Gifted Education

The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University is committed to providing educational opportunities and resources to three populations--they are gifted and talented children and youth, teachers working with gifted students, and parents of gifted children. For fifteen summers The Center for Gifted Studies has offered summer residential programs for middle and high school youth and workshops for teachers. Services for youth have explanded to include programming for elementary children and travel/study opportunities for high school youth. Services for educators include workshops and institutes focused on curriculum to reach world class standards (College Board Advanced Placement) and on differentiating the curriculum to address a wide range of learner needs, including the needs of children and youth who learn at a faster pace and at a more complex level.

The Kentucky Educational Reform Act recognizes gifted children as a category of exceptional children. KERA includes the following five areas of giftedness: intellectual giftedness as well as giftedness in an academic area, creativity, leadership, and in the visual and performing arts. The Center for Gifted Studies personnel work with educators to provide quality educational opportunities for all children, removing the ceiling so that all children can learn what they are ready to learn.