Leadership
Peter Laing, Chair
Jaime Castellano, Chair Elect
Mission
The Special Populations Network's purpose is developing initiatives that will serve to increase the recognition and services provided to special populations of gifted children. This Network defines special populations as those who differ from the traditional groups who are well represented in programs for the gifted. Special populations include Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, rural, economically disadvantaged, handicapped, gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered, and female; and, in addition, those students whose gifts are in domains not traditionally in the school setting. To this end the Network's activities include: compiling and disseminating resources; developing a network of resource people; presenting sessions at conferences; serving as advocates; generating articles for various publications; acknowledging exemplary programs successfully serving special populations; and recognizing and encouraging research with special populations.
Join Now!
If you like what you've read and want to be a member of the Special Populations Network, we'd love to have you! You must be a member of NAGC before you can become a network member, so click here to find out how.
Newsletter Archive
Some of our recent newsletters sent to network members:
August 2005
August 2006
2010 NAGC Annual Convention
Special Populations Network Convention information coming soon!
More Information
Special Populations Sponsors Family for SENG Conference
Earlier this year, the Special Populations Network of the NAGC sent $500 to SENG (Supporting the Social-Emotional Needs of the Gifted) for a sponsorship to their 23rd annual conference in California. The money was used to pay the conference fees for a local Irvine family – two parents and two children ages 7-14 – from an underserved population. The SENG Conference includes a children's program that runs concurrently with the adults' program. Designed for kids ages 7 through 14 whose parents are attending the conference, it provides an environment in which kids can have fun while learning new skills such as juggling, creating cartoons, or how to write and stage a play. The Network's sponsorship enabled the children from our sponsored family to attend the children's program, and allowed the parents to attend sessions designed especially for parents and grandparents of gifted students. Sessions exposed parents to the array of unique attributes associated with giftedness, and taught techniques for dealing effectively with children and children's teachers. Our sponsored parents had the opportunity to connect with other parents experiencing similar challenges.
See www.sengifted.org for more information about SENG.
From NAGC's ERIC Digest Archives:
"Communicating with Asian American Children and Families"
"How Minority Students Finance Their Higher Education"
"Building Academically Strong Gifted Programs in Rural Schools"
Full List of ERIC Digest Archives
Recommended reading:
The article from the archives of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, "The Challenge of Bilingual and Limited English Proficient Students"
Castellano, J. A., and Diaz, E. (Eds.) (2002). Reaching New Horizons (Allyn and Bacon)
Kitano, M.K. Espinosa, R. (1995). "Language diversity and giftedness: Working with gifted English language learners" Journal for the Education of the Gifted 18 (3), 234-254
Kogan, E. (2001). Gifted Bilingual Students: A Paradox? (Peter Lang Publishing, Inc.)
Renzulli, J. S. (2001). Enriching Curriculum for All Students (Skylight)
Slocumb, P., and Payne, R. (2000). Removing the Mask: Giftedness in Poverty (RTF Publishing)