-5th graders I taught in Stafford Springs, Connecticut are now closer to their retirements than their college graduations. That should make me feel old (OK鈥 am old!), but thanks to a decision I made more than 20 years ago, my vitality remains. That decision?: to never be more than a week away from teaching gifted kids.

My career trajectory led me from the elementary classroom to the college lecture hall, a much easier place to teach. There are no parent phone calls to return while teaching college, and discipline problems are minimal. Still, I found something lacking in teaching my graduate students. It wasn’t that they weren’t sincere in wishing to earn their degrees, it’s just that they were all so鈥redictable. And if there’s one thing I learned while teaching gifted kids, it was that predictability was not a quality that many of them possessed. “Quirky” (yes, that would fit), “spontaneous” (鈥aybe that’s why I could never get through my intended lesson without several student-led detours) and “intense” (couldn’t any of them, just once, practice the fine art of intellectual moderation?). The longer I worked with gifted kids and teens, the more I came to appreciate that the vigor they displayed while engaged in learning something new and relevant had an unexpected impact on me–their excitement became a non-prescription elixir that served as my personal fountain of youth. Thanks to gifted kids, I may look my age, yet I neither think nor act it. Thanks to gifted kids, I feel like Peter Pan.

If they’re lucky, parents of gifted kids retain this same degree of youth when they interact with their children. I mean how can you not giggle out loud when your 4-year-old daughter asks, “If butter melts yellow, and chocolate melts brown, why doesn’t snow melt white?” It’s a perfectly fine question, based on observational data your gifted kid picked up simply by being alert to the world. The answer to this question may evade you, but just the thought that someone so young has so much intellectual power and curiosity helps keep you mentally robust and alert. And how about when your 15-year-old son wants to engage you in an “oxymoron contest”, with some of his entries being “cafeteria food”, “authentic replicas”, “bigger half” and “Congressional wisdom”. Even if you can’t top these “instant classics” (another oxymoron), the banter between the two of you is bound to make you feel younger than your years.

Three and a half decades of gifted kids have introduced me to countless characters who have changed–indeed, enhanced–my life. I continue to cling to my youth today by doing part-time teaching of highly gifted 9th graders who are enrolled in college and by serving as a “Fellow” at 优蜜视频’s camp every July, working with gifted 10-14 year olds at a YMCA camp in Michigan. Yeah, my soon-to-be-ancient bones ache when the alarm rings at 5:15 a.m. so I can get to school on time, and sleeping on a plastic-covered camp bed does little to enhance my burgeoning arthritis, yet underneath these physical discomforts remains one of the best feelings in the world: a continuing connection to gifted kids who keep my spirit alive and well.

Seek your own eternal youth: surround yourself with as many gifted kids as you can find.

About Jim Delisle:

Jim Delisle serves on the Board of Directors of 优蜜视频 and interacts with gifted kids frequently. His upcoming book, Dumbing Down America: The War on Our Nation’s Most Capable Youth, will be published in August, 2014.

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Next Meeting:

Speaker: Louise Hindle
Thursday, May 1, 2014
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

Institute for Educational Advancement
569 South Marengo Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Educational discourse and pedagogy seems fascinated with personalized learning. We see it embedded in the Race to the Top Campaign, we see it interwoven in discussions about the effective use of technology in the classroom; what, however, does it mean in policy and practice for gifted students? This talk will conceptualize personalized learning and define some best fit teaching for learning strategies for gifted 2nd through 8th graders.

Louise Hindle is 优蜜视频’s Academy Coordinator. A British import, Louise graduated from the University of Manchester with a B.A. Honors Degree in English Literature and Language, completed her post-graduate teacher training at The University of Cambridge, and has recently completed her dissertation in Educational Leadership and Innovation with the University of Warwick. Louise has 20 years of experience in education as a high school literature teacher, lead teacher, administrator, adviser, and consultant. She is also the parent of three fun and active school-aged children.

Register for the May meeting! (Event has since ended)

Full 2013-2014 Schedule (subject to change):

The Middle & High School Selection Process
Speaker: Bonnie Raskin
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

优蜜视频 Learning Center
625 Fair Oaks Avenue, Suite 288
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Bonnie will be addressing the various steps in the middle and high school selection process, including:

• How to find schools that are the right 鈥渇it鈥� for your child
• What goes on at various events such as Open Houses, Shadow Visits, and interviews
• Ways to familiarize yourself with a school above and beyond formal visits
• How to prepare for an interview
• How to enlist and secure strong letters of recommendation

About the Speaker:
Bonnie Raskin is 优蜜视频鈥檚 Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship (CDB) Program Coordinator. She has worked in the admissions offices of multiple Los Angeles area private schools. Working with the CDB program, she offers extensive support to a group of middle school students each year as they apply to and select their CDB high schools.

Addressing the Elephant in the Room: How to Talk About Giftedness
Special Guest Speakers: Sharon Duncan & Dr. Joanna Haase
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

South Pasadena Public Library Community Room*
1115 El Centro Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Why is it so difficult to talk about gifted? Parents, educators, and politicians resist discussing the needs of gifted children due to fears of being perceived as elitist. This reluctance adversely impacts gifted students in terms of funding, development of services, and willingness of parents to seek out support for their gifted children. This session explores America鈥檚 views and discomfort with giftedness, why it exists, and how we can work collectively to change the misperceptions.

About Sharon Duncan:
Sharon Duncan is the co-founder of Gifted Identity. She provides consulting support to parents, teachers, schools, and districts to help them meet the needs of gifted children. Sharon also consults on homeschooling, decisions, options, and concerns. Sharon is a SENG Model Parent Group facilitator and serves on the Mensa Youth Programming Committee. She spent 26 years working at NASA鈥檚 Jet Propulsion Laboratory before leaving to homeschool her son. Sharon has served on the Board of Trustees of a private K-8 school and as President of the School Site Council at a public elementary school. Sharon regularly presents at schools, school districts, organizations, and state and national conferences on various topics about gifted children.

About Joanna L. Haase:
Joanna Haase, Ph.D., MFT, is a psychotherapist in Pasadena, California, with over 20 years of experience working with gifted individuals and their families. Dr. Haase specializes in eating disorders, anxiety, and depression and is the president and co-founder of California Gifted Network. Partnering with school districts throughout California, Dr. Haase works to educate parents, teachers, and administrators on how to better support gifted and talented students.

Parenting Precocious Kids: Understanding the Ups and Downs of Growing Up Gifted
Special Guest Speaker: Dr. Jim Delisle
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

South Pasadena Public Library Community Room*
1115 El Centro Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030

Parents of gifted children and teens have many questions about how best to meet their intellectual and emotional needs. They want to know what giftedness is and the label鈥檚 impact on other family members. They want to know how to advocate for their gifted child in a school setting mired in 鈥渂ringing up the bottom鈥� rather than 鈥渞aising the bar鈥� at the top. They want to know how to set expectations that are appropriate and attainable. And they want to know how to juggle the wide range of emotional intensities that often 鈥渃omes with the territory鈥� in raising gifted kids.

Dr. James (Jim) Delisle has taught gifted children and those who work on their behalf for more than 35 years. Jim retired from Kent State University in 2008 after 25 years of service there as a professor of special education. Throughout his career, Jim has taken time away from college teaching to return to his 鈥渃lassroom roots鈥�, volunteering as a 2nd, 4th, 5th and 8th grade teacher. Too, Jim taught gifted middle school students one day a week in the Twinsburg, Ohio Public Schools. Currently, Jim works part-time with highly-gifted 9th and 10th graders at the Scholars’ Academy in Conway, South Carolina. The author of more than 250 articles and 19 books, Jim鈥檚 work has been translated into multiple languages and has been featured in both professional journals and in popular media, such as The New York Times, People Magazine, and on Oprah!

Feeding The Mind & Heart of Gifted Children
Speaker: Elizabeth Jones, 优蜜视频 President & Co-Founder
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

South Pasadena Public Library Community Room*
1115 El Centro Street
South Pasadena, CA 91030

The integration of intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, and emotional aspects of self are crucial in a gifted child鈥檚 development. This talk will explore Dabrowski鈥檚 theory of overexcitabilities and how it connects to supporting the development of the whole child. The theory and practice will demonstrate that, as powerful as the mind of a gifted child is, it will not develop fully without nurturing the heart.

Programs for Gifted Kids
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

Institute for Educational Advancement
569 South Marengo Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Come learn about 优蜜视频’s programs for gifted youth! Get more information, ask questions, and find the right program for your gifted child.

College Selection & Admissions for Gifted Students
Speaker: Kate Duey, Certified College Consultant
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

Institute for Educational Advancement
569 South Marengo Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Kate will speak about the special issues facing gifted students and their families during the college search and application process. She has worked with 优蜜视频 supporting gifted students since 2009 and has a wealth of knowledge about their unique challenges and their wonderful potential. Kate has a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She earned College Counseling Certification from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Speaker: Louise Hindle
Thursday, May 1, 2014
6:30 pm鈥�8:00 pm

Institute for Educational Advancement
569 South Marengo Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91101

Educational discourse and pedagogy seems fascinated with personalized learning. We see it embedded in the Race to the Top Campaign, we see it interwoven in discussions about the effective use of technology in the classroom; what, however, does it mean in policy and practice for gifted students? This talk will conceptualize personalized learning and define some best fit teaching for learning strategies for gifted 2nd through 8th graders.

Louise Hindle is 优蜜视频’s Academy Coordinator. A British import, Louise graduated from the University of Manchester with a B.A. Honors Degree in English Literature and Language, completed her post-graduate teacher training at The University of Cambridge, and has recently completed her dissertation in Educational Leadership and Innovation with the University of Warwick. Louise has 20 years of experience in education as a high school literature teacher, lead teacher, administrator, adviser, and consultant. She is also the parent of three fun and active school-aged children.

Register for the May meeting! (Event has since ended)

*This activity is not sponsored by the City of South Pasadena or the South Pasadena Public Library.

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