Project Activities
Center researchers will complete three secondary studies and one randomized control trial (RCT) to provide stakeholders with tools to better recognize and harness untapped talent and increase our understanding of the outcomes of gifted services. These four studies are addressing the following questions:
- What are the academic outcomes of gifted education? Do they extend beyond academic achievement?
- What impact do teachers have on gifted students' success?
- Can universal screening for acceleration be effectively implemented? Will universal screening, in combination with teacher training, increase the use of subject and grade acceleration?
- Can identification systems be simplified while expanding participation opportunities for underserved populations? What role does teacher nomination play in identification?
Focused program of research
Three of the four studies involve analysis of school and student data. Researchers will be analyzing data from multiple districts, including Broward County Public School (BCPS), FL; Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), CA; Charlotte-Mecklenburg School, NC; Norwalk Public Schools, CT; and Washington Township Schools, NJ. Schools participating in the RCT include Des Moines Public Schools and seven rural Iowa school districts. Over the course of four studies, the researchers will sample students from the school districts, each of which includes demographic variation with a high percent of traditionally underserved students.
The Center consists of a collaborative team of research methodologists, economists, and gifted education specialists from University of California (UC) Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, University of Connecticut, University of Iowa, Michigan State, East Tennessee State, and University of Wisconsin–Whitewater.
National leadership and outreach activities
The Center will serve as a reputable source for research and best practices in the field of gifted education and will create an interactive digital clearinghouse to collate and distribute these resources. Through collaboration with other professionals, national and state organizations, policy makers, and service providers, Center researchers will implement broad-based dissemination efforts to share findings with educators and policymakers and to provide useful resources in different formats for multiple audiences. The Center will build provide outreach and build partnerships with Javits-funded project teams and other researchers. It will also provide professional development opportunities and networking opportunities for early- and mid-career scholars in gifted education.
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Supplemental information
Topic: Jacob K. Javits Center for Gifted and Talented Education*
Co-Principal Investigators: McCoach, D. Betsy; Gubbins, E. Jean; Assouline, Susan; Card, David; Giuliano, Laura; Imberman, Scott A.; Little, Catherine; Peters, Scott; Rhoads, Christopher; Strunk, Katherine
* In fulfillment of the requirement in the "Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program" in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (SEC. 4644. ø20 U.S.C. 7294 [d]) for a National Research Center for the Education of Gifted and Talented Children and Youth.
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