by Niña Abonal, EXPLORE Program Coordinator IEA’s EXPLORE program is in full swing! This year, the selection and placement process was especially competitive as students vied for a chance to work with distinguished mentors and sites willing to host only a selected number of students. In addition...
By Elizabeth D. Jones, President and Co-Founder of the Institute for Educational Advancement. The film Gifted staring Chris Evans and Jenny Slate, released for video next week, introduces audiences to a cute and very precocious young girl, Mary (McKenna Grace), whose advanced intellectual ability and quick verbal...
by Abby Daniels, Director of Development & Communications at IEA Looking for ways to keep your gifted child active and engaged this summer? We’ve got the answer for you: IEA Academy. We’ve put together our top 10 reasons for you to enroll your gifted and talented...
by Qiao Li, Coordinator “I’m bored out of my mind” says a piano student who practiced for hours every day under the diligent watch of his parent. How could someone work so much and be so bored? People who work and study for the sake of doing, or...
Written by Heather Boorman of The Fringy Bit I still don’t quite know how it happened. One minute, my 3 kiddos and I were sitting at the dinner table, laughing and enjoying a conversation that (miracle of miracles) didn’t involve arguing over who’s turn it was...
by Stephanie Tolan, M.A., Author and Senior Fellow The word unique is very often misused in our country. It means “one of a kind.” So something has to be either unique or not unique. It can’t be very, or especially, or extraordinarily. And I cannot be more...
It is not uncommon for gifted students to finish their high school coursework before the age of 18. At this juncture they must decide whether to pursue early college admission, or other options. When done correctly, allowing a student to advance academically can be a...
by Anvi Kevany, Administrative Assistant When you recognize that your child may be gifted, and has not been identified as such, or has been identified as gifted but is not reaching his/her potential, then you will need to advocate for your child so they will receive...
by Zadra Rose Ibañez, Director of Operations As the head of the HR department, I am usually one of the first gatekeepers in receiving applications for employment. At IEA, because we work with highly intelligent children and families, we insist on high quality employees. This means that...
by Alexis Hopper, Program Coordinator In celebration of National Teacher Day, we would like to extend a thank you to all the educators who shape the lives of students across the country. Thank You, Mattie Whyte Woodridge Pioneer of Teacher Appreciation Day Teacher Appreciation Day was not always marked...
by Nicole LaChance, Marketing and Communications Coordinator Overthinking. The irony in writing about this topic is that I kept overthinking it. What direction should I take? What tips should I offer? Where can I find the best research? What if my post doesn’t hold up against...
by Paula Prober, Licensed Counselor and Consultant Your child is emotional. Anxious. Melting down. Telling you that you’re the worst parent. Ever. Not in so many words, necessarily. But still. You know that you’re the worst parent. Ever. “How can such a smart kid behave this way?” you...
By Lisa Natcharian, Raising Wizards It's a scientific fact that 20% of the population is born with a gene that allows them to "process sensory data much more deeply and thoroughly" than other people do. We also know that a common thread that runs among gifted people is...
by Heather Boorman, LICSW, LCSW, and Co-Founder of The Fringy Bit Whether we believe it or not, Spring has sprung. Often, we think of new growth, new life, and renewal, but spring can also hold an underpinning of grief and loss. As soon as the weather warms...
by Cassidy Kao, Academy Student Hi everyone! My name is Cassidy and I am eleven years old. I’m also the author of Constellation Exploration: Greek Mythical Stories Retold with Simple Facts and Fun and Mysterious Riddles, Roller Coaster: Kid’s Guide on How to Write Poetry, and...
by Nicole LaChance, Marketing & Communications Coordinator I have a confession to make: I’m a pop culture nerd. I often find myself responding to situations with movie or TV quotes and can ace most pop culture-themed categories on Jeopardy!, another obsession of mine. So, when I...
by IEA Staff “It is the province of knowledge to speak and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Every year, the Bradley Seminar brings together our national cohort of current Caroline D. Bradley Scholars along with alumni, parents, educators, guest speakers and IEA...
At a gathering of gifted learning community leaders today in the nation’s capitol, a first-of-its-kind poll was released by the Institute for Educational Advancement (IEA), that finds overwhelming bipartisan public support for increased funding for programs and resources for gifted students. The poll, conducted by Benenson...
by Kate Duey, Certified College Consultant March Madness in almost here, making college basketball top-of-mind. And so I perked up at last week’s California Association for the Gifted Conference when Dr. Sandra Kaplan mentioned that UCLA’s basketball team takes ballet classes. This caused me to sit...
by Paula Prober, Licensed Counselor and Consultant How do you manage your emotions and your sensitivities while raising your super intense super smart children? How do you raise your children without unconsciously repeating the patterns set down by your own parents? I’m guessing that you think about this a lot....
by Hannah, Yunasa Camper Do you fit in? Do you have friends? Do you filter your feelings, your thoughts, your ideas or your words when around others? Have you “played the part” to be accepted? Are you worried about losing your true self? Do you wonder...
by Michelle Bodwell, LMFT, ATR As parents of gifted children, we all have our own memories of the moment or moments which led to our realization that we had a gifted child. Whether it was the comment of another, the feedback from an evaluation, or our...
by Tiffany Kwong, Operations Manager I have a confession: I love the holidays. I’m one of those people who will try to incorporate some kind of festive craft or hands-on activity into every major holiday. Believe me, I have an entire closet devoted to materials for...
by Bonnie Raskin, Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship Manager As the program manager for the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship, I am often asked by the CDB community if Advanced Placement (AP) classes and the culminating AP exam is the best “fit” for a gifted student. AP courses...
by Zadra Rose Ibañez, Director of Operations Executive skills are those cognitive abilities and habits that allow us to be organized, to plan and implement action. They are essential to being productive and to completing goals and projects. We learn these very early on, from rote...