Multicultural Mentoring of the Gifted and Talented

Numerous groups of educators now seem ready to do "something" about discovering and nurturing the abilities of students who live in poverty. Most groups, however, seem to be at a loss as to what to do. Many potentially positive contributions of hundreds of thousands of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have, for the most part, been lost.

Coauthored by E. Paul Torrance, this book offers readers a contemporary view of helping ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged youth through the use of mentor programs. Including an overview of the mentoring process, a discussion of racial and cultural differences and typical strengths of disadvantaged youth, ideas for creating a mentoring program, and strategies for evaluating a mentoring program, this book provides a thorough look at mentoring.

Step-by-step, readers are led through the process of identifying mentors and mentees; developing relationships; putting ideas into practice and products; and finally, ending the relationship and sending the mentee to a new mentor.

Educational Resource

Dr. E. Paul Torrance is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the University of Georgia. He has worked with gifted students at all levels, from kindergarten through graduate school. Dr. Torrance is the author of more than 40 books and 1,500 journal articles. He was the founder of the Future Problem Solving Program and has received many awards for his pioneering work in creativity and gifted education.

Dr. Kathy Goff is a native Oklahoman with a BA in Spanish, a BS in Secondary Education and an MS degree from Oklahoma State University. She earned her Doctorate in Adult Learning and Certification in Gerontology at the University of Georgia under the direction of Dr. E. Paul Torrance, "the Father of Creativity". Dr. Goff was the personal research assistant to Dr. E. Paul Torrance and worked with him for over 16 years. The Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults, by Goff and Torrance, is the first instrument to measure the creativity of adults, particularly older adults. Dr. Goff is also the co-creator of Senior Savvy BrainstormersTM, a brainstorming board game for senior adults that is fun and mentally stimulating.

Dr. Kathy Goff is an internationally recognized author and researcher, educator, patented inventor and entrepreneur. She received the 2002 Outstanding Fellowship Award from Partnerships for Aging and was the guest lecturer for the 2002 E. Paul Torrance Creativity Lecture Series at the University of Georgia. Dr. Goff has served as department head, outreach coordinator and adjunct professor at a variety of institutions of higher education. She has been actively involved in publishing numerous articles and books, conducting workshops, consulting and teaching in the fields of creativity and lifelong learning. Dr. Goff serves as President of McGoff Creativity LLC, a creativity research, education, consulting and inventing firm.