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International organisations enabling gifted children

everal institutions/universities in the US have established
Sfull-fledged centres for educating gifted students and are
providing enrichment/advancement/mentoring programmes
in the online/offline mode. Among them:
Johns Hopkins Centre for Talented Youth (CTY). The Centre for Tal-
ented Youth of the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, runs
a Talent Search Program that identifies gifted children and
provides them advanced summer and online programmes to
nurture their potential with rigorous curricula and collaborative
peer learning.
UC Berkeley Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP). The top-
ranked University of California, Berkeley’s ATDP offers on-site
and online enrichment and accelerated learning programmes
for the gifted. Gifted students’ intellectual depth and social
intelligence are enhanced through challenging, research-driven UC Berkeley ATDP workshop
courses.
Northwestern Center for Talent Development (CTD). Established in Mensa Foundation. The US-based Mensa Foundation, founded
1982, Northwestern University, Illinois’ CTD provides summer by American members of Mensa, the world’s most prestigious
residential, weekend and online programmes for gifted children high-IQ society, conducts its Gifted Youth & Bright Kids Pro-
as well as an Online Family Program to advise parents on ways gram, under which gifted children are provided specialised
and means to nurture gifted children and youth. educational resources and community support.
Purdue University’s GERI. The Gifted Education Research and National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). The US-based
Resource Institute (GERI) of Purdue University offers a range NAGC provides online Parent & Educator Toolkits and Advoca-
of Super Saturday Programs, Summer Residential Camps, cy Resources to empower people supporting gifted students.
and Research & Leadership Programs for gifted children and Acceleration Institute. The Acceleration Institute of the Belin-
youth. These programmes are designed to enhance academic Blank Centre, Iowa, is a think tank that informs educators,
skills through hands-on, collaborative learning experiences. researchers, policymakers, administrators, and parents about
Summer Institute for the Gifted (SIG). This New York-based com- research and best practices for gifted children. The academic
pany offers residential summer programmes for gifted children acceleration program includes early entrance to kindergarten,
at select universities including Yale, Emory, Miami, Cornell, grade skipping in schools/colleges, subject specialisation and
among others. The curriculum combines rigorous academics other ways of enhancing gifted students through challenging
with cultural and social enrichment programs. coursework.

elitism. This island republic with a per ised challenges they need. According way back in 1995 is the GEAR (Gifted
capita income of $86,248 also priori- to Finnish educators, enabling gifted Education And Research) Innovative
tises research and innovation through students to become integrated into International School, Bangalore.
initiatives like the A*STAR program, society while receiving the necessary “GEAR’s ethos is rooted in the
which funds young scientific talent. enrichment to cultivate their excep- philosophy that every child possesses
Finland, on the other hand, has taken tional abilities, is the answer. unique gifts. Identification is the most
a radically different path — one that With awareness of the importance challenging part of any gifted educa-
does not segregate gifted students but of identifying and providing enabling tion programme. The GEAR model is
instead adapts mainstream education support to gifted children gaining trac- designed to identify and nurture gifted
to allow individualised learning. tion within the educators’ community children by synthesising brain devel-
The Finnish model highlights an in India, a small but growing number opment, multiple intelligences, emer-
important issue of whether gifted stu- of progressive schools are integrat- gent curriculum and project-based
dents should be given separate learn- ing advanced learning programmes, learning. All academic activities are
ing environments, or should educa- mentorship opportunities, and real- individualised within the framework
tion systems evolve to accommodate world problem-solving experiences of multiple intelligences and research
all students, regardless of ability. into their curriculum to challenge projects. One child’s acceleration be-
While Finland’s system aligns with its and nurture gifted students. A pio- comes enrichment for other children.
commitment to equity, it also risks de- neer K-12 institution that introduced Thus, in addition to individual achieve-
priving gifted students of the special- an inclusive gifted education model ments, the achievement level of all our

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