PASADENA, CA – 02/20/2024 – The (������Ƶ), a national nonprofit dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth of our nation’s gifted and advanced learners, has announced the upcoming retirement of its president and co-founder, Elizabeth Jones. Jones will remain in her current position until a new president has been hired and will then transition to a senior advisor role to support leadership and the Board of Directors.

Since the nonprofit’s founding in 1998, ������Ƶ has become a pillar in the gifted education community as a place focused on the whole gifted child. Now recognized as one of the nation’s leading thought leadership organizations supporting the needs of gifted youth, ������Ƶ offers enrichment classes and learning opportunities, teacher trainings, consulting services, support groups, summer camps and scholarships for gifted learners. Over 12,000 students have benefited from the organization’s work.

“As we enter a new quarter century at ������Ƶ, the organization is strong and has tremendous promise for the future,” said Elizabeth Jones, president and co-founder, Institute for Educational Advancement. “Building this organization that is filled with heart and a commitment to excellence is what makes us special. I am proud of our accomplishments, am honored to have been a part of the lives of so many gifted students and am grateful for the support of our ever-growing community.” 

Giftedness exists in every demographic of society and is often overlooked and underfunded in many education systems. Jones created ������Ƶ to fill that gap and be a resource for families and educators alike. Under her guidance, ������Ƶ advocated for gifted education locally and nationally and commissioned the first-ever national survey assessing the American public’s views on gifted education. This research continues to influence national policy and is used by organizations across the U.S. in advocating for gifted youth. ������Ƶ operates 

With the support of ������Ƶ’s Board of Directors, Advisory board and staff, Morris & Berger, an executive search firm with a specialty practice that reaches across the nonprofit sector, will seek a new president to continue the nonprofit’s mission of meeting the unique needs of gifted children, their families and educators and overseeing the organization’s business needs and fiscally sound operating budget. 

“Since Elizabeth founded ������Ƶ, we have stayed true to our mission of serving gifted youth, exponentially growing our flagship programs: our Academy enrichment classes, our Award-winning Yunasa Summer Camp, and our unique Caroline D. Bradley merit-based high school scholarship,” said Byron Lichtenstein, ������Ƶ Board Chair. “������Ƶ has served gifted children with passion and dedication. I know, because I am one of those young people. We on the board, our community, and the field of gifted education are indebted to Elizabeth for her engagement and the organization’s success.” 

Qualified candidates are invited to online and apply here: .

For more information about ������Ƶ’s programs and services, visit .

About the Institute for Educational Advancement

The Institute for Educational Advancement (������Ƶ) is dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth of our nation’s gifted and high-potential youth. Central to the mission of ������Ƶ is a commitment to the development of the whole child through engaging educational experiences that promote optimal challenge, mentorship, exploration of ideas, and recognition of personal potential. ������Ƶ seeks to connect gifted individuals through dynamic and engaging year-round programming. Additionally, ������Ƶ supports a diverse community that creates a sense of belonging and affirmation. For more information, visit .

Contact

Kat Kirsch

Institute for Educational Advancement

(626) 403-8900 or kkirsch@educationaladvancement.org

“We make a living by what we get.  We make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

At the Institute for Educational Advancement (������Ƶ), donors are important members of our community because their donations play a major role in making it possible for ������Ƶ to transform the lives of hundreds of gifted children each year by helping them to reach for their full intellectual and personal potential. Donors are vital to the life of all non-profit organizations and most will agree that their giving is not just about making a donation, but about wanting to make positive difference in the life of an organization they care about.    

One of the most significant ways that a donor can support an organization is by becoming a recurring annual donor that an organization can count on each year for support. At ������Ƶ, our recurring donor group, the NAUTILUS SOCIETY was founded in 2000 by generous donors committed to the long-term success of ������Ƶ.  Members of the NAUTILUS SOCIETY pledge to donate annually to ������Ƶ for three consecutive years and show their continued commitment to supporting gifted youth through our unique programs and services.  Annual pledge donations large and small are welcomed.  Every gift makes a meaningful difference. Sustained annual funding from these donors allows ������Ƶ to focus directly on serving bright young people, many of which are overlooked and underserved. 

Annual donations to ������Ƶ play a significant role by helping to:

• Provide gifted youth with scholarships and opportunities for support, growth and community to meet their intellectual, personal and financial aid needs.
• Keep tuition low to make programs and services for gifted youth more accessible.
• Fund high-quality teachers, mentors, and experts so they can be a resource for students and families.
• Provide supplies, technology and equipment needed for advanced teaching and learning experiences.
• Provide resources online and in-person for families and teachers of gifted children to help them meet the needs of these exceptional young people.

Experience the joy of giving by joining the Nautilus Society and helping to ensure that ������Ƶ is able to continue providing its award-winning programming to all gifted youth who need our services.  Nautilus Members are recognized annually in our donor listings, annual report, and in the lobby of ������Ƶ’s headquarters in Pasadena, CA.

You can learn more about ways to support ������Ƶ and become a member of the Nautilus Society by clicking here.

When I summarize ������Ƶ’s work to people outside our network: “…we are an educational nonprofit that works with gifted kids,” I am often met with skepticism and confusion. The most common response I have received is, “I believe all kids are gifted.” I do too! All kids have special giftings. As a mother of a four-year-old and one-year-old, I exist in a state of perpetual awe as I watch the personalities of my own children and the children in my community unfold. My preschooler has a remarkable propensity for language; she has been holding elaborate conversations since before turning two, and through language, she has been able to reveal a deep understanding of her own emotion and the emotions of others. One of her best friends, who wasn’t interested in speaking as early, has LEGO architecture skills that could land him a job designing hoverboards and intricate skyscrapers and giant ships right now, at age four. A three-year-old I know can draw a Mr. Potato Head picture that he could easily slip into a book of 1920s surrealist art and no one would know the difference. And every child I meet astounds me with either a wild and creative imagination, a surprisingly sharp sense of humor, a well of empathy, or all of the above.

Yes, of course all kids are gifted, in that all kids have creativity, beauty, love, special talents, and unique modes of intelligence comprising their very being.

But this is not what we mean by “gifted.” As a society, we needed a word to describe people whose experience of life is measurably different than their peers. I like the definition created by the Columbus Group in 1991: “Giftedness is asynchronous development in which advanced cognitive abilities and heightened intensity combine to create inner experiences and awareness that are qualitatively different from the norm.” When we dismiss the term “gifted” because we have disdain for labeling children, or because all children are gifted, we are denying the existence of an entire body of people, whose inner workings are remarkably different than most.

A few years ago, Dr. Patty Gatto Walden, Yunasa Senior Fellow and psychologist, presented at the Beyond Giftedness Conference in Colorado. I had the privilege of listening to her speak. One idea from her discussion especially stood out to me: she talked about the incoming “channels” that each person experiences. In a classroom, a child might take in several channels at once – the message of her teacher, the mutterings of her classmates, the sound of the shifting leaves on the pavement outside, the feeling that her desk-mate is melancholy, the way the new piece of art on the left wall of the classroom makes her want to paint. A person whom we have deemed “gifted,” whose “inner experience and awareness is qualitatively different from the norm,” takes in hundreds of channels. Hundreds. Not several. She might be absorbing the message of the teacher while feeling that something is happening in the teacher’s life that is new and exciting; she feels her desk-mate’s melancholy, and her skin starts to tingle and her tummy begins to sink; she listens to the mutterings of her classmates and feels their emotions, too; she hears every sound in the classroom and outside, and each sound makes her body feel something different. For the sake of time, I won’t describe all 200 or 400 channels that our gifted child might be taking in. Dr. Patty took it further and said that a highly gifted person takes in thousands of channels.  That is a lot for anyone. It is a lot for a child who is still learning who she is.

When we say someone is “gifted,” we are not inferring that he is “better” or “more special” than other children. We need a label, though. We need a label because we need special programs. We need different types of classes, camps, workshops, counseling sessions, support groups, books, retreats, scholarship options, learning centers, and more, so we can help these children understand themselves and flourish. And at ������Ƶ, we want to provide gifted kids and their families with a community of people who deeply connect with them, so they don’t feel alone.

about ������Ƶ’s definition of “giftedness”. You can also learn more about how to understand, spot and address 

Are you having trouble finding the ideal resources for your gifted child? Are you overwhelmed by the quantity of resources but desperate for a way to narrow down your search? Our (GRC), a free public tool created and curated by ������Ƶ, currently has over 650 carefully-vetted resources sorted into six categories: Advocacy, Articles and Media, Gifted Programs and Services, Scholarships and Competitions, Schools and Twice-Exceptional (2E). Viewers can search for a keyword and filter their results by location, grade range, resource type and more. Each GRC entry includes a description, contact information and a direct link to the website.

As the number of entries expands, the GRC continues to grow as an exemplary online database of resources for gifted preK-12 learners. The number of visitors for the first half of 2018 has almost surpassed that for all of 2017, which means the GRC audience is doubling in size!

Have you explored the GRC lately? Get started by perusing the 10 most-viewed resources so far in 2018:

1. (Grades K-12)

The Independent School Alliance (ISA) is a leading organization in private school admissions counseling and placement. Since 1985, ISA has provided access and opportunities at the elementary and secondary level to thousands of students across Southern California on behalf of parents of color who are seeking an independent school environment for their academically strong and motivated child.

2. (Grades 9-12)

The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science in conjunction with the Engineering Science Corps Outreach Program offers an eight-week summer program that encourages each of its high school participants to consider a future in engineering.

3. (Grades 3-6)

The Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award Program awards $500 scholarships to high-ability students in grades 3-6.  Review their website to see if the program is available in your state.

4. (Grades 4-10)

Designed and led by experts in the field of gifted youth, ������Ƶ’s own Yunasa Summer Camps support the whole gifted child, encouraging growth and support of campers intellectually, socially, emotionally, spiritually and physically. Camps are offered every summer in Sedalia, Colorado and Flint, Michigan and are open to campers nationwide ages 10 to 15.

5. (All Ages)

This article by Barbara Swicord, Ed.D., discusses how problem-based learning, also known as project-based learning, can be a great start to help educators who are looking for a solution to many problems in the classrooms as well as a way to meet the needs of gifted students.

6. (Grades 5-8)

Formerly Reid Day School, the Learning Academy as part of Stepping Stones Therapy in Orange County believes that education is a personal journey for every family and offers a variety of specialized and individualized programs. Through small group instruction, with high teacher to student ratio, they will promote and execute success for your learner’s home school program. Stepping Stones also offers educational, occupational, speech, and physical therapy in addition to social skills training.

7. (Grades K-12)

The American Association for Development of the Gifted and Talented (AADGT) helps young, extraordinarily gifted classical musicians and artists. AADGT was established in 1993 and since then has helped hundreds of artists and aspiring young musicians from around the world.

8. (Grades 2-8)

The Noetic Learning Math Contest is a semiannual problem-solving contest for elementary and middle school students. The goal of the competition is to encourage students’ interest in math, to develop their problem-solving skills and to inspire them to excel in math.

9. (Grades 6-12)

Since 2003, the Art of Problem Solving (AoPS) online school has provided a unique learning experience carefully designed for outstanding students interested in studying online. AoPS offers a full math curriculum for middle and high school, introductory programming courses and specialty courses to prepare students for particular math and science competitions.

10. (Grades 1-8)

The Gifted Students Academy is an intensive summer program for gifted students in grades 1 through 8. Participants select courses in each of the major subject areas of math, science, language arts, social studies and the arts and may attend as a commuter student or reside on campus in the UCI residence halls.

Visit the to explore more resources for parents and educators.

What are some resources that have helped you as a parent or educator? Share them in the comments section below!

The GRC contains an abundance of easily searchable resources on how to advocate for gifted education, what gifted programs and schools are available, where to find supplemental learning opportunities, who can provide testing and counseling  and how to meet the needs of the twice-exceptional (2e) learner. The team at ������Ƶ strives to provide students, their families and educators with the most relevant and updated information.

One of the most popular sections of the GRC is the “Scholarships and Competitions” section. That’s why we compiled this online resource into a handy, downloadable . This guide contains over 100 resources, organized by geography and indexed by topic and/or academic subject.

This free guide, which includes all of the resources found in the online Scholarship and Competitions section of the GRC, provides an invaluable offline compilation for students, parents, educators and others who work with gifted children. Download your free copy today!

Looking for ways to keep your gifted child active and engaged this summer? We’ve got the answer for you:  . We’ve put together our top 10 reasons for you to enroll your gifted and talented child for one of our two-week Academy classes this summer.

2. Rigorous content. Each ������Ƶ Academy class is carefully designed to be stimulating, challenging and intellectually rigorous. Activities are often interdisciplinary and all integrate hands-on, inquiry-based learning environments, stimulating curiosity through discovery and exploration. One student relates: “I normally just memorize information, but in [my Academy] class I had to think up my own answers to questions.”
3. Something for every learner. Whatever topics your gifted child is currently into, ������Ƶ Academy has a class that will interest and engage them. Are you the parent of a future engineer? How about “Building with Electrical Circuits” or “Algorithms for Beginners”? Is your child interested in health and medicine? How about “Brain Function: Zooming In to Cells & Out to Systems” or “Genes and Genetics”? Does your child have an exceptional artistic side? What about “How to Write Scripts like the Greats” or “Dissolving Boundaries: The Intersection of Poetry & Art”? Check out our class descriptions .
4. Creativity is fostered. Too often in a school setting, students aren’t able to express themselves creatively or artistically. ������Ƶ Academy courses are designed specifically to not just intellectually challenge students, but to inspire imagination and inventiveness. According to a “How to Write Scripts Like the Greats” student: “This [������Ƶ Academy class] challenged me to be more creative.”
5. Small class size. ������Ƶ Academy classes are capped at ten students, with most averaging six students in total. This means more 1:1 time with teachers and personalized attention and differentiated instruction for your child. In the words of one student, “I am in a big class at school so I get more one on one attention [at ������Ƶ Academy].”
6. Expert, passionate teachers. Academy teachers have extensive expertise in the content area of their course. Their enthusiasm and passion drives their participation in the Academy, and they receive special training in working with gifted students. Remarked one teacher: “One student enjoyed their experience so much that they didn’t want to leave class! It was a highlight of my teaching career!” Read about our Academy teachers .
7. Beyond academics. ������Ƶ Academy classes go beyond traditional academic topics and encapsulate of providing opportunities for the whole child to grow. Classes incorporate, and indeed some focus solely on, practicing mindfulness, building emotional literacy and establishing social connections. about how practices like mindfulness can help your gifted child.
8. Real-life, applicable content. Sure, our ������Ƶ Academy classes cover really cool and interesting topics, but they also provide useful information, tools and strategies that students can implement in their lives immediately and in the future. According to one Academy teacher, “Most rewarding [for me is] seeing students master information that I know will come in handy as they grow.”
9. Valuable feedback for parents. Every ������Ƶ Academy teacher provides parents with an assessment on their child’s strengths in relation to learning objectives, subject mastery and learning abilities. Parents also receive next step targets to continue, expand on and maintain the learning after the class ends.
10. Feel part of a community. The unique needs of gifted children often set them apart from their student peers in school. Joining the ������Ƶ Academy means joining a community in which other members face similar challenges and have the same needs and experiences. One ������Ƶ Academy student relates “At ������Ƶ Academy I’ve enjoyed working with people that have the same interests as me!” And bonds form between students and their teachers, as related by this ������Ƶ Academy teacher: “I deeply enjoyed connecting with the students at ������Ƶ and exploring the subjects with a shared enthusiasm and excitement!”
11. Scholarships and discounts available! On a tight budget? No problem! ������Ƶ has not turned away anyone requesting our programs and services because of a financial hardship. Our generous supporters allow us to provide financial assistance to those who need it. (If you’re interested in becoming one of these supporters, today!)

The deadline to register for ������Ƶ Academy’s Summer Session II (July 10-21) is July 5^th and for Summer Session III (July 24-August 4), the deadline to register is July 17^th.

Don’t wait any longer!