Gifted and Talented Education - News - UA ��Ƶlogo

UA ��Ƶlogo Recognized Nationally for Innovative Gifted Education Program

Samantha Koros — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

When national leaders in education gathered to discuss how teachers could better support advanced learners, the University of Arkansas at ��Ƶlogo stood out as a national model.

Drs. Ann Robinson and Monica Meadows of the UA ��Ƶlogo School of Education recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to present at an invitational colloquium organized by the Children (NAGC) conference and hosted by the (AFT). As a national leader in research, professional learning, and advocacy for gifted and talented students, the NAGC partnered with the AFT — the nation’s second-largest teachers’ union, representing more than 1.7 million members — to bring together experts and educators dedicated to advancing opportunities for all students.

The , brought together educators, researchers, and policy leaders from across the country to address the increasing need for teacher preparation programs that enable educators to recognize and support gifted, creative, and talented students in today’s classrooms.

“Every child deserves to learn something new every day — including advanced and precocious children and youth,” Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, said.

During the colloquium, UA ��Ƶlogo was recognized as a national leader in gifted education and was invited to present its work to attendees. The university is one of only two undergraduate teacher preparation programs in the U.S. — alongside Purdue University — that requires a course in gifted education as part of the middle childhood education curriculum.

“It’s the combination of our faculty’s commitment and collaboration in both middle childhood and gifted education, along with innovative elements like a rigorous, year-long online residency and a required undergraduate course in gifted education, that sets our program apart. This is innovative thinking at its best,” Robinson said.

The course that started the undergraduate gifted education initiative is GATE 40003, “Gifted, Creative, and Talented Education for Classroom Teachers,” developed about five years ago through a collaborative effort led by Dr. Lundon Pinneo, coordinator of the middle childhood education program. The course was created after Arkansas changed its middle school teaching licensure requirements, creating space in the curriculum for additional specialized training.

“I wanted to use that opportunity to better meet both state requirements and, more importantly, the needs of our students,” Pinneo said.

Using feedback from mentor teachers and faculty, Pinneo identified key areas where future educators needed additional support. She reached out to Robinson to adapt graduate-level gifted-education concepts for undergraduate teacher candidates.

“Without collaboration among faculty, the undergraduate course in gifted education at UA ��Ƶlogo would never have taken place,” Meadows said.

Since its introduction, the course has become a defining feature of the middle childhood education program, with faculty collaboration playing a critical role in its success.

“We’ve been given an exciting opportunity for our School of Education to take the lead in demonstrating to the rest of the country how important pre-service preparation programs are in filling the gap that can exist between general education and specialized gifted education,” Robinson said.

At the colloquium, organizers focused on the persistent “gap” in educator preparation nationwide: while most teachers receive training to support students with disabilities, far fewer are prepared to recognize and meet the needs of advanced learners. Through their presentations, Robinson and Meadows offered UA ��Ƶlogo’s approach as a model for addressing that challenge, demonstrating how gifted education can be integrated into undergraduate teacher preparation programs.

“There was a lot of excitement around the course and the work we shared at the colloquium,” Meadows said. “People wanted to know how we made it happen, how students are responding to it, and how they might implement similar approaches at their own institutions.”

As universities across the country examine how to prepare educators for classrooms with an ever-growing range of needs, the discussion shows the role gifted education can play in helping teachers recognize talent, tailor instruction, and best support students with advanced learning needs.

“Pre-service teachers come to us with a wide range of experiences and abilities, and all students deserve to be both challenged and supported,” Pinneo said. “Our graduates are leaving the program with more tools to support the different learning needs of their future students.”

The post UA ��Ƶlogo Recognized Nationally for Innovative Gifted Education Program appeared first on News.

UA ��Ƶlogo Alum Uses Closet of 300 Costumes to Inspire Students

UA ��Ƶlogo — Fri, 22 May 2026 13:00:00 +0000

A 2015 University of Arkansas at ��Ƶlogo alumnus was awarded the Educator Recognition Award by the in February.

April Blackburn, longtime K-12 GT teacher for in Bigelow, Ark., was recognized for her significant contributions to GT education.

Blackburn graduated in 2011 with a degree in education from the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). Freshly 22 and eager to put her diploma to use, she was offered a position as a GT teacher with East End School District, the only position open at the time, under the condition that she become certified as soon as possible.

While she didn’t quite realize all that being the district’s only GT teacher would entail, she was up for the task. Blackburn enrolled at UA ��Ƶlogo and began the process. By 2013, she only lacked three credits for her master’s; by 2015, she had completed her M.A. in Gifted and Talented Education, a degree she never imagined she’d one day have.

She credits Dr. Ann Robinson, a distinguished professor for the UA ��Ƶlogo School of Education, for much of her success from that period.

“There were times when I looked at her and admitted I didn’t know if I had what it takes to finish [the program],” Blackburn said. “And she said, ‘No, you can, and I need you to stay with it.’ She was such a mentor to me.”

All these years later, UA ��Ƶlogo is still part of her life.

“UA ��Ƶlogo never left me after I graduated,” she said. “Dr. Robinson checked in on me when I lost my grandparents, and I still talk to my old professors. The great thing about being an alumnus is that you’re never gone from UA ��Ƶlogo. They’re always proud to call you a Trojan.”

She and her husband were able to go to the university’s annual Taste of ��Ƶlogo April 7, which celebrates diverse culinary experiences from across the city.

“[The invitation] reminded me I’m still part of the family,” she said. “It means a lot to me how much the university cares about their alumni and invests in their success.”

Now 15 years into her tenure at East End School District, Blackburn went into her career hoping to create a safe environment that gives students the space to realize their potential.

“If I don’t teach, who will?” she said. “We’re struggling to get educators. We’re struggling to find the right people. And we’re losing teachers left and right for really valid reasons. I push forward through it because [my students] need me, and they’re going through much worse things than I am. I mean, I have kids who don’t even know what love is.”

It was the idea of putting a smile on even one of their faces that gave her the idea to start wearing costumes to school more than a decade ago. In 2015, Blackburn walked into her classroom on Halloween wearing a homemade replica of Ms. Frizzle’s iconic space outfit: a navy blue dress patterned with stars and planets, space shuttle shoes and Saturn drop earrings.

It became more than just a tradition. On National Popcorn Day, students know when they walk into school that she’ll be dressed up as a giant bag of popcorn. When National Bubble Gum Day comes around a month later, she’ll be dressed up as a bubble gum machine. Each “national day” brings its own costume and theme.

“I probably have more than 300 at this point,” she admitted. “Students who graduated years ago will come up to me in public and ask if I still wear them. I’ve had people beg me to count them, and everyone laughs when I tell them how small of a closet I actually have. Most of the costumes are all vacuum sealed, and some of them are in my attic. The inflatable ones are in the garage.”

If that’s not enough, she’s also earned the nickname “Grant Queen” at her school. During the 2025–26 school year alone, she secured 10 grants, including funding that allowed her middle school students to participate in several regional VEX Robotics competitions across Arkansas.

“I don’t want state funding to ever limit opportunities for my students,” she said. “I have four 3D printers in my classroom. I have class pets. I just hatched eggs in an incubator. There’s always something going on, and it makes the kids run to my door.”

And when she’s not waiting by the door to welcome her students in, she’s helping out with quiz bowl, or chess club, or National Honor Society, or the spelling bee, or Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE), where she sits on the board and as elections chair.

“I wear a lot of hats, literally and figuratively,” she said.

With the support of Callie Quiroz, principal and former librarian at Anne Watson Elementary School, Blackburn also created a makerspace lab—a space where students can go specifically to build and create.

Blackburn was raised in Conway by her grandmother, Clara, who was a third grade teacher at Ellen Smith Elementary School for 23 years before retiring to care for Blackburn and her siblings.

“Hearing the impact she had on students my whole life made me want to have a career where I could impact others,” Blackburn said. “Some of my kids get off the bus every morning and have come from awful situations. If wearing a crazy costume is going to make them feel like they can breathe, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Her grandmother passed away from pneumonia in 2024, 7 days after the birth of Blackburn’s son William. Clara watched Blackburn win several education awards throughout her career, including the Master’s and Specialist Award in November 2015 and the Act 56 Award from AGATE in 2018.

“I know my grandma is watching, and I want to show her that giving up her career for us wasn’t a mistake,” she said. “I’m going to make her proud until I retire, if I ever do. They might have to carry me out.”

Of all her career milestones, one stood out as the moment she realized she made it as an educator. Every April, Blackburn takes dozens of students on multi-day trips as part of her curriculum. She is always blown away by the impact these trips seem to have on her students, many of whom have never been out of state. But one conversation on a charter bus to the San Antonio SeaWorld Camp in 2015 changed her perspective entirely.

“It was the middle of the night, and I was walking up and down the bus to make sure everyone was okay, and one of the girls was looking out of the window. I stopped to ask her if she was okay, and she said, ‘We just crossed the Texas state line. Did you know that? I’ve never been out of the state before, Ms. Blackburn.’”

That little girl’s face in that moment, where it clicked that she could go places she’d never been before, is something Blackburn says she’ll never forget.

“She had a lot of hardship in her life: a mom in prison and a difficult upbringing being bounced from house to house. It reminded me that as horrible as the world can sometimes be, there are people who don’t have the opportunities we do, and bringing that kind of inspiration that comes with life experience is something that I don’t take for granted.”

It’s advice that Blackburn will pass on to her children: four-year-old Clara and now two-year-old William, named after each of her grandparents, whose spirits live on through the joy she brings to her classroom each day.

Written by Olivia Hicks

The post UA ��Ƶlogo Alum Uses Closet of 300 Costumes to Inspire Students appeared first on News.

Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education Celebrates 25 Years

Justin Bates — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:16:46 +0000

For 25 years, the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at the University of Arkansas at ��Ƶlogo has helped shape the future of Arkansas classrooms — supporting educators and opening doors for thousands of talented students across the state.

Part of UA ��Ƶlogo’s College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, the Mahony Center was established in 2001 to support programs that challenge and inspire advanced learners. Today, it is one of only about 20 centers of its kind in the United States.

“For 25 years, the Mahony Center has helped position UA ��Ƶlogo as a leader in gifted education,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, the center’s founding director. “Our goal has always been to cultivate talent at every level — from young students discovering their passions to educators strengthening their practice.”

Building a Talent Development Network

From the beginning, the Mahony Center was designed to connect multiple efforts under one mission: supporting talented students and the educators who teach them.

The Mahony Center combines student enrichment programs, teacher professional learning, curriculum development, and federally funded research focused on gifted education services in schools.

It also reflects the legacy of late Arkansas legislator Joseph Kirby “Jodie” Mahony II, a longtime advocate for public education who championed gifted programs and Advanced Placement opportunities across the state.

Today, the Mahony Center’s work reaches far beyond campus, supporting schools and educators throughout Arkansas and beyond.

“The Mahony Center continues to be a beacon of quality education in these challenging times for Arkansas. My father would be extremely proud of his legacy that is continued by Ann Robinson at UA ��Ƶlogo,” said Jodie Mahony III, son of the late Arkansas legislator.

Transforming Student Experiences

One of the center’s signature programs, Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY), has offered enrichment opportunities for advanced learners and continues to thrive under the Mahony Center’s leadership.

Each summer, about 300 students in grades K–6 attend SLUFY, participating in hands-on courses that encourage creativity, critical thinking, and exploration. Over time, more than 13,500 students have taken part in the program.

Students design solutions to real-world problems, explore literature and the arts, and tackle STEM challenges in an environment that encourages curiosity and collaboration.

“We never want a child to wonder if they’ll get to return,” Robinson said. “The center exists to ensure that opportunities for accelerated and advanced learning remain accessible and sustainable.”

Robinson said for students in grades 7 through 9, challenging experiences are offered through MT Stage, a program that is funded by the Arkansas Department of Education through its AEGIS initiative. Focused on musical theatre, MT Stage offers students the opportunity to move from Shakespeare through current Broadway productions.

Supporting Educators Across Arkansas

The Mahony Center also plays a major role in supporting teachers across the state.

The UA ��Ƶlogo Advanced Placement Summer Institute (APSI), now in its 32nd year of operation, has served more than 12,000 teachers in the past 15 years alone. Through APSI, an official initiative of the College Board, teachers gain new strategies and classroom resources that help students succeed in Advanced Placement courses and prepare for college-level work.

In addition to working with high school teachers, the Mahony Center provides professional development opportunities to elementary teachers, gifted and talented coordinators, and principals. Initiated with federal funding, the Center provides support to schools to adopt the use of existing data to spot talent and provide engaging opportunities in the classroom.

Research and Curriculum Innovation

The center is also nationally recognized for developing research-based curriculum and classroom resources.

Over the years, the Mahony Center has produced 25 Blueprints for Biographies curriculum guides, including 15 STEM-focused guides developed and tested with federal support.

The Mahony Center’s STEM Starters research initiatives, funded through multiple Jacob K. Javits grants totaling more than $6.6 million, have introduced engineering and computer science learning models in elementary classrooms across Arkansas and are featured in a recent national publication, “.”

These programs combine literacy and STEM instruction, allowing students to explore real-world challenges while learning about inventors, scientists, and innovators.

Mahony Center by the Numbers

25 years advancing gifted education at UA ��Ƶlogo
14,000+ students served through Summer Laureate
300 students attend Summer Laureate each summer
690 educators from Arkansas, nationally, and internationally participated in APSI in 2025
$6.6 million in federal funding supporting STEM initiatives
25 Blueprints for Biographies curriculum guides developed

Looking Ahead

As the Mahony Center celebrates its 25th anniversary, its mission remains the same: to encourage talented students, support educators in within-school and out-of-school settings, expand opportunities for accelerated learning across Arkansas, and engage in research on talent development.

Through partnerships with schools and community organizations, ongoing research, and innovative programs, the center continues to play an important role in shaping gifted education in the state.

“The Mahony Center is more than a program,” Robinson said. “It’s a commitment to excellence — and to the belief that talent deserves to be nurtured.”

The post Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education Celebrates 25 Years appeared first on News.

Jodie Mahony Center’s Meadows Wins Challenger Award

Mara Crumby — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Dr. Monica Meadows of the Jodie Mahony Center and the Education Center received the Challenger Award, a prestigious honor presented by Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE), on Feb. 12.

The Challenger Award recognizes individuals, typically educators, who take unusual, creative or innovative steps in their professional work. Honorees are recognized at the AGATE conference.

Meadows, a research associate at UA ��Ƶlogo, has served in multiple roles at the Jodie Mahony Center since 2015. She currently assists with summer programs and supports the center wherever needed.

“Dr. Meadows left a well-established gifted program in a metropolitan school district to become part of a team in a newly formed district where programs and services for advanced students were designed from the ground up,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center. “Monica was integral to the team — the program is now one of the best in the area. This is just one of many things Dr. Meadows has done.”

Meadows said the recognition was both unexpected and meaningful.

“I am so humbled,” Meadows said. “When Dr. Robinson and Dr. Dietz told me they were going to submit a nomination, I honestly did not believe I would receive the award. Being acknowledged by my peers and colleagues around the state is a very humbling experience and means a lot to me.”

Meadows said she plans to continue supporting students in K-12, as well as graduate and undergraduate students and teachers.

“No matter your profession or career, don’t be afraid to take opportunities that come your way, especially those that lead to paths you wouldn’t typically consider,” Meadows said. “I never considered that I would earn a doctorate or teach in higher education.”

The post Jodie Mahony Center’s Meadows Wins Challenger Award appeared first on News.

UA ��Ƶlogo Graduate Student Honored Nationally for Creativity in Gifted Education

Justin Bates — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

Charlotte Bomar, a graduate student at the University of Arkansas at ��Ƶlogo and an educator at Watson Elementary School, has received national recognition for her work advancing creativity in gifted education, earning the E. Paul Torrance Creativity Award from the National Association for Gifted Children.

The award honors individuals whose work significantly contributes to the development and support of creativity, particularly within gifted education. Named for Dr. E. Paul Torrance — widely regarded as the “Father of Creativity” — the recognition celebrates research, leadership, educational practice, and innovative programming that advance creative thinking and expand opportunities for creative expression.

“Receiving this award reflects a commitment to nurturing creative potential and carrying forward Dr. Torrance’s legacy of valuing creativity as an essential component of learning and human potential,” she said.

Bomar is pursuing a master’s degree in gifted, creative, and talented education, and said she chose to nominate herself after recognizing how closely the award’s criteria aligned with her professional philosophy and classroom practice.

“I chose to self-nominate not out of self-promotion, but out of self-advocacy,” she said. “Educators — especially those who value creativity — are often encouraged to elevate the work and impact they bring to students. The nomination process gave me space to reflect on my experiences and intentionally document that work.”

She invited colleagues familiar with her work to submit letters of support, describing the experience as empowering and reaffirming.

“Charlotte exemplifies creativity — in her work and in her approach to life,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at UA ��Ƶlogo. “Dr. E. Paul Torrance, in whose honor this prestigious national award was created, would have loved meeting Charlotte and would have been excited to see her innovative curriculum work and creative approach to students in the classroom.

“He was magic in the classroom, and that characterizes Charlotte, too,” Robinson said. “She is an inspiring teacher whose understanding of creativity in children informs her practice every day. It is a pleasure to be Charlotte’s adviser, and UA ��Ƶlogo is fortunate to have her in our graduate program.”

Robinson added that Bomar teaches in the ��Ƶlogo School District and can also be found on the UA ��Ƶlogo campus during the Summer Laureate program.

Bomar said creativity should be embedded into teaching and learning — not treated as an add-on. Her instructional approach emphasizes originality, curiosity, and divergent thinking through intentionally designed, interdisciplinary learning experiences.

One example is Thrills and Chills: The Art and Science of Amusement Parks, a curriculum she developed that blends engineering, physics, design, and the arts. The unit was field-tested through UA ��Ƶlogo’s SLUFY summer program and at her own Watson Elementary, where it led to high levels of student engagement and original creative work. As a result, the school’s gifted and talented students earned multiple awards at the Arkansas State Fair.

Bomar also models creativity through her own practice, including art journaling and the design of immersive classroom spaces such as the Young Astronaut room and the Imagination Station — environments she says help students see creativity as both a mindset and a way of life.

“I intentionally encourage creativity by designing learning environments that invite curiosity, exploration, and risk-taking,” she said. “I use open-ended tasks and inquiry-based projects that allow multiple pathways to understanding, and I emphasize problem-finding just as much as problem-solving.”

Bomar believes creativity is essential in gifted education today, particularly as students prepare for an increasingly complex and uncertain world.

“Advanced ability alone isn’t enough,” she said. “Gifted students need opportunities to think divergently, generate original ideas, and engage in authentic, meaningful learning. Creativity supports not only academic growth, but also social and emotional development.”

Bomar credits her graduate studies at UA ��Ƶlogo with helping ground her creativity-centered approach in research while encouraging innovation in instructional design.

“The program challenged me to reflect on my teaching choices, integrate theory with real-world application, and intentionally design meaningful learning experiences,” she said. “It helped me become a more reflective, research-informed educator.”

Looking ahead, Bomar hopes to help shift gifted education in Arkansas toward a more creativity-centered, student-driven model — one that values innovation alongside academic rigor.

“By expanding access to creativity-focused curriculum and professional learning, we can better nurture the diverse talents and potential of gifted students across the state,” she said.

She also encourages educators and graduate students to view creativity as a process and a mindset, not just a finished product.

“When educators embrace creativity in their own practice — by allowing choice, modeling curiosity, and creating safe spaces for risk-taking — it naturally extends to the students and communities they serve,” she said.

The post UA ��Ƶlogo Graduate Student Honored Nationally for Creativity in Gifted Education appeared first on News.

Arkansas Teacher Earns Master’s Degree to Inspire Son Battling Brain Cancer

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 13:00:42 +0000

Heather High, a second-grade teacher and mother of four from Bella Vista, and her 14-year-old son Elijah have something in common – a love of gifted and talented education.

“I was in gifted and talented education when I was a kid, and now my oldest son, Elijah, who is 14, was identified for gifted and talented as well,” said High, a teacher of 16 years who is a graduate student at UA ��Ƶlogo. “It runs in our family.”

High recalls how exciting being in gifted and talented classes was after getting bored in her regular classes in elementary school.

“I loved the acceleration and fast pace of gifted and talented classes,” High said. “I was really bored in regular classes, and having accelerated work pushed me to work harder. I also found like-minded people who made great friends.”

It’s the same for Elijah, who has been taking gifted and talented classes since the third grade.

“Elijah has skills like I’ve never seen,” High said. “His dream is to go to MIT, become a mechanical engineer, and start his own car company to rival Tesla. He has high expectations. Ever since he started taking gifted and talented classes, that has been the favorite part of his day.”

With her family’s affinity for the subject, High has been interested in getting a degree in gifted and talented education ever since she finished her bachelor’s degree. In 2021, she was working at a school that was participating in the STEM+C2 program, an evidence-based school intervention project designed to identify promising students through universal screening and provide services to gifted and talented students in second and third grade.

The STEM+C2 program is run by the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at UA ��Ƶlogo, and High learned about the university’s gifted and talented education degree. Everything was going well in High’s educational journey until Elijah was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer in September 2023.

“I couldn’t have quit then since my son, who is a GT student himself, is my inspiration for achieving this dream,” High said. “I had to complete this not for myself but for him.”

Heather High visits the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

High often found herself at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with Elijah, where she would somehow find the time to complete her graduate courses online. She said she found great support from Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center, and Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director, who provided support and helped her find scholarships. This summer, High was the recipient of a Gene V. Campbell Scholarship from the School of Education that had a great impact on her final days at UA ��Ƶlogo.

“With my 14-year-old son battling brain cancer, three other young kids between the ages of 11 and 5, and a husband who is also a public school teacher, times are harder than ever. If I hadn’t got that scholarship, I probably would have had to hold off on taking my last class this summer and graduating,” High said. “The experience has been great, and I couldn’t have asked for better. I want to prove that whatever you set your mind to, you can do it no matter what.”

High will be graduating from UA ��Ƶlogo with a Master of Education degree in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Education at the end of the summer after completing one last class – Educational Assessments.

“After all these years, I’ll finally have the master’s degree that I wanted since I basically started teaching,” High said. “I feel like I have lived out a dream.”

The post Arkansas Teacher Earns Master’s Degree to Inspire Son Battling Brain Cancer appeared first on News.

Gifted and Talented Education - News - UA ������Ƶlogo

UA ������Ƶlogo Recognized Nationally for Innovative Gifted Education Program

UA ������Ƶlogo Alum Uses Closet of 300 Costumes to Inspire Students