Academic Competitions for Gifted Students: A Resource Book for Teachers and Parents

"A great resource for teachers of the gifted! The focus on academics, characteristics of good competitions, and useful tips on selecting the right competitions make it unique and valuable. In addition to listing available competitions, this book will help parents and teachers minimize problems and maximize benefits of academic competitions for gifted learners." Jan Fall, GATE Coordinator Rochester Public Schools, Minnesota Here is a resource book that will help you make more informed choices to help gifted students experience the joys of competing. Not only do the authors help teachers and parents find out about many academic competitions for gifted students, but they also offer tips on how to evaluate, enroll in, and implement the programs. The authors′ primary focus is achieving the greatest benefit for gifted students in light of their strengths and weaknesses. This handy reference covers content and interest areas for students from kindergarten through twelfth grade and is also a valuable text for professors teaching courses in gifted education. A resource no school or district should be without! "This book is so teacher friendly! Teachers can select from many disciplines an area of interest for a child who needs acceleration or enrichment. The programs are listed and described with all of the information necessary for an educator to contact various organizations. The section concerning how to handle competitive situations with gifted and talented children is well-researched and informative. I would like for every teacher in our district who serves gifted students to have a copy of this book." Janice Thomas, GT Specialist Lubbock ISD, Texas

Mary K. Tallent-Runnels is a Professor of Educational Psychol­ogy in the College of Education at Texas Tech University. She has over 30 years of experience working with parents and teachers of gifted children ages of 4 to 17. In addition to her time as both a public and private school teacher of gifted students and administrator of gifted programs, she is the former director of the IDEAL program at Texas Tech University. She is the recipient of several teaching and research awards at both the public school and university levels. Her research interests are gifted children and online instruction. She is the author of numerous articles in gifted and talented education as well as in online teaching. She has published in journals such as Gifted Child Quarterly, The Journal for the Education of the Gifted, Roeper Review, G/C/T, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Review of Educational Research, and the Journal of Experimental Education.

Ann C. Candler-Lotven is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. She has 30 years of experience in the education of students with exceptionalities. During those years, she also worked with the parents and teachers of exceptional students. Her research interests include exceptional learners, learning and student strategies, and gifted students. She has authored numerous articles, books, and book chapters in the field of special education. She has published in Academic Therapy, Child Lan­guage Teaching and Therapy, Gifted Child Quarterly and the Journal for the Education of the Gifted.