Annual Report 2017

B e l i n - B l a n k C en te r 2017 An n ual rep or t

Breaking down barriers Building up Opportunities

Our People

Director’s Message

The words, numbers, and pictures throughout the BelinBlank Center 2016-2017 report capture the essence of the Center’s work. Over these past 12 months, the professional staff and faculty worked collaboratively to dismantle the status quo in gifted education, rebuilding and enhancing opportunities for talent discovery and development of gifted students, their teachers, and their families. The creative and dedicated Belin-Blank faculty and staff members: • Enhanced access to challenging coursework for more of Iowa’s teachers and students through online courses and our online above-level assessment, I-Excel • Enriched on-site programming for teachers and students from around the world • Integrated the arts and humanities into STEM through the launch of the Bucksbaum STEAM Academy • Broadened the talent pool of gifted students served in Iowa’s rural schools through the STEM Excellence program • Disseminated our findings via dozens of research articles and academic presentations • Empowered our Assessment and Counseling Clinic clients through expert evaluations and evidence-based interventions • Submitted — and were awarded — two federal grants and one foundation grant • Increased our budget by 10% while maintaining our current staff The creativity of my colleagues never ceases to amaze me.

We continue to serve Iowa and the nation while always working on the next “big idea”; however, our friends and supporters will have to wait until next year to learn more.

The students, teachers, and families we serve fulfill our sense of mission. Our dedicated advisory board members inspire us to stay focused on our mission while exploring ways to dismantle and rebuild.

Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

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Inclusion & Empowerment

Residents of Iowa’s larger communities may regard rural locales as places of calm and respite. Pleasant as that bucolic image may be, it is superficial and belies the fact that rural Iowa communities are less likely to have advanced opportunities for their highability students.

This means that they are less likely to take the highest-level coursework in schools, which leaves them unprepared and less inspired for post-secondary education compared to their suburban and urban peers.

The Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy, established in 2001, has become one of the primary ways in which more rural students in Iowa are empowered to seek challenges that will prepare them for college and beyond.

The result is an excellence gap that is both pervasive and pernicious.

570 Iowa students completed 846 Advanced Placement or honors courses

97%

IOAPA course completion rate, which far exceeds the typical (less than 50%) online completion rate

58

Iowa counties participate in IOAPA

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Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

“I now feel much better about college. I feel like I’m ready, and [IOAPA] classes have helped prepare me.”

70% of IOAPA funding directly serves Iowa schools and educators

Building Community Through Professional Development “I was hesitant to take my first class on a new subject at a new school online, but you have made it easy for me, even with my age-related computer disability! I look forward to more.�

Professional Development

47 courses taught 412 educators participated 854 credit hours earned

Advanced Placement Teacher Training Institute

74

Iowa teachers

For nearly 40 years, the Center has led the efforts to build community among educators of gifted students through professional development.

Opportunities for educators include the State of Iowa Talented and Gifted (TAG) Endorsement, workshops and coursework, webinars, special institutes, and a heavily trafficked listserv.

The offerings reflect a broad spectrum of topics designed to enhance the learning of both pre- and in-service educators.

55

Iowa grants awarded

Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

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Discovering Talent

“I’m so thankful Jack was able to take part in this test. It gives great insight into ways we can encourage and support him.”

Parent of 5th grade student

Inclusion is at the heart of the Belin-Blank Center’s talent discovery process. Unlike the typical school gifted program, which selects about 3% of the student population based upon a general measure of ability, and offers about one to two hours of enrichment programming a week, the Center discovers students who are talented in various domains.

The discovery process opens up opportunities for students who may not typically be identified in the traditional school setting.

The Scholastic Art and Writing Competition discovers talented artists and writers. Invent Iowa is an outlet for Iowa’s young inventors.

Elementary and middle school students with potential in math and science can take an above-level test through the Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS).

Every student who participates in BESTS receives an individualized interpretation guide through the IDEAL Solutions website.

Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search

1,649

4-6 graders took I-Excel

469

7-9 graders took ACT

“I-Excel was particularly ‘invaluable’ for making programming decisions around acceleration.”

STEM Excellence Focus Group

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Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

Scholastic Art & Writing

9,797

works submitted

68

national winners from the Midwest

8

national winners from Iowa

Developing Talent

“My boys attended ten different summer camps this year, and the BelinBlank Center programs were uniformly excellent and vastly superior to the other STEM camps they attended. Instructional objectives were met, appropriate physical outlets were provided throughout the day, and the boys had a great time. Thank you for your part in providing such an excellent program.�

Parent

International Students from:

Hong Kong China Turkey Canada South Korea

$151,350

in scholarship funds awarded to students

$34,547

in financial aid awarded to students

1,111

total campus-based students

Students from

24 states

Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

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“I would attend these classes next year if I could.�

STEM Excellence and Leadership Program Participant

STEM Excellence Schools Adel, Desoto, and Minburn Atlantic Cardinal Davis County Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Fort Dodge Graettinger-Terril Mount Pleasant Spencer Starmont

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Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

Breaking Down Barriers, Building up Opportunities

Barriers to talent development exist for many reasons including bias or ignorance about age, disability, gender, race, geography, or economic vulnerability. When barriers impede access to opportunities, the loss to the individual student is acute and the loss to society is long-term.

STEM Excellence participants saw improved achievement and increased aspirations to participate in higher-level coursework that will better prepare them for college.

The Bucksbaum Early Entrance STEAM Academy, made possible through a generous endowment by Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan and Patrick Scanlan, empowers high-achieving high school sophomores and juniors with a passion for STEM and the arts/humanities to begin oncampus study at the University of Iowa. Support for the transition from high school to university is provided through the Belin-Blank Center.

The STEM Excellence models of talent discovery and talent development were the foundation for a new Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Rural Talent Initiative award ($199,835) as well as two federal grant proposals that were funded at the very end of the fiscal year.

The Perry Research Scholars Institute, made possible by a generous endowment from the Beverly Perry and Jeff Perry families, bridges the Blank Summer Institute (BSI; a one-week program for high-ability 7th and 8th graders from Iowa) and the Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP; a 6-week program for very bright high-school students from all around the world) by offering a residential research experience for 8–10 graders.

The STEM Excellence and Leadership (STEM Excellence) program, established in 2014 with a grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation addresses barriers resulting from economic and geographic vulnerability. STEM Excellence is an outreach program that integrates several components of Belin-Blank Center evidence-based practice, including talent discovery, talent development, and teacher development.

New Funding:

The NSF Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) award of $1.9 million dollars recognized that the STEM Excellence after-school learning experiences are the hallmark of the STEM Excellence program. This 4-year grant will allow the Belin-Blank Center’s research team to delve deeply into the experiences and outcomes of the complete STEM Excellence program.

The 2017 fiscal year ended with one final grant submission to the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Program. This submission was part of a competition for the only federal funds for gifted and talented education. The 2018 fiscal year started with news that the Belin-Blank Center was awarded $2.14 million to fund a 5-year project, Culturally Responsive Talent Identification and Career Exploration (TICE).

235

students participating in STEM Excellence

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Empowerment Through Knowledge

The key to empowerment is knowledge … just the right amount that allows the individual to build on that knowledge and seek new opportunities.

The Assessment and Counseling Clinic’s licensed psychologists, postdoctoral fellows, and advanced practicum students offer comprehensive individualized assessments and detailed interpretation reports of assessment results to dozens of clients with high academic potential. Referral questions typically revolve around the fit between a student’s ability and the challenge level of the curriculum, readiness for academic acceleration, or determining whether a student is twice-exceptional, i.e., has high ability as well as a disability that may be affecting academic performance or social emotional well-being.

The Center’s research in the area of twice-exceptionality is comparable to none. International keynotes, presentations, book chapters, and research articles are the hallmark of more than a decade of research dedicated to twice-exceptionality.

Three other areas of the Center’s research agenda include the STEM Excellence and Leadership program, professional development, and academic acceleration.

The Acceleration Institute offers a one-stop website for resources related to academic acceleration complementing the mission of the Assessment and Counseling Clinic. Primary among the Acceleration Institute’s resources are two publications. The two-volume publication A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students is an extensive revision and update of the 2004 watershed report, A Nation Deceived: America Holds Back Its Brightest Students.

“It was reassuring to be with professionals we trust to get the best care for our child. We trust the outcomes of the thorough evaluation.”

129 “Friendly, comfortable and welcoming atmosphere, professionalism, thoroughness of assessments and explanations.”

51

keynote, invited, & peer reviewed presentations by staff

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Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

clients served in the Assessment and Counseling Clinic

“Very helpful in understanding my daughter’s gifts and challenges as well as opportunities. I think an evaluation that did not take into consideration how gifted she is would have been much less effective and meaningful.”

11

publications by staff

Our Advisory Board

Founders (In Memoriam)

Nancy Evans, Cedar Rapids, IA

Ex-Officio Members

David Belin, West Des Moines, IA

Dick Ferguson, Iowa City, IA

Connie Belin, West Des Moines, IA

Ann Hoffman, Cedar Rapids, IA

Daniel Clay, Iowa City, IA

Myron Blank, Des Moines, IA

James E. Hoffman, Cedar Rapids, IA

Sue Curry, Iowa City, IA

Jacqueline Blank, Des Moines, IA

Alyssa Levitz, Seattle, WA

Bruce Harreld, Iowa City, IA

Randi Levitz, Iowa City, IA

Lynette Marshall, Iowa City, IA

Jeffrey Perry, White Plains, NY

Lon Moeller, Iowa City, IA

William Perry, White Plains, NY

Dan Reed, Iowa City, IA

Barbara Ross Belin, New York City, NY

Melissa Shivers, Iowa City, IA

Theodore (Bob) Scarborough, Glen Ellyn, IL

Linda Snetselaar, Iowa City, IA

Sarvjeev Sidhu, Cedar Rapids, IA

Art Spisak, Iowa City, IA

Chair Thomas Belin, Santa Monica, CA

Board Members Pat Ballou, Urbandale, IA Laurie Belin, Des Moines, IA Joanne Brown, West Des Moines, IA Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan, Woody Creek, CO Julius C. Carter, Chicago, IL Nicholas Colangelo, Iowa City, IA Bob Davidson, Incline Village, NV Bob Downer, Iowa City, IA

Susan Assouline, Iowa City, IA

Shabana Sidhu, Coralville, IA Ann Smith, Burlingame, CA Don Swartz, Mission Hills, KS Gregs Thomopulos, Iowa City, IA Paul Thompson, Denver, CO Alex Vacca, Annandale, VA Gregory Walker, Chicago, IL Jon Whitmore, Coralville, IA

377,776 page views for belinblank.org

176,171 page views for accelerationinstitute.org

Belin-Blank Center 2017 Annual report

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Twitter

2,332 Followers 3,738 Tweets Facebook 1,503 Likes

Youtube

16,625 Views Wordpress 16,875 Views 10,427 Visitors

600 Blank Honors Center The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa 52242-0454 800-336-6463 319-335-6148 belinblank@uiowa.edu

Directors

Susan Assouline, Ph.D., Director, Myron and Jacqueline Blank Endowed Chair Laurie Croft, Ph.D., Associate Director for Professional Development, Clinical Professor Megan Foley-Nicpon, Ph.D., Associate Director for Research and Clinic, Associate Professor Brian Douglas, M.B.A., Assistant Director for Finance and Operations Jan Warren, M.A., Assistant Director for Student Services

Administrators

Alissa Doobay, Ph.D., Assessment and Counseling Clinic Kristin Flanary, M.A., Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy Joyce Goins, Ph.D., Assessment and Counseling Clinic David Gould, M.A., Bucksbaum Academy Lori Ihrig, Ph.D., Curriculum and Instruction Joshua Jacobs, A.A.S., Technology, Project Manager Emily Ladendorf, B.A., Technology and Public Relations Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, Ph.D., Acceleration Institute Duhita Mahatmya, Ph.D., Research Scientist Ashlee Van Fleet, M.A.T., Curriculum and Instruction

Clerical Staff Rachelle Blackwell Lori Hudson Bridget Pauley, B.A. Nancy Whetstine

Undergraduate Assistants

Jon Goodwin, Ph.D. Tracy Ksiazak, Ph.D.

Hannah Dobroski Noah Doershuk Sadie Elbert Sarah Kendeigh Melanie Meierotto Vanessa Perez Paige Schreiner Callie Shannon Emilie Sommers

Graduate Assistants

Practicum Students

Post Doctoral Fellows

Echo Amos, B.A. Erin Lane, M.A. Stephanie Lynch, M.S.Ed. Soeun Park, M.A. Charlie Netzer, B.A. Katie Schabilion, Ed.S. Cara Wienkes, B.A. Haley Wikoff, M.S.Ed Alyssa Zwicker, B.A.

Lianne Gann, M.A. Nikki Grunewald, M.S.

Emeritus director Nicholas Colangelo, Ph.D., Director Emeritus

faculty affiliate Clar Baldus, Ph.D., Clinical Professor

UI Center for Advancement

Cally Murray, M.P.A., Development Director

annual report Project Manager Joshua Jacobs Design Benson & Hepker Design