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(Reno, Nev.) -- As 18 of our nation’s brightest young minds attend the second annual THINK Summer Institute for three weeks this month at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), the founders of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development are working with Nevada state policymakers and university administrators to launch a year-round version of this program that will attract profoundly gifted students from across the country. Approximately half of the gifted students in the United States, or 1.5 million students, are underachieving because they are not challenged by their school curriculum. “The one-size-fits-all approach to education does not serve our nation’s most intelligent students. They are the most likely to underachieve, to suffer the greatest gap between their potential and what is asked of them in school,” said Jan Davidson, co-founder and president of the Davidson Institute. “Last year, we started the THINK Summer Institute to provide an opportunity for these very bright students to learn at a speed and depth commensurate with their abilities.” The 2005 THINK Summer Institute (www.DavidsonGifted.org/THINK) is being held for students between the ages of 12 to 15 from July 9 to July 30 as a full-immersion college experience where students can earn up to seven transferable college credits by taking two of the following courses taught by university professors: Chemistry (Dr. Charles Rose) or Logic/Philosophy (Dr. Tom Nickles), and Speech Communications (Dr. Gwen Hullman) or Spanish (Dr. Tomás Beviá). “The fact that students from as far away as New York, Pennsylvania and Florida are attending THINK speaks volumes about the quality of this program, which, to our knowledge, is the most academically challenging summer program for gifted students in the nation,” said Davidson. By enacting Senate Bill 461, the 2005 Nevada State Legislature established the criteria for a university school for profoundly gifted pupils ages 12 to 18. The university and the Davidson Institute are partnering to open the Davidson Academy of Nevada in September 2006. Davidson Academy students will be able to accelerate through middle and high school curriculum at a pace appropriate to their abilities and motivation. Many of them will proceed to college or graduate level coursework as they meet the prerequisites to do so. Based in Reno, Nev., the Davidson Institute for Talent Development is a nonprofit foundation founded in 1999 by educational software entrepreneurs, Bob and Jan Davidson. The mission of the Davidson Institute is to support profoundly intelligent young people. Last year, the Davidsons co-authored Genius Denied: How to Stop Wasting Our Brightest Young Minds, published by Simon & Schuster. For more information about the Davidson Institute, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org and for information about Genius Denied, as well as federal and state gifted education policies, please visit www.GeniusDenied.com. ### | |||||||||
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