Stevens’ sentiment is the heart of her new book, Challenging the Gifted Child: An Open Approach to Working with Advanced Young Readers [Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 192 pages, paperback, 978-1-84310-570-1, $22.95], which explains how to create a course for a child at home, or a group of children at school, ages 4 to 11 years old, that will appropriately challenge and make the most of their special abilities, by being both structured—with interlinking topics and themed reading lists—and at the same time ‘open’—encouraging free response and a self-motivated style of learning. “This book is accessible to all who have the task of educating highly intelligent children, or those underachieving, in the realm of literature and language,” writes Judith Hare, a school improvement advisor, in the book’s foreword. “I have no hesitation in recommending it as a guide to both theory and practice.” Stevens’ extensive experience allows her to explain the importance of reading in a child’s education, and offers advice on how to pick books and topics, set up challenges and free response pages and give feedback and provide further educational material where required. She also unravels some of the practical issues involved with, for instance, running a group at school or taking the decision to home-school, as well as providing photo-copyable materials for parents and educators. “Teaching is structuring the environment so that learning can take place,” writes Stevens in the conclusion. “I share what I have discovered about the way fast readers and quick thinkers often prefer to learn, and describe my tried-and-tested materials, which are innovative because they stress learning rather than teaching and actually provide for, rather than simply acknowledge, the needs of the child and the child’s right of choice.  

”Margaret Stevens is qualified in special needs teaching and has personal experience of raising a gifted child. She lives in Buckinghamshire , UK , and acts as a mentor for distance learning pupils of her reading program for able young readers. For further information or for a review copy, please contact: Teresa Finnegan, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 400 Market Street, Suite 400 , Philadelphia , PA 19106 , USA . Tel: (215) 922-1161; Fax: (215) 922-1474; email: teresa.finnegan@jkp.com http://www.davidsongifted.org

Again, our intentions are not to promote this book; however, we thought some of you might find it useful. 

Dr. Frances A. Karnes, Director of the Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies and Professor of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education, at the University of Southern Mississippi and Dr. Kristen R. Stephens, Assistant Professor of the Practice Program in Education at Duke University have co-authored a new book, Assessment Tools for Gifted Children: Screening, Identification, and Education. The book offers ideas on nomination, screening, and identification in gifted education. Intellectual ability, general achievement, creativity, leadership, career assessments, learning styles, personality, self-concept, underachievement, emotional intelligence, kindergarten readiness and gifted rating scales are featured for Pre K-12 grade gifted students. It is an essential reference for all professionals working with gifted children. It contains detailed descriptions of hundreds of appropriate instruments and rating scales for gifted children and youth.

The major purpose of the book is to provide an in-depth compilation useful to the field of gifted education. The book will be of interest to regular classroom teachers, those teaching gifted children and youth, principals and other administrators, counselors, researchers, state consultants, parents, and college and university faculty. The book is published by Love Publishing Company.

Frances A. Karnes, Ph.D.
Professor, Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education and
Director, The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive #8207
Hattiesburg, MS  39406-0001
Phone:  (601) 266-5236

Visit our Web site http://www.usm.edu/gifted for information about our programs and services for youth, parents, and teachers.  Programs for teachers include Day of Sharing for Teachers of the Gifted, as well as Certification in Gifted Education: Master's, Specialist, and Doctorate with an emphasis in gifted education.  Programs for youth include: Career Explorations for Girls Conference, Saturday Gifted Studies Program, Leadership Studies Program, Summer Gifted Studies Program, and Summer Program for Academically Talented Youth.

Parents, Your Opinions are Important

As a field, we in gifted education know surprisingly little about the experiences and opinions of parents of gifted learners. Please help us to learn more about the issues you face! Researchers at Louisiana State University and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte have developed a survey that we are asking parents of gifted learners to complete. You can fill out our parent survey online by pointing your browser to  http://tiny.cc/LmsOw. Information gained from the survey will be used to identify new lines of research and help strengthen advocacy efforts for gifted children. It should only take about 15 minutes to complete, and if you wish, after completing the survey you may provide your contact information to be entered in a drawing to receive materials related to parenting the gifted.

Jennifer L. Jolly, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, College of Education
Editor, Parenting for High Potential
Louisiana State University
223 Peabody Hall
Rm. 201
Baton Rouge, LA  70803
225.578.2049 (o)
225.578.9135 (f)
jjolly@lsu.edu

By Maurice & Eugenia Fisher, Editors: Heroes of Giftedness: An Inspirational Guide for Gifted Students and Their Teachers — Presenting the Personal Heroes of Twelve Experts on Gifted Education.

Discusses Highly Gifted Individuals who can be used as models for motivating gifted students to study different fields of knowledge.  http://www.giftededpress.com/HEROESOFGIFTEDNESS.htm Heroes of Giftedness: An Inspirational Guide is an exciting new edition to gifted education literature. It well fulfills its purpose in the inspiring, exhilarating accounts of famous individuals and their contribution to the world. Gifted students, teachers, and parents will benefit hugely from these biographies of great men and women who overcame personal and professional challenges to move forward in their fields.”  Joan Smutny, Director of the Center for Gifted National-Louis University “My view of the world is that people are best served when they find their passion early on, because we tend to be good at things we’re passionate about. I think we also need to find people whom we admire and try to emulate them.”  Chesley Sullenberger, the Captain who successfully guided US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River on January 15, 2009 (From Air & Space Magazine, May 2009, p. 11)·         By Harry T. Roman: Energizing Your Gifted Students’ Creative Thinking & Imagination: Using Design Principles, Team Activities, and Invention Strategies —A Complete Lesson Guide for Upper Elementary and Middle School Levels.  This book concentrates on nurturing Gifted Children's Applied Creative Thinking and Imagination to solve practical and real world problems. This book will help them become masters at using engineering and design principles in their everyday life in the school and home.  http://www.giftededpress.com/HARRYTROMANCREATIVITY.htmBoth of these books are useful resources for all parents and teachers of gifted students. They can be ordered directly from Gifted Education Press or through Amazon.com.  In addition, I am offering a complimentary subscription to Gifted Education Press Quarterly. Interested teachers, administrators and parents should email me at: gifted@giftededpress.com.Maurice D. Fisher, Ph.D., PublisherGifted Education PressManassas, Virginia 20109www.giftededpress.com703-369-5017

Read the comments regarding Gifted Admission Policy in the New York City Public Schools prepared by: Dr. Christy Folsom, Professor, Lehman College at CUNY and Secretary of AGATE and Dr. Joseph Piro, Assistant Professor, Long Island University, C.W. Post Campus and Member, Board of Director of AGATE.

AGATE has put together a document entitled Identification: Overview of Parameters for New York State.  This document includes definitions of gifted, NY laws regarding gifted, guidelines from NAGC, test types, rating scales, an annotated bibliography and suggestions for parents. 

For information on the amendments to the commissioner's regulations Part 117 go to  Diagnostic Screening of New Students