VISIONS OF THE FUTURE
THE ROAD AHEAD
@BRIANHOUSAND
FOR GIFTED ED

VISIONS OF THE FUTURE
THE ROAD AHEAD
@BRIANHOUSAND
FOR GIFTED ED

@brianhousand@gmail.com
@brianhousand.com
@brianhousand

2o2o WINTER TOUR
JAN 21 CAPE FEAR CENTER FOR INQUIRY IN WILMINGTON, NC
FEB 6-7 SPLENDORA ISD IN SPLENDORA,TX
FEB 13 ROWAN-SALISBURY SCHOOLS IN SALISBURY, NC
FEB 14 GASTON COUNTY SCHOOLS IN GASTONIA, NC
FEB 20-21 NEBRASKA ASSOCIATION FOR THE GIFTED IN OMAHA, NE
FEB 27-28 NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS IN PHILADELPHIA, PA
MAR 5-6 NC ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED AND TALENTED IN WINSTON-SALEM, NC
brianhousand.com/talks

2 2

If I have seen further,
it is by standing
on the shoulders of GIANTS.
Sir Isaac Newton

JAMES
GALLAGHER
DONALD
TREFFINGER
JAMES
WEBB
GEORGE
BETTS
JEROME
BRUNER

Who controls
the past
controls the
Future.
who controls
the present
controls the
past.

Leta S. Hollingworth
May 25, 1886
November 27, 1939

The great problem of learning to
SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY
is one which many gifted persons
never solve, as long as they live.
Leta Stetter Hollingworth
SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY

not sneeringly, not angrily, not
despairingly, not weepingly--but gladly,
if personal development is to proceed
successfully in the world as it is.
SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY
The highly intelligent child must learn to
Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Failure to learn how to tolerate in a
reasonable fashion the foolishness
of others less gifted leads to
bitterness, disillusionment, and
misanthropy, which are the ruin of
potential leaders.
Leta Stetter Hollingworth

I consider this one of
the most important of
all problems for the
development of social
science —
the problem of how to
recognize, educate,
foster, and utilize the
gifted young.
Leta S. Hollingworth

RECOGNIZE

What does it mean to be
GIFTED?

The Lost Colony
Atlantis
Area 51
Bigfoot Amelia Earhar

MYTHS,
MISCONCEPTIONS,
MISINFORMATION, &
MISUNDERSTANDINGS

The only thing that any two gifted
experts can agree upon is the
incompetence of a third.
Dr. Rick Courtright
Duke TIP

It depends.

Different

RENZULLI’S
TALENT POOL

TEST SCORE
CRITERIA
APPROXIMATELY 50%
OF THE TALENT POOL
STEP 1
Test Score Nominations
(Automatic and Based on Local Norms)
NON-TEST SCORE
CRITERIA
APPROXIMATELY 50%
OF THE TALENT POOL
STEP 2
Teacher Nominations
(Automatic Except in Cases of Teachers
Who Are Over or Under Nominators)
STEP 3 Alternative Pathways
STEP 4 Special Nominations
STEP 5 Notification of Parents
STEP 6 Action Information Nominations
TotalTalentPoolConsistsofApproximately
15%oftheTotalSchoolPopulation
Renzulli, J. S. (1990). A practical system for identifying gifted and talented students. Early Child Development and Care, 63, 9–18.

DOES YOUR
FOOTBALL
TEAM USE
NATIONAL
NORMS?

SPOILER
ALERT

NORTH CAROLINA (NC) REPORT CARD
LAWS
The state of North Carolina mandates by law identifying and serving “academically or intellectually gifted
students.” This mandate is partially funded.
ACCESS
Opportunity to Be
Identified as Gifted Grade or Rank Notes and Explanation
Access to Identification
Rank
A
7th
92.88% of students attend a school that identifies students with gifts and talents
Rank among 50 states and DC in access
Equity of Access
Between Title I and Non-
Title I Schools
Rank
F
38th
Students in Title I schools are identified at 47% of the rate of those in Non-Title I schools
(9.25% vs. 19.54% yields a ratio of 0.47 between Title I and Non-Title I schools).
Rank among 50 states and DC in equity between Non-Title I and Title I schools
Equity of Access by Race A
A
A
A
0.99 AIAN
0.99 Black
1.02 Latinx
0.97 NHPI
The ratio of race access to general access in schools that identify
indicates whether students proportionally attend schools that
identify. Ratios close to or greater than 1.00 means good access, so
underrepresentation is not a function of lack of access.
EQUITY
Underserved Groups
(in schools that identify) Category
Statewide
Grade—RI
City
Grade—RI
Suburb
Grade—RI
Town
Grade—RI
Rural
Grade—RI
AIAN Equity Overall F–0.54 F–0.61 F–0.71 F–0.65 F–0.57
(n=18,534) Non-Title I F–0.71 F–0.67 F–0.79 B–0.94 F–0.59
Substantial population Title I F–0.67 F–0.62 D–0.83 F–0.67 F–0.64
Black Equity Overall F–0.40 F–0.40 F–0.35 F–0.42 F–0.41
(n=367,350) Non-Title I F–0.40 F–0.41 F–0.38 F–0.43 F–0.40
Title I F–0.44 F–0.46 F–0.38 F–0.44 F–0.43
Latinx Equity Overall F–0.44 F–0.40 F–0.39 F–0.57 F–0.47
(n=240,132) Non-Title I F–0.43 F–0.42 F–0.41 F–0.50 F–0.44
Title I F–0.49 F–0.45 F–0.47 F–0.60 F–0.51
NHPI Equity Overall F–0.69 F–0.53 F–0.76 F–0.63 D–0.84
(n=1,755) Non-Title I F–0.69 F–0.36 A–1.07 F–0.56 F–0.63
Substantial population Title I F–0.72 F–0.69 F–0.56 F–0.60 B–0.91
MISSINGNESS
Students Missing From Gifted Education Identification: 25% at the Lower Boundary. Grade: Fail. Rank: 15
North Carolina identified 170,771 students as gifted in 2016. Statewide, the number of missing students in schools that do not identify and in
schools that underidentify ranges from 56,739 to 133,773, (25% to 44%) with most of these missing students coming from Title I schools and
from underserved populations. For example, 17,376 Black children are identified, with 29,973 to 60,727 (59% to 75%) missing. These numbers are
detailed in Table 7 in the accompanying state report.
SUMMARY
Key Findings and Recommendations
The good news is that more than 90% of North Carolina youth and more than 90% of North Carolina schools identify students for gifted education
services. Additionally, any underrepresentation noted is not due to lack of access to identification either by race of type of school attended.
However, despite these positive findings, disproportionality exists in North Carolina between Title I and Non-Title I schools, with Title I schools
identifying less than half the percentage of students as their Non-Title I counterparts. Additionally, Black, Latinx, and to some extent AIAN children
are severely underrepresented in North Carolina regardless of school type or locale. Because of this disproportionality, large numbers of these
youth are missing from identification. Clearly North Carolina needs to examine policies and practices and determine which of these has impacted
identification and led to inequity among races and between Title I and Non-Title I schools.
AIAN=American Indian or Alaska Native, NHPI=Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Gifted Education in the United States
Gentry, M., Gray, A., Whiting, G. W., Maeda, Y., & Pereira, N. (2019). Access denied/System failure: Gifted education in the United States: Laws, access, equity, and missingness across the country
by locale, Title I school status, and race. Report Cards, Technical Report, and Website. Purdue University: West Lafayette, IN; Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: Lansdowne, VA.

NORTH CAROLINA (NC) REPORT CARD
LAWS
The state of North Carolina mandates by law identifying and serving “academically or intellectually gifted
students.” This mandate is partially funded.
ACCESS
Opportunity to Be
Identified as Gifted Grade or Rank Notes and Explanation
Access to Identification
Rank
A
7th
92.88% of students attend a school that identifies students with gifts and talents
Rank among 50 states and DC in access
Equity of Access
Between Title I and Non-
Title I Schools
Rank
F
38th
Students in Title I schools are identified at 47% of the rate of those in Non-Title I schools
(9.25% vs. 19.54% yields a ratio of 0.47 between Title I and Non-Title I schools).
Rank among 50 states and DC in equity between Non-Title I and Title I schools
Equity of Access by Race A
A
A
A
0.99 AIAN
0.99 Black
1.02 Latinx
0.97 NHPI
The ratio of race access to general access in schools that identify
indicates whether students proportionally attend schools that
identify. Ratios close to or greater than 1.00 means good access, so
underrepresentation is not a function of lack of access.
Underserved Groups Statewide City Suburb Town Rural
Gifted Education in the United States

56,739 TO
133,773
AIG
STUDENTS
MOSTLY FROM
TITLE I SCHOOLS
93%Of NC’s students
attend a school where
identification takes place.

56,739 TO
133,773
AIG
STUDENTS
MOSTLY FROM
TITLE I SCHOOLS
47%
Students in
title I schools
are identified at
Of the rate of those in
non-title I schools.

FIND YOUR KIDS THAT ARE DIFFERENT,
& GIVE THEM SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

EDUCATE

20/15
20/13
20/10

When each of us
thinks about what
we can do in life,
chances are,
we can do it
because of a
teacher. Stephen Hawking

FEBRUARY | 2020
Foreword and Executive Summary by
Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli
By Seth Gershenson
TheImpactofRigorousGrading
PracticesonStudentAchievement

FINDING 1:
Students learn
more from
teachers who have
higher grading
standards.
FEBRUARY | 2020
Foreword and Executive Summary by
Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli
By Seth Gershenson
TheImpactofRigorousGrading
PracticesonStudentAchievement

FINDING 2:
Teachers with
higher grading
standards improve
their students’
performance in
subsequent
math classes up to
two years later.
FEBRUARY | 2020
Foreword and Executive Summary by
Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli
By Seth Gershenson
TheImpactofRigorousGrading
PracticesonStudentAchievement

FINDING 3:
Teachers with
higher grading
standards
significantly
improve the
learning outcomes
of all student
subgroups.FEBRUARY | 2020
Foreword and Executive Summary by
Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli
By Seth Gershenson
TheImpactofRigorousGrading
PracticesonStudentAchievement

OUR HOPETHE REALITY

AUGUST 11, 2019
U.S. National Gymnastics Championships
Kansas City, MO

OCTOBER 13, 2019
World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Stuttgart, Germany

OCTOBER 16, 2019
World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Stuttgart, Germany

A RISING TIDE
LIFTS ALL SHIPS

FOSTER

foster
verb
encourage or promote the
development of something.

HOW DO THEY
GO SO FAST?
HOW DO THEY
GO SO FAST?

WHO’S IN YOUR
PIT CREW?

CONTROLLED
CHAOS
IT’S

CONTROLLED
CHAOS
BUT ALL OF THE TIME
MOST OF THE TIME

REMEMBER THEY LEARN FAST

But…

THE
IMPORTANCE
OF Failure

(RENZULLI, 1978)
TASK
COMMITMENT
represents energy
that is brought to
bear upon a
particular problem
(task) or specific
performance area.
TASK
COMMITMENT
CREATIVITY
ABOVE
AVERAGE
ABILITY

JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!
JUST KEEP SWIMMING!

UTILIZE

GIFTED KID OR
SUPERHERO?

DON’T HOLD
GIFTED KIDS BACK

EMPOWER

EMPOWER

not sneeringly, not angrily, not
despairingly, not weepingly--but gladly,
if personal development is to proceed
successfully in the world as it is.
SUFFER FOOLS GLADLY
The highly intelligent child must learn to
Leta Stetter Hollingworth

Instead of preparing kids for our future,
Why don’t we EMPOWER them to create their own?

LEAD

In gifted education, we seek to meet the advanced
learning needs of students all day, every day. However,
inequities rooted in larger society plague education, often
leading to inequitable representation in gifted programs.
Although schools cannot fix larger societal inequities
on their own, we can ensure that our actions do not
compound these inequities. Our goal must be to promote
both equity and excellence. We must take actions
to increase access and opportunity, which increases
achievement and growth for all. We must assure that
student racial, ethnic, economic, or other demographic
factors do not reduce their likelihood of access and
successful participation in advanced programming. By
realizing equity and excellence in gifted education,
schools will help all students reach their full potential.
What is Equity and Excellence in Gifted
Education? What is it not?
• It is not about ‘status’ or sacrificing needs of one
group of students for another; it is meeting the needs
of all students.
• It is not seeing students at-risk; it is seeing students
at-potential.*
• It is not having multiple hoops to show a student’s
perfection in everything; it is about multiple
opportunities for students to demonstrate their
potential.
• It is not providing the same services to all; it is
adjusting services based on demonstrated needs of
students.
• It is not about all students receiving the same
content at the same time at the same pace; it is about
personalized learning.
• It is not about putting up barriers and hurdles; it is
about expanding access and opportunities.
• It is not based on a national comparison for local
programs; it is based on local context and data.
• It is not only recognizing students who come with
easily recognizable gifts and talents; it is about being
a talent scout and intentionally creating environments
to recognize and develop talents not yet tapped.
Critical Actions to Realize Equity and Excellence in
Gifted Education
Changing Mindsets, Policies and Practices
To set the foundation for realizing both equity and
excellence, we must approach it from the shared
perspective that both can be realized. Both are integral to
a successful educational environment. This commitment
toward equity and excellence is urgent and requires
intentional and sustained actions. No single action
will change mindsets, policies, and practices; we must
synergize efforts to increase achievement and growth for
all.
ACTION 1: Reframe your Lens
We must reframe our lens on how we view students,
their actions and beliefs; how we view schools, our
actions and goals; and how we view ourselves, our roles
and responsibilities.
How? Reflect on our own biases, stories, and influence.
Connect with student experiences. View students as
“at-potential” versus “at-risk.”* Be a talent scout not a
deficit detector. Look for opportunities to say yes, not
opportunities to say no.
Why? By reframing our lens, we ensure that all students
have an equitable opportunity to access gifted programs.
We begin to change our mindsets, raise expectations, and
begin the pathway toward equity and excellence.
ACTION 2: Use Equitable Identification
Practices
We must provide opportunities for every student to show
us their strengths and talents and mitigate systemic
barriers to access gifted education.
How? Align identification practices with the services
provided. Use universal screening and referral practices.
Use local norms and context for local programs. Take
advantage of existing student data and a variety of
information sources. Provide multiple opportunities, not
multiple barriers.
Why? By improving identification practices, we focus on
recognizing demonstrated advanced learning needs so
that no potential is untapped and no student is overlooked
for gifted education.
Critical Actions to Realize Equity and Excellence in Gifted Education
Changing Mindsets, Policies, and Practices
Increase access and opportunities to increase achievement and growth for all
CALL TO ACTION
ACTION 3: Provide a Range of Services
within the Program
We must match the educational environment with
each student’s demonstrated educational needs. Gifted
services must adjust to the student instead of the student
adjusting to the services.
How? Provide differentiation in the regular classroom,
but that will be insufficient for some students. Offer a
variety of services in a variety of settings. Accelerate,
extend, and enrich learning experiences. Heed academic,
social, emotional, and cognitive needs.
Why? By providing a range of services, we respond to
the range of needs and we teach students only what they
don’t already know so that they will optimally develop, all
day, every day.
ACTION 4: Foster Talent Development
We must also cultivate potential in students whose
strengths are not yet tapped or readily observable
in typical classroom environments, in addition to
serving students who are already demonstrating high
performance. We must provide intentional efforts that
bring out and develop a student’s strengths and talents.
How? Create learning environments where teachers are
able to observe student strengths and recognize potential.
Respond by developing a student’s strengths through
intentional learning experiences in various domains.
Provide early intervention and development opportunities
to maximize potential.
Why? By fostering talent development, we will ensure
that all students have opportunities to grow and
experience learning environments that are not dependent
on their background or economic means.
ACTION 5: Collect and Use Meaningful Data
We must seek out and be responsive to meaningful
data so that we align information with actions and
aspirations.
How? Begin with the end in mind. Form a team to gather
expertise and existing data. Use your program vision
and goals to determine relevant data to analyze. Collect
new data to fill gaps. Disaggregate the data and look
at patterns and trends over time. Share information to
inform mindsets, policies, and practices.
Why? By collecting and using meaningful data, we
will assess program success and inform program
improvement. We will determine if the right interventions
are being used in the right way, at the right time, to meet
each student’s needs.
ACTION 6: Provide Focused Professional
Learning Opportunities
We must provide a clear focus on the above critical
actions in professional learning opportunities to realize
equity and excellence in gifted education.
How? Facilitate professional development in a variety
of settings and modes. Involve all -- the total school
community, including partners in and out of school.
Develop shared ownership to synergize efforts. Focus on
changing mindsets, policies, and practices.
Why? By providing focused professional development,
we remove systemic barriers, improve student services,
share ownership and move closer to equity and
excellence in gifted education.
*Coleman, M.R., Shah-Coltrane, S., & Harrison, A. (2010). U-STARS~PLUS:
Teacher’s observation of potential in students: Individual student form.
Arlington, VA: Council of Exceptional Children.
For more information:
Visit NCDPI at
http://www.ncpublicschools.org/advancedlearning/aig/
or contact Sneha.ShahColtrane@dpi.nc.gov
For more information:
Visit Duke TIP at
www.tip.duke.edu/equityandexcellence
This initiative is aligned with the #NC2030 plan and the State Board of Education goals.

RECOGNIZE
EDUCATE
FOSTER
UTILIZE
EMPOWER
LEAD

RECOGNIZE
EDUCATE
FOSTER
UTILIZE
EMPOWER
LEAD

@brianhousand@gmail.com
@brianhousand.com/ncagt2020
@brianhousand