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Duke Begins Training Teachers of Gifted Children

Durham middle school teachers begin courses at Duke for teaching bright students.

Students in the Duke University Talent Identification Program work with an instructor.

Teachers of exceptionally bright students in the Durham Public Schools will receive special training through a new collaboration between the school system and Duke University's Program in Education and Talent Identification Program (TIP).

Fourteen middle school teachers from Durham Public Schools will participate in the inaugural class of the Academically and Intellectually Gifted Licensure Program (AIG). The teachers take four evening courses over two semesters with full support for tuition and textbooks. During the summer, the teachers will have a practicum in Duke TIP's Summer Studies Program. Duke TIP is a program for academically gifted students.

Upon successfully completing the AIG program, teachers will earn licensure in gifted education from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

The director of the AIG program is Jan Riggsbee, an assistant professor of the practice in Duke's Program in Education.

"With a respected gifted program like Duke TIP right on campus, we felt they were a natural partner for this program," Riggsbee said. "The Duke AIG teacher preparation program will be rigorous and highly innovative."

One factor that spurred the program's creation was a decision last summer by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to require teachers pursuing a gifted teaching license to earn college course credits instead of receiving field credits from public schools' professional development programs, Riggsbee said.

"TIP's Summer Studies classrooms are perfect learning laboratories for these teachers," said Kristen Stephens, a TIP gifted education specialist and the director of clinical practice for the AIG program. "They will get hands-on, authentic experiences with highly gifted learners."

Duke TIP enrolls about 1,000 middle and high school students in its Summer Studies Program on campus. Entering TIP seventh graders typically score more than 560 on at least one section of the SAT.

Durham Public Schools (DPS) had 4,631 students last academic year designated as academically and/or intellectually gifted, and 106 teachers and support personnel qualified to work in gifted programs. The gifted designation is made by evaluating a student's aptitude test scores, achievement tests scores, grades and teacher evaluations.

"Duke is demonstrating an unparalleled level of support for public education by offering the licensure program," said DPS Superintendent Carl Harris. "This, along with the similar program at North Carolina Central University, is making it easier than ever for our teachers to receive training that will support our efforts in boosting academic rigor for our students."

Funding for the program comes from Duke, DPS and the North Carolina Model Teacher Education Consortium.