Transcending the Economic Divide:
Talent Development of High-Ability, Low-Income Students
October 1 and 2, 2015
Vanderbilt University Ÿ Peabody College
Schedule
Thursday, October 1
8:30 – 9:00 AM:
Registration
9:00 – 10:15 AM:
Keynote 1
Patterns, Profiles, and Possibilities for Serving High-Ability, Low-Income Students:
An Overview of the Research and Implications for Practice – Tamra Stambaugh, PhD
In recent years, greater attention has been paid to ways to better understand, identify,
and provide appropriate services to gifted and high-ability students who are also lowincome. We will examine the latest research and discuss implications for practice
through the use of student profiles, research models, and effective practices.
10:30 – 11:45 AM:
Keynote 2 (select one)
Keynote A: Transcending the Economic and Racial Divide: Talent Development for
High-Ability, Low-Income Students Who are Racially Different – Donna Ford, PhD
Dr. Ford will discuss strategies for identifying and providing services to racially diverse,
low-income gifted learners. Drawing from national statistics and her most recent book,
she will also share ways educators and leaders can create culturally diverse and equitable
programs based on this special population's specific characteristics and needs.
Keynote B: Do You See What I See? – Tom Ward, President and CEO of Oasis Center
Dealing with young people who have less than robust support systems and few
significant outside of school experiences is a monumental and all-too-common challenge.
How do we approach a young person who does not acknowledge or even see the
significant potential he or she possesses? Opportunities that cause students to use
untapped ability and potential are at the heart of the strength-based approach. When those
talents are put to use in service to others, growth multiplies significantly.
Noon – 12:45 PM:
Lunch in the Vanderbilt Commons (included in registration fee)
1:00 – 2:15 PM:
Breakout Sessions
Option 1: Patterns of Success in Curriculum & Instruction for Low-Income, Gifted
Students – Tamra Stambaugh, PhD
Federally funded programs have supported research grants that focused on effective
methods for teaching students who are traditionally underrepresented in gifted programs,
including those who are low-income. Patterns of effectiveness have emerged from these
projects and inform how educators can provide evidence-supported curriculum and
instruction for low-income, gifted students. During this presentation, we will examine
specific curriculum and instructional methods and materials used in these projects and
discuss a model that educators can use to design their own lessons and units.
Option 2: Scaffolding Questions to Meet Students’ Needs and Abilities Through
Jacob’s Ladder – Emily Mofield, EdD
Jacob’s Ladder is a language arts curriculum supplement that was piloted and proven
successful with low-income, high-ability students. In this session you will learn how to
use the scaffolded questioning approach of Jacob’s Ladder to create tasks and higherorder thinking questions that engage students in critical analysis of both literary and
informational texts. This session provides you with the knowledge to design and
effectively implement your own “scaffolded” questions and tasks using resources you
already have in your classroom. This process can be utilized in all content areas and at all
grade levels—all it takes is the “know how” to design your own ladders to bring rigor
into your everyday instructional practice.
Option 3: Lessons Learned: Practical Ideas for Providing Services Beyond the School
Day – Sarah DeLisle, M.Ed.; Rosie Forrest, MFA; Emilie Hall, M.Ed.
Research has found the positive impact that programs beyond the school day have on
gifted and talented students, particularly low-income students. However, “build it and
they will come,” is not a successful strategy concerning programming for low-income
students. Programs offered beyond the school day for low-income students require
thoughtful planning, implementation, and reflection. In this presentation, staff members
from Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth will discuss lessons they have learned
when designing and implementing high-quality, successful programs for low-income
students.
2:15 – 2:30 PM:
Snacks Available Outside of Commons 235 and 237
2:30 – 3:45 PM:
Breakout Sessions
Option 1: School-Community Partnerships (Panel) Moderator, Sarah DeLisle, M.Ed. –
Panelists Include:
Dr. Ted Murcray – Principal at Creswell Middle Prep (Metro Nashville Public Schools) Carl Schneider – RESULTS Change Fellow & Elementary Gifted Teacher
Pat Cole – Scholarship Coordinator at The Community Foundation of Middle TN Dr. Schunn Turner – Coordinator of Gifted Services, Metro Nashville Public Schools Program coordinators, community organizational leaders, and a school principal come
together to discuss how to create strong, successful partnerships between schools and
community organizations. These leaders will discuss personal experiences in building
and sustaining successful and unique partnerships that benefit low-income, high-ability
students.
Option 2: The Student Perspective: Barriers and Opportunities (Panel) – Moderator,
Tamra Stambaugh, PhD
Panelists Include:
Amy Dam – Vanderbilt Class of 2017, Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholars and VSA Alum Brianna Watkins – Vanderbilt Class of 2018, VSA Alum Sheyanne Meadows – Belmont University, Class of 2018 Reggie Ford – Vanderbilt Alum, BA’13 and MAcc’14 This panel features a diverse group of undergraduate, PhD students, and Vanderbilt
alumni from low-income backgrounds who have experienced success in college and
beyond. Students on the panel will discuss personal experiences to highlight barriers and
opportunities throughout their educational experiences.
3:45 – 4:00 PM:
Reflection and Closure
Friday, October 2
8:30 – 9:00 AM:
Registration
9:00 – 10:30 AM:
Keynote
Giftedness Reconceptualized: From a Trait Perspective to the Potential Outcome of
Complex Interactions – Frank Worrell, PhD
What is giftedness? This question continues to generate considerable debate in
educational and policy circles. In this presentation, Dr. Worrell will argue that
giftedness is not a trait or any one thing, but rather the result of the interaction of multiple
variables, including general ability, domain-specific abilities, psychological factors, and
environmental factors. He will further argue that being gifted as an adult is not “preordained” and that what we can do as educators and parents is to work to increase the
probabilities of being a gifted adult for individual children.
10:45 – 11:45 AM:
Breakout Sessions
Option 1: Psychological Factors that Contribute to Outstanding Performance
– Frank Worrell, PhD
What is the role of psychology in outstanding performance? Answering this question
will be the focus of this session. There are several psychological factors that contribute to
outstanding performance. Well-known factors include motivation, time commitment,
persistence, self-regulation, and conscientiousness, among others, and recent research has
implicated metacognition, growth mindsets, as well as several other constructs, including
social identities, as contributors. All of these factors work in tandem with an individual’s
ability to facilitate or inhibit outstanding performance.
Option 2: College Planning for Low-Income Gifted Learners –Vanderbilt University
Admissions
Many low-income, high-ability students have the skills to be successful in college;
however, some under-match in the application process or do not attend college at all. In
this presentation, a representative from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions will
discuss the holistic nature of application evaluation in a highly selective admissions
process. This presentation will address the pitfalls some low-income students may
experience and how educators might be helpful to them in navigating the college
admissions process. Topics addressed that relate to low-income students may include
considering types of colleges, corresponding with a university’s admissions department,
writing college admissions essays, and applying for financial aid and scholarships.
Option 3: The Impact of Geography on Poverty, Identification, and Access – Tamra
Stambaugh, PhD
Context matters. Each child is an individual and brings to the classroom his/her own
unique experiences, gifts, and talents. The role of geography and culture are part of a
student’s identity and require consideration when crafting identification and service
delivery models. This session focuses specifically on the rural tradition and
ways educators from rural districts can identify and support their gifted learners who are
low-income. Contextual differences between urban and rural gifted students will
also be shared.
Noon – 12:45 PM:
Lunch in the Vanderbilt Commons (included in registration fee)
1:00 – 2:15 PM:
Breakout Sessions
Option 1: Identifying Low-Income Gifted Learners for Gifted and Talented
Programming – Frank Worrell, PhD
The underrepresentation of low-income students and students from underrepresented
racial/ethnic groups continues to be a topic of intense discussion. There are numerous
explanations given for the underrepresentation. In this presentation, Dr. Worrell will
review several of the more common explanations for underrepresentation as well as the
evidence supporting the claim. He will also provide some suggestions for identifying
larger numbers of students from underrepresented backgrounds, acknowledging the
difficulties that must be overcome on the path to proportionate representation of
underrepresented groups in gifted and talented education programs.
Option 2: Closing the Excellence Gap: Best Practices for Supporting High-Achieving,
Low-Income Students – Alan Royal, Jack Kent Cooke Educational Advisor
In this session, Mr. Royal will discuss the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s approach to
supporting the brightest students in the country from lower-income families, from
middle/high school through college, and beyond. He will share outcomes and lessons
learned through the work of the Foundation’s Young Scholars program, which serves
approximately 300 8th-12th graders across the nation.
Option 3: It’s All About the Students: Culturally-Centered Educational Approaches
among Church-Based Charter Schools – Sandra Barnes, PhD
Academic studies often focus on the challenges minority students face in school. Fewer
studies identify, illumine, and document more successful efforts to educate and socialize
students that are emerging in some church-based charter schools. This presentation
considers sixteen Black mega-churches nationwide and their traditional and nontraditional programs to educate, equip, and empower minority youth, many of whom are
impoverished. In addition to best practices and strategies, the session will present
common themes among the religious collectives that reflect multicultural approaches to
reach and teach students. Findings provide important suggestions to more thoughtfully
assess processes, programs, and personnel in schools that seek to meet the multiple needs
of a diverse student populace.
2:15 – 2:30 PM:
Snacks Available Outside of Commons 235 and 237
2:30 – 3:45 PM:
Panel Discussion – National Perspectives and Research
Moving Forward: Effective Strategies & Practices – Discussant, Dr. Frank Worrell
Panelists Include:
Mimi Engel, PhD – Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Education, Peabody Sandra Barnes, PhD – Professor, Dept. of Human & Organizational Dev., Peabody Alan Royal – Jack Kent Cooke Educational Advisor for Young Scholars Alvin Pearman – Peabody College PhD Candidate, Development, Learning & Diversity
You won’t want to miss this closing panel discussion! Gifted education is a small field
and there is much to learn about low-income learners from the work of researchers and
practitioners from other fields, disciplines, and community organizations. In this final
session, researchers and non-profit organizational leaders will share their findings and
experiences when working with low-income students. Learn more about the importance
of access, after school programs, community partnerships, and the impact of policies on
low-income learners. Dr. Worrell will then discuss implications of these findings for
low-income, high-ability students. Questions from participants will be accepted, as time
permits.
3:45 – 4:00 PM: Reflection and Closure