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Grants
Read about past recipients of:
Research Grant Awards2005 Research Grant Supports Longitudinal Study of Life Events October 1, 2004 SENG is proud to announce the award of a one-year SENG Research Grant to Dr. Jean Peterson of Purdue University for her project Resilience When Experiencing Significant Life Events: A Longitudinal Study of a Group of Students with a Similar Level of Ability. The grant will allow Dr. Peterson to complete a previously unfunded 10-year longitudinal study of gifted students that explores the prevalence of difficult life events and other stressors among gifted youth, the relationship of these life events to achievement and various other markers of school success, and gifted students’ perceptions of environmental support, hindrances to school success, and sources of satisfaction. SENG's 2003 Research Grants Fund Investigations Into Overexcitabilities In Young Children And Teacher Perceptions Of Gifted Adolescents January 1, 2003 SENG awarded a 2-year grant of nearly $24,000 as well as a 1-year grant of $12,500 to fund groundbreaking research in the emotional development of gifted children. Drs. Susan Daniels, R. Frank Falk, and Michael Piechowski have been awarded a 2-year grant to conduct their study Patterns of Overexcitabilities and Related Social-Emotional Impact in Gifted and Highly Gifted Families. Their research is designed to advance the current understanding of the existence, degree, patterns and potential developmental impact of Dabrowski's overexcitabilities (OEs) in the lives of gifted and highly gifted children and families. The study will proceed in three phases. Phase 1 will refine a newly developed instrument designed to measure overexcitabilities in young children. Phase 2 will include an in-depth pilot study using the new instrument, combined with other instruments, questionnaires and interviews with children and their families, to gain the perspective of the individual's self-understanding of his or her own OEs and the potentially related impact on individual development and family relationships. Phase 3 will be a large-scale administration of the existing OE instrument (for older subjects) and the new one (for young children), with 100 gifted and 100 non-gifted families, to look for patterns of overexcitabilities that may distinguish groups identified as non-gifted, moderately gifted, and highly gifted. SENG also awarded a one-year grant to facilitate Ms. Meredith J. Greene's study The Social and Emotional Development of Gifted Adolescents: Teacher Perceptions and Classroom Practices. This is also a three-phase project, addressing the following questions. What do secondary teachers believe are the social and emotional problems that negatively affect students of average ability versus students identified as gifted in school? What instructional practices do secondary teachers employ in their classrooms to address students' social and emotional development, and how frequently do they employ them? And what concerns do secondary teachers have about dealing with students' social and emotional problems? The study will combine the use of a widely distributed questionnaire, researcher observations in secondary classrooms, and in-depth interviews with teachers, to provide much needed data about teacher perceptions and practices with respect to their gifted students. The fruits of research supported by previous SENG grants will be presented at this year's SENG Conference in St. Louis, July 11-13. SENG's awards Research Grants annually. Visit www.sengifted.org for details. SENG Announces Inaugural Research Grant Recipients November 6, 2001 A ONE-YEAR GRANT OF $12,000 WAS AWARDED TO: Dr. Jean Peterson, Principal Investigator, Purdue University Bullying Among Gifted Children: Victims, Perpetrators, Incidence and Effects Informal, anecdotal evidence suggests that many gifted children and early adolescents experience bullying at school. In addition, news accounts of school shootings have suggested that gifted children can be violent themselves, and that bullying may play a role in generating that violence. This study will focus on the phenomenon of bullying among gifted children-the extent of the problem, at what grade levels bullying seems to occur, whether incidence is related to geographic area, what contributes to an individual's vulnerability to bullying, who the bullies are, what kinds of bullying occur, whether bullying is reported, how significant adults respond to reports of bullying, bullied individuals' own responses, whether gifted children are bullies, whether gifted children are violent, and whether gifted children contemplate committing violence. A TWO-YEAR GRANT OF $24,000 WAS AWARDED TO: Dr. John Gaa, Principal Investigator, University of Houston Identity Development in High School Students Gifted in Visual Arts Using a novel, precise, focused approach based on the literature related to ego development, the proposed study will examine whether artistically gifted students have made more adequate resolutions to Eriksons' stage of identity versus role confusion and the extent to which these students have explored options and thought through why they believe - rather than simplistically adopting someone else's beliefs as their own. It is possible, based on Marcia's (1980) scheme that individuals with different identity statuses may experience school in different ways. Additionally, based on Loevinger's theory of ego development, whether artistically gifted students display higher, and more complex, levels of ego development will also be examined. Given the Bloomgarden and Kaplan (1993) study, a research focus on artistically gifted students is particularly appealing as it can establish a foundation for later studies of ego formation/resolution in students whose giftedness lies in performing arts such as dance, music, theatre, voice, as well as the intellectually gifted. Parent Support Group Facilitator Training Grant AwardsOhio Parent Organization to Train 25 Facilitators January 1, 2005 The Findlay Enrichment Program, a parent interest group for elementary and middle school children in Ohio has been awarded a $1000 grant to supplement the costs of training 25 parents to become SENG-Model Parent Support Group facilitators. Co-author of the model Arlene DeVries will join Doreen Woolley in February 2005 to train the parents, who are already scheduled to lead large SENG Groups in the fall of 2005 and the spring of 2006. Working closely with Findlay City Schools, these parents are creating new networks of support for families in their community! SENG-Model Parent Support Group Facilitators To Be Trained In Vermont And Colorado January 1, 2003 SENG awarded two, $1000, Parent Support Group Facilitator Training Grants to organizations in Colorado and Vermont, to help defray the costs of training new leaders of SENG-Model Parent Support Groups. The Boulder Valley School District will open their October sessions with Dr. James T. Webb and Mrs. Arlene DeVries to parents and teachers of students in the local TAG program. Boulder Valley hopes to increase networking and support between parents and educators in the community, with an additional focus on reaching the Latino community, training bi-lingual facilitators as well. The Center for Creativity and Talent Development at Johnson State College in Vermont will host a workshop with Mrs. DeVries in July, and use their grant money to provide scholarships for participants from low-income communities in the state who might not otherwise be able to attend. The SENG-Model facilitator training workshops include actually facilitating parent groups, in addition to extensive role-play, and culminate in the development of an action plan for establishing SENG-Model groups in the local community. SENG's Parent Support Group Facilitator Training Grants are awarded annually. Visit www.sengifted.org for more information. Eight-District Consortium Awarded SENG Parent Group Facilitator Training Grant February 1, 2002 Eight urban school districts in central Illinois were awarded nearly $5000 in response to an unusual joint proposal for a SENG Parent Support Group Facilitator Training Grant submitted by Susan Rhodes of Springfield Public School District #186. The money will help the group pay for a two-day training workshop, led by Dr. James T. Webb, Ph.D. and Mrs. Arlene DeVries, M.S.E., for training to lead SENG Model Parent Support Groups. Each district promises to send its district gifted education coordinator, one gifted resource teacher, and one parent to the sessions. Those representatives attending the training will go on to be the facilitators for new parent support groups in each school district during the 2002-2003 school year. Speaker and Staff Development Grant Awards2005 Speaker and Staff Development Grants Bring Experts to Idaho, California and Ohio February 1, 2005 SENG has awarded Speaker and Staff Development grants to three diverse groups across the country. Edufest, an Idaho gifted conference now in its ninth year, will bring Dr. Patricia Schuler to lead workshops at both a Parent's Day and a School Counselor and Psychologists Institute in July at Boise State University. The parents will explore ways to connect with both their children's minds and hearts, and counselors will learn to better understand the reasons for underacheivement in gifted students. The Sandusky County Educational Service Center’s Parents of the Gifted Group in Ohio is sponsoring a four session Socio-Emotional Needs of the Gifted Speaker Series with SENG's help in Fall 2005 and Winter 2006. Invited speakers will include Drs. Mary Rizza, Jim Delisle and Meredith Greene addressing topics including the importance of considering the social and emotional needs of students, fostering better communication, and facilitating career counseling on an emotional level. Finally, the Pajaro Valley Unified School District Gifted and Talented Education Program in California is using their SENG grant to host Shelley Tsantes for two sessions with parents and staff, in English and Spanish, about the unique emotional traits of the gifted children with whom they live and work. SENG is suspending granting programs between 2005 and 2008 to refocus resources on other projects, and we are proud to help sponsor these projects in 2005 and 2006. New SENG Speaker and Staff Development grants to Help Teachers and Parents Go Beyond Cognition February 1, 2004 SENG has awarded the first cycle of its new Speaker and Staff Development grants to three groups in the United States aiming to reach teachers and parents with information about gifted students that explores their emotional and affective sides. The Eagle County Gifted Education Team is bringing regional experts to their remote mountain community in Colorado for parent nights and teacher training. Speakers, including Dr. Linda Silverman and Christine Pierce, will bring much needed information about the emotional needs of gifted students to a school district with little access to big city resources and few gifted programs beyond elementary school. Across the country, the Maine Educators for the Gifted and Talented are using their SENG grant money to help fund a statewide, one-day conference, Meeting Both Affective and Cognitive Needs of Gifted Learners. Nationally recognized speakers Sharon Lind and Dr. Tom Hébert will conduct workshops in the unique affective needs of gifted students, and meeting those needs through curriculum. Finally, Stargate Charter School in Thornton, Colorado, is using its SENG grant to pay for a 3-day workshop for teachers with Dr. George Betts. Dr. Betts, one of the keynote speakers at the upcoming 2004 SENG Conference in Virginia, will show teachers how to use the Autonomous Learner Model, which provides a guide for self-directed learning for students to enhance their cognitive as well as emotional skills and growth. SENG awards Speaker and Staff Development grants annually. SENG Speaker Grants Awarded For Social And Emotional Education In Five States March 30, 2003 SENG is pleased to announce the award of six $1000 Speaker Grants to organizations across the United States, to help defray the cost of speakers' fees for national experts in the field of giftedness. Six educators, Dr. Thomas Hébert, Ms. Sharon Lind, Dr. Nancy Robinson, Dr. F. Richard Olenchak, Dr. James Delisle, and Dr. Edward R. Amend, will lecture and lead workshops at schools, conferences, and institutes around the country, teaching parents, teachers and other professionals about the unique affective needs of gifted children. The organizations that applied for and received funding include public school districts in Wisconsin and Ohio, parent groups and teacher organizations in Montana, as well as well-established professional organizations that work with gifted children. SENG has awarded Speaker Grants annually for three years. In 2004 SENG is combining its Staff Development and Speaker Grant programs to better serve communities with financial need and a passion for helping their gifted children. SENG Staff Development Grants Provide Training For Teachers, Counselors, About Affective Needs Of Gifted People January 30, 2003 SENG has selected three educational institutions to receive the 2003 Staff Development Grants. The Metrolina Regional Scholars' Academy will host Dr. Maureen Neihart for a comprehensive 30-hours of staff development in the social and emotional characteristics of gifted students, with the help of a $5000 grant. Dr. Neihart will teach teachers about differences in the characteristics of moderate and highly gifted children, peer relations, counseling needs, motivation and attribution, depression and delinquency, and the creatively gifted, as well as conducting a parent session. The focus of the workshops is on implications for supportive interventions in school and at home. Metrolina is a public charter school for highly gifted students in grades K-8. Chardon Middle School in Ohio will hold a workshop for middle and high school staff with Dr. George Betts. Dr. Betts will discuss his Autonomous Learner Model, which emphasizes social and emotional orientation and development, as well as differentiated curriculum for learners. Chardon was awarded a grant of $3350. Dr. Thomas Hébert and Dr. Tracy Cross will lead a training session for the Student Life Counselors, school psychologists, and administrators at the Indiana Academy of Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities. A $5000 grant will facilitate participants' learning of the common characteristics and experiences of gifted students, understanding of individual development, and training in guidance and counseling techniques. SENG has awarded Staff Development Grants for two years. In 2004 SENG is combining its Staff Development and Speaker Grant programs to better serve communities with financial need and a passion for helping their gifted children. SENG Helps Fund Speakers In Five States With 2002 Speaker Grant Awards April 1, 2002 SENG awarded $7000 in Speaker Grants to help schools and gifted organizations host social-emotional experts in their communities. Pajaro Valley USD's GATE program in California is educating parents and staff with three workshops about the unique characteristics of gifted children led by Shelly Tsantes in October. Edufest, an annual conference sponsored by Boise State University and the Idaho Talented and Gifted Association, is bringing in Tracy Cross and SENG Board Chair Sharon Lind to speak to parents, teachers, counselors and administrators at the 6th annual conference in July, thanks to successful proposals for two SENG Speaker Grants. The New Hampshire Association for Gifted Education is hosting James Delisle to speak at their state conference and help spread the word in New Hampshire and New England that giftedness isn't just about academics. Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented is using SENG's support to have Maureen Neihart keynote its annual conference in October. And, also in Minnesota, the new gifted and talented department of Bloomington Public Schools has hired Andrew Mahoney to train its staff and inform its parents about the overlap in identification between special education and gifted programs, and the unique needs of gifted students. SENG Awards Staff Development Grants To Schools In California, Iowa, Indiana And Colorado Februrary 1, 2002 SENG awarded five grants to districts around the country that demonstrated commitment to educating teachers, parents and administrators about the unique social and emotional needs of their gifted students. Mrachek Middle School in Colorado will host workshops for teachers, parents and administrators about the overlap between middle school philosophy and behaviors and social and emotional needs unique to gifted learners. Santa Ana USD in California is offering programs for psychologists, parents, and staff focusing on the social-motional life of gifted children, understanding giftedness in the classroom, and social and emotional challenges of parenting the gifted . The Gear-Up Inland Empire 5-School Consortium in San Bernardino County, California, has arranged for experts to discuss current research and practical strategies for teachers, parents and administrators about gifted development in at-risk students; the unique social-emotional development of gifted minority learners; and intensities and overexcitabilities of gifted students. Cedar Rapids Community Schools in Iowa are using the grant to sponsor workshops for teachers, administrators and students to promote strategies to prevent school violence, underachievement and maladjustment; focus on the needs of at-risk students; and promote risk-taking. MSD Wayne Township in Indiana proposes workshops with teachers over several months focusing on the social and emotional development of gifted children. SENG Staff Development Grants will enable these schools to hire people to train their staff who are experts in the field of gifted education, including Dr. Maureen Neihart, Dr. James Delisle, Dr. Mary Ruth Coleman, Dr. Ernesto Bernal, Dr. F. Richard Olenchak, and Sharon Lind, M.S.Ed. |
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