25 Years of Inspiration & Excellence
The Belin-Blank Center: 25 Years of Inspiration & Excellence
Belin-Blank Center
Nurturing Potential Inspiring Excellence
Belin-Blank Center
25 Years of Inspiration & Excellence
The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development The University of Iowa College of Education
Belin-Blank Center
25 Years of Inspiration & Excellence
Table of Contents
4 Lives transformed Meet two students representing the thousands of students the
Belin-Blank Center has helped achieve their full potential.
6 A look back and a look ahead
Hear from Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, the Belin-Blank Center’s Director Emeritus, and Dr. Susan Assouline, the Belin-Blank Center’s Director.
8 CHAPTER 1
Visioning & Building
Learn how the Blank and Belin families helped plant the seed for a center that would transform talented and gifted education around the world.
18 Chapter 2 Teaching & Inspiring What started as a single class for teachers on how to work with gifted and talented students has grown into a wealth of programs for teachers and students in gifted education.
28 Chapter 3 Advocating & Innovating The Belin-Blank Center’s A Nation Deceived report captured the nation’s attention and prompted action for advancing the education of highly capable students.
38 Chapter 4 Discovering & Developing A big part of helping bright students achieve their best is to identify them through testing and then steer them to classes and programs that can help them achieve more than they ever dreamed possible.
“Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.” – Jonathan Swift Dedicated to the vision of our founders and benefactors:
62 Chapter 6 Researching & Influencing
The Belin-Blank Center has advocated for talented and gifted children for twenty-five years, and they have the research to back it up.
72 Chapter 7 Expanding & Globalizing
What started as a small movement to help the state of Iowa has grown into a world leader, with many countries turning to the BelinBlank Center to help them learn how to best identify and teach gifted students.
82 Chapter 8 Creating & Inventing
Often, kids learn the most about themselves, and the world, when we encourage their creativity. The Belin-Blank Center nurtures this creativity through the Invent Iowa program and a variety of writing and art programs.
92 Chapter 9 Giving & Giving Back The life-changing work of the Belin-Blank Center has been enhanced by the selfless gifts of a number of benefactors.
102 Chapter 10 Leading & Guiding
As the reach and impact of the Belin-Blank Center has grown, its national Advisory Board has helped point the way.
110 Celebrating 25 years A timeline of the Belin-Blank Center’s accomplishments
52 Chapter 5 Counseling & Empowering Some bright students, “twice-exceptional students,” experience social or emotional difficulties. The H.B. and Jocelyn Wallace Assessment and Counseling Clinic at the Belin-Blank Center stands ready to help them reach their full potential.
Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank David and Connie Belin
25 Years of Inspiration and Excellence
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Hannah Shows
was a junior at Bellbrook High School in Sugarcreek, Ohio. She came to Iowa City for the Belin-Blank Center’s Secondary Student Training Program, joining other gifted high school students doing graduate-level research in biochemistry. Back home, she had taken all of the Advanced Placement courses at her high school and, as a gifted student, had already skipped one grade. She was looking at a senior year where she would retake a French course and have three study halls.
He says it was Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, director of the Belin-Blank Center at The University of Iowa, who convinced him he could do more than be pictured with the school’s academic all-stars.
After she and her parents interviewed at the Belin-Blank Center, she entered The University of Iowa in the fall of 2012, at age sixteen, as one of eight gifted students in the National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, which supports and mentors young teens who demonstrate they’re ready for college. She is majoring in epidemiology.
Yeltsin took nine Advanced Placement tests in high school, which earned him the rare designation of AP Scholar. In addition to AP coursework, for which he earned UI credit, he took several college-level classes while in high school and was able to enter the UI, as a first-year student, with seventy-five hours of transfer credit. Because he is part of a specialized Belin-Blank Center program, Yeltsin has a mentor at the UI. He is on his way to a career in international and environmental studies. And, yes, his picture hangs on the wall at Central Academy.
“We don’t just look at student scores,” says Jan Warren, BelinBlank Center’s administrator for university-level programs. “Parents and the student have to be ready.”
In another instance, the parents of a “twice-
lives enhanced 4
Yeltsin Rodriguez
, the son of immigrants, was determined to excel when he was selected to attend Central Academy in Des Moines, Iowa, a high school for talented and gifted students. He wanted to “get my picture on the wall.”
Belin-Blank Center
exceptional” student came to the Belin-Blank Center’s Assessment & Counseling Clinic when their gifted thirteen-year-old son was having extreme behavioral problems in school and at home. After six hours of testing and conversation with Dr. Alissa Doobay, a licensed psychologist at the center, the parents left with recommendations to take back to their school and their son’s doctor — recommendations that promise to help the boy adjust and excel.
Three lives enhanced
— perhaps even saved — by the work of the Belin-Blank Center. These stories — and thousands of others — could have had different outcomes had it not been for an idea that took root twenty-five years ago: The need to create a center and programs that would help teachers better teach bright students and that would serve as an advocate for gifted and talented students. It’s the silver anniversary for The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, a part of The University of Iowa College of Education in Iowa City. It’s the anniversary of an idea and a mission, an anniversary of lives transformed.
A Salute to the Past 25 Years
A Vision of the Next 25 Years
In looking back over the twenty-five year history of the Belin-Blank Center, the feeling elicited is not nostalgia, but pride, which stems from the recognition that the Belin-Blank Center story is a very unique and personal one. We started small, actually, with a Xerox box, that held seventeen handouts for the first seventeen teachers selected for a special fellowship program. This box became the beautiful Blank Honors Center and those initial handouts have become electronic PDFs for thousands of teachers and students around the globe.
At the Belin-Blank Center, we look to the coming years, excited to embrace the changes that come with future growth and new opportunities. We have the freedom to think about the future because generous philanthropists gave us a foundation upon which we turned a box into a building. The walls of this building do not contain us: Indeed, we are defined by the windows that look out to the horizon and realize the infinite possibilities.
The smallness of the box belies the bigness of the hearts and dreams of our founders, Mike and Jackie and David and Connie. These were grand people: strong of character, big in vision, generously backing their commitments to gifted students, their teachers, and their families. It was my privilege to work with them and help them shape their dreams into the programs and structure that has become the world-renowned Belin-Blank Center. Yes, we did start in 1980 with seventeen teachers from Des Moines and West Des Moines and thus began an experiment that led to the founding of the Belin-Blank Center in 1988 and the $1 million dollar endowment of the Blank Endowed Chair in Gifted Education which I hold. The great generosity of the Blank and Belin families has inspired other major donors, including H.B. and Jocelyn Wallace and Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan. The private support from individuals and family foundations has had tremendous impact on the lives of countless thousands in Iowa, the nation, and the world. And they have inspired so many others who have given financially and have shared their talents and dedication so that the Center was nourished in its growth. This commemorative book captures the legacy of the Blank and Belin families and the many friends who support us by serving on our Advisory Board, on staff, as financial supporters, advocates, and champions for the work we do. It has been my honor and, frankly, my life’s commitment to the legacy of the Belin-Blank Center, to serve as its Director for its first twenty-five years. And now it is my honor, as Director Emeritus, to support and applaud Susan Assouline, the Center staff, and families and friends of the Center who will guide its future. It will be an exciting next twenty-five.
Nicholas Colangelo, Ph.D. Director Emeritus, Belin-Blank Center Myron and Jacqueline Blank Professor of Gifted Education Interim Dean, College of Education, The University of Iowa
Those possibilities remain grounded in our early efforts that focused on professional development and student programming, which have since expanded to include clinical services, conferences and competitions, and research-based advocacy. The immediate future, the 2013-2014 academic year, will see even greater growth in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) initiatives for students and teachers. The first students and teachers we served were from Iowa; now they come from all over the world, and we know that international representation will continue to expand. Much of the center’s expansion of services will be connected to enhanced technology that connects us to the worldwide gifted and talented community. For example, starting next year, the Wallace Research Symposium, which has been held on The University of Iowa campus since its inception in the early 90s, will move to Washington, D.C. This move will allow us to partner with the national organization for gifted children and to broaden our scope to include policy as well as research. At the symposium, we will feature new and revised publications from our Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (IRPA), which has impacted the lives of millions around the world. None of this would have happened without the commitment of our founders and the countless hours of work from previous and current staff. On behalf of the current and future staff and faculty, I offer my profound gratitude to founding director and director emeritus, Nicholas Colangelo, who worked so closely with our co-founders and benefactors, Mike and Jackie Blank and David and Connie Belin. We move forward into the future with the support of our Advisory Board and dedication and loyalty of the staff and faculty who make the center the active and vibrant — or, as co-founder Jackie Blank used to say, “happy” — place it is.
Susan G. Assouline, Ph.D. Director, Belin-Blank Center Professor, Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, School Psychology Program, The University of Iowa
1. Visioning
& Building
“We tossed a small pebble, and it made a big splash.” Jacqueline N. Blank
It started with an idea — to nurture and support teachers of talented and gifted students — that grew into a movement.
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25 Years of Inspiration and Excellence
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It was early days in gifted education. David Belin, a high-powered, nationally known attorney practicing in Des Moines, was getting nowhere fast in securing state operating funds for the fledgling effort to promote and study gifted education at The University of Iowa. Belin was passionate about developing ways to better teach gifted and talented students, and he thought the Iowa program was on the right track. He’d convinced his friends, philanthropists and business owners Myron and Jacqueline Blank, to join him in that crusade.
new center, even though the money was “just sitting there,” recalls Ned Chiodo of Des Moines, a lobbyist and former Iowa state representative. Belin and Chiodo finally got the legislators’ attention by noting Myron and Jackie Blank had both attended The University of Michigan, and “we could do this at The University of Michigan” instead of at The University of Iowa, Chiodo recalls.
The Belins and Blanks would eventually donate millions to build and grow what is now known as The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development on The University of Iowa campus.
The state money was released. And the rest is history — twenty-five years of proving that students — and the world — can benefit when gifted and talented students are identified early on, when their teachers know how to kindle and feed that flame, and when schools and colleges understand how to help our best and brightest realize their potential.
But at the time, a logjam had developed in getting state operational money for the
“We tossed a small pebble, and it made a big splash,” Jackie Blank said.
The six-story, 58,000-square-foot Blank Honors Center opened its doors in 2004 on The University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. “The building has tremendous symbolic value,” said Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, Founder and Director Emeritus of the Belin-Blank Center. “We wanted to make it a beautiful place, airy, with lots of light.” Giving talented and gifted students and university honor students a place to call home, “the building is truly a place to grow and shine.”
an idea The Belin and Blank families are the foundation of the Belin-Blank Center that bears their name. Over the years, they were the center’s primary cheerleaders, donors, and supporters, a role now shared by their children and grandchildren. The seeds for the center were planted in 1980 when Myron and Jacqueline Blank and David and Connie Belin met with Nicholas Colangelo, a newly appointed UI professor, to discuss the lack of programming for talented and gifted students. At the time, professional development programs for educators of gifted students were limited in the United States and were virtually nonexistent in Iowa. Colangelo developed a plan to train educators, and the Blanks — in the first of their many gifts — funded the
Belin-Blank Teacher Training Fellowship Program in Gifted Education. The founders like to say the gifted program started in a cardboard box. That box held the materials for the first class in gifted education, offered in 1981 to seventeen teachers from Des Moines and West Des Moines. Today, some forty courses and workshops annually prepare educators from across Iowa seeking the State of Iowa Talented and Gifted Endorsement. The Belin-Blank Center’s courses and workshops are available on site and online to professionals from all parts of the world. Annually, almost 450 academic credits are earned and hundreds of educators have a greater understanding of the nature and needs of gifted learners.
“The Belin-Blank founders were such incredible people. Connie Belin served on the Board of Regents for the State of Iowa, and David Belin was a distinguished Iowa attorney and a personal friend of mine. Mike and Jackie Blank were outstanding citizens of our state, and there are many significant landmarks that bear their names.”
– Terry Branstad, Governor of the State of Iowa The center is internationally known for its advocacy, research, and innovative programming for gifted and talented students. The center provides counseling for families of gifted children and has broadened its programming to include “twice-exceptional” children who are gifted and disabled. The center’s name evolved as its scope widened. The Belin National Center for Gifted Education was officially established in 1988 by the Iowa State Board of Regents. The Blanks donated a million dollars to begin the center, then housed in the College of Education’s Lindquist Center building.
gifted education, talent development, and creativity, further solidifying the center’s growing reputation in gifted education research. In 1999, the Blanks pledged $5 million to build the Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank Honors Center on the UI campus— $3 million as a matching grant for the building and $2 million to support programs. In 2004, the six-story building opened in the heart of the UI campus. It provides an uplifting, beautiful space for the center’s programs, offices, and services. Built next to Daum Hall, an honors residence hall, it offers space for those students to study and socialize during the school year. During the summer, the center houses enrichment classes and experiences for hundreds of talented and gifted elementary, middle, and high school students from around the world.
a mission In 1995, the Belin Center was renamed The Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.
With assistance from Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace and the Wallace family foundation in the 1990s, the center began organizing national conferences to explore developments in
The building also has “fast” elevators — the one request from benefactor Jackie Blank.
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ground breaking
Founders Myron & Jacqueline Blank Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank of Des Moines provided phenomenal financial support for the Belin-Blank Center over the years. The gifts included funding for the Blank Summer Institute for students; the Belin-Blank Advanced Technology Program; the endowment of a professorship in gifted education; and the primary pledge for building the Blank Honors Center. Together, Mike and Jackie were president and vice president of Central States Theatre Corp., which in the 1950s was the largest operator of drive-in theaters in the country. Mike, who died in 2005, was president of the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce. Jackie, who died in 2002, was a trustee for the Des Moines Art Center and served on the boards of the Blank Park Zoo and Blank Children’s Hospital. Mike and Jackie had two sons and one daughter, Beverly Blank Perry, whose son, Jeffrey Perry, serves on the center’s advisory board today.
Myron and Jackie Blank’s daughter, Beverly Blank Perry, with her grandson, William Perry, who is now a student at The University of Iowa.
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Beverly Blank Perry, Daughter of Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank
Jeffrey Perry, Grandson of Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank Member of the Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board
better at math, science, and technology than their American counterparts, due to their advanced and accelerated studies.”
Beverly says coming back to Iowa, “is emotional, to see the Blank name on so many things …. I’m very proud my parents were such charitable people.”
Jeff says Japan’s economic resurgence after World War II was at least partially responsible for his grandparents’ decision to support programs for gifted and talented students.
The Blanks were friends with David and Connie Belin, and David helped guide the Blanks to Nicholas Colangelo at The University of Iowa. The Blanks would end up giving $10 million toward gifted and talented education.
Myron and Jackie Blank’s grandson and Beverly Perry’s son Jeff (center) with his sons Charlie (left) and William (right)
“They saw Japan become a world economic leader, in part because they had identified their most promising students at an early age and put them on an accelerated academic track. They saw how the Japanese were innovating as a result of this because their gifted students were generally
“I’m very proud to be part of the Blank family and to honor my grandparents,” Jeff says. “I’ve been in the business world for more than thirty years, and no company that I’ve come across is better managed than the Belin-Blank Center. For Nick
Colangelo to have done what he’s done is inspirational — he’s been selfless and tireless in making the vision set forth by my grandparents and the Belins an astonishingly successful reality. It’s something that I will never forget. “Nick is not doing it for the money. I come from the financial world where most everyone is motivated primarily by how much they are paid, going from one job to another with very little sense of loyalty. Yet all these people have been here at Belin-Blank for so long and clearly and rightfully take enormous pride in what they’ve accomplished — and what they plan to accomplish going forward. It’s so impressive. And I and my entire family could not be more grateful.”
Breaking ground for the Blank Honors Center, from left: Mary Sue Coleman (UI President, 1995-2002); Nancy Evans (Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board member); Mark McCormick (Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board President, 1999-2004); Jacqueline N. Blank and Myron Blank (co-founders); Ann York (Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board member); Michael New (President UI Foundation 1998-2005); Darrell Wyrick, (Founding President of UI Foundation, Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board member); Nicholas Colangelo (Founder and Director Emeritus, Belin-Blank Center)
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Founders David & Connie Belin
A letter from Tom Belin
David Belin was a founder, senior adviser, and primary fundraiser of the Belin-Blank Center. An attorney, he headed a major law firm in Des Moines and was one of America’s most influential lawyers. Notably, he served as counsel to the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, an experience that led him to write two books. Eloquent and respected, he was indefatigable in his quest to increase the role and spending of the federal government in gifted education. He served on the advisory board of the National Association for Gifted Children. He died in 1999. Connie Belin was a teacher, dedicated to the education of our youth. She served on the West Des Moines school board and was on the State Board of Regents from 1977 until her death in 1980. She also served on the Iowa Talented and Gifted board and on the Iowa State Department of Public Instruction Advisory Committee on Programs for the Gifted and Talented.
Laurie and Tom Belin, pictured above, are two of David and Connie Belin’s five children. Tom is the current president of the Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board.
David and Connie Belin had five children, with son Tom Belin now serving as president of the center’s Advisory Board. Through the Cole-Belin Education Foundation, which was established by Des Moines furniture entrepreneur Marlin Cole to honor Connie’s memory, the Belin Family Professional Development Program of the Belin-Blank Center has received more than $1.5 million in support.
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This 1978 photo of the Belin family includes: Front row (left to right): Joy Belin, Connie Belin, Esther K. Belin (David’s mother), and Laurie Belin. Back row: Tom Belin, Jon Belin, David Belin, and Jim Belin. Their family dog, Peppy, sits in front.
When I think of our mother’s service on the Iowa Board of Regents, one of the first images that comes to mind is lined with countless numbers of blue three-ring binders piled high on our formal dining room table. There couldn’t have been more than a few formal dinner parties held in that room, but as our mother’s home office, the room became an engine, with the binders serving as fuel and our mother’s engagement, attention to detail, and vision serving as renewable energy sources. In one of those binders, she read about a new assistant professor by the name of Nick Colangelo who came to The University of Iowa with a background in educational psychology and a focus on gifted education and talent development, and she saw an opportunity. We all love hearing Nick tell the rest of the story, and as we reflect on the thousands of people whose lives have been touched by the Belin-Blank Center, we know our parents would be overjoyed. Looking back on my own experiences with math-oriented gifted-education programs in the West Des Moines Community School District, I have often wondered whether I would have ended up with a Ph.D. in statistics and a career I love as a professor engaged in health-science research without those early experiences. When I teach my students about the concept of “interaction,” as it is used in the field of statistics, I often use a formulation that I would credit to our father, as I remember him describing to me how it’s possible for two inert substances to come together and become explosive. Another reflection of this idea is that the whole can be greater than the sum of the parts, as was the case whenever our parents and Jackie and Mike Blank got together. Of course, they were far from inert as individuals, but when you put them together, the interaction was positively smashing. And part of what was always so special about all of them was how much they enjoyed life, appreciated a wonderful sense of humor, and relished bringing joy to the lives of others. What a wonderful reflection the Belin-Blank Center has become of their giving spirits, and we are so grateful to everyone who has made a reality of this precious gift to the world.
“We look upon our nation as a beacon of light and hope to other nations because of the freedoms we enjoy. Let us hope that, in our desire to maintain our freedom and our desire to help those in greatest need, we have the wisdom to make certain that we support those who have the greatest potential to provide that help.”
– David Belin
2. Teaching
& Inspiring
How better to reach out to talented and gifted students than through their teachers?
“Good things are not going to happen without top-notch teachers engaging students, helping students learn things that they didn’t even know they could learn.” Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, Founder and Director Emeritus of the Belin-Blank Center
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“Who could have guessed,” says retired teacher Pat Ballou, “that from Connie Belin’s dream, and her perfect choice of a leader — Nicholas Colangelo, with his little box of ideas — that this jewel in gifted education would grow to shine so brightly?” Indeed. Ballou, who lives in Urbandale, Iowa, was in the first group of teachers that, in 1981, attended The University of Iowa’s groundbreaking course in gifted education. That course — its contents fit in a cardboard box under Dr. Colangelo’s arm — provided the first building block in what would become an international center devoted to the education of gifted and talented students and their teachers. The training grew out of a conversation the Belin and Blank founders had with Dr. Colangelo in 1980. They agreed: The first step in teaching talented and gifted students had to be training their teachers. The Belin-Blank Fellowship Program in
1981 The contents for the Belin-Blank Center’s first teacher training in gifted education fit into a single cardboard box.
Pat Ballou
“Often, gifted and talented education is looked upon as somehow ‘extra,’ something you do if you have time and money left over. In reality, the educational needs of gifted students are no less important than those of any other student. In fact, the loss to society of not encouraging our most promising students is enormous. Gifted and talented students have tremendous potential, but they must be appropriately challenged to reach that potential. We have a responsibility to ensure that all students reach their potential.”
pioneers “We thank the Belin and Blank families, the State of Iowa, and our private benefactors for their generous and ongoing support.”
– U.S. Senator Charles Grassley, R-Iowa
Gifted Education was the first program funded by Myron and Jacqueline Blank, eight years before the formal creation of the center that would bear their name.
– dr. Sally Mason, President of The University of Iowa
Helping schools start from scratch Ballou recalls that before that training program began, “there were very few resources to identify or provide help for gifted students.” Dr. Colangelo helped this first small group of teachers develop a philosophy and a plan to best help students, teachers, and parents once they returned to their respective schools. “Our school district developed a department based on the concepts of the Belin-Blank
Dr. Laurie Croft, Administrator for Professional Development
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“Talent doesn’t thrive in a vacuum. It needs guidance and encouragement from caring parents, extraordinary teachers, and a comprehensive resource like the Belin-Blank Center.”
– Tom Vilsack, Former Governor of Iowa, Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture
Center to aid the gifted community,” Ballou says. “As a classroom teacher, I was allowed to spend time working with or identifying gifted students.”
Now offering a wealth of teacher resources
She recalls a fundamental shift in thinking, as more teachers were encouraged to recommend advanced work for gifted students. In the same way, school leaders felt more free to set up classes so students could work with other students closer to their ability level, sometimes mixing several grade levels. Parent groups were formed and mentor relationships developed as schools increasingly took students out into the world to participate in mind-challenging events and programs.
The content of that original cardboard box has since mushroomed into more than forty courses in gifted education at The University of Iowa. Since 1992, the state of Iowa has offered Talented and Gifted Endorsement for educators completing 12 semester hours of coursework in gifted education.
Pat Ballou’s experience in her school district was repeated in countless other communities.
In addition, the Belin-Blank Center offers fellowships to teachers nominated by their districts for training in gifted education. Courses also are offered in teaching Advanced Placement classes. Online classes have been added, as well as workshops and summer seminars.
As pioneers in the field, those trained teachers became advocates for gifted education, inspiring school districts in other states and other countries to help gifted students achieve their potential in ways that didn’t exist before 1980.
Since 1988, more than 600 educators have completed 7,155 academic credits in talented and gifted education at The University of Iowa and at the Belin-Blank Center, a testament to the power of an idea whose time had come.
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What Belin-Blank Means to Me How has the Belin-Blank Center helped you as a new teacher? “Through my multi-faceted experiences in the Belin-Blank Center, I have become a more effective and dynamic educator,” says Ian Spangenberg, a native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and a recent graduate of The University of Iowa.
“Now, education can mean different things in different cultures, but one common thread is that education provides one with the tools and the knowledge base to move between and among cultures so that differences become less significant.”
– Dr. Georgina Dodge, Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President, The University of Iowa
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lenge Saturday program. “That was three years ago, but I’m still an active member. I fell in love with these programs, because they are so engaging for both the students and for myself.” He notes that instead of learning material just to learn it, students in Belin-Blank programs are encouraged to make claims based on evidence, discover knowledge
Spangenberg took a series of Talented
for themselves, and, most importantly,
and
coursework
notice the world around them. He also
through the Belin-Blank Center. “I knew
appreciates the focus on interdisciplinary
that, to be the most effective educator
instruction, feeling he is better prepared
I could be, I needed to be able to meet
to collaborate with other teachers in oth-
each and every individual’s cognitive and
er fields.
Gifted
Endorsement
emotional needs. The TAG endorsement advanced this understanding because the
“The Belin-Blank Center thoroughly prepared me for my future profession. I feel
impact
I a n S pangenberg
courses are philosophical; they require
2013 University of Iowa graduate B.S. in Secondary Science Education, Honors in Education, and B.A. in Physics
veloping perspective that is unmatched in
reflection, meta-understanding, and a deany other program.”
that I am a better educator because of my experiences at the Belin-Blank Center, and I know that my future students will have a more meaningful and engaged
Several years ago, Spangenberg became
educational experience because of the
involved in the Belin-Blank Center’s Chal-
Belin-Blank Center’s influence on me.”
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3. Advocating & Innovating The Belin-Blank Center’s A Nation Deceived report captured the nation’s attention and prompted action for advancing the education of highly capable students.
“What do we gain by boring these students? What do we gain by ignoring legitimate educational needs?” Dr. Susan Assouline, Director of the Belin-Blank Center
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One of the watershed moments in the Belin-Blank Center’s history came in September 2004 with the publication of A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students. Its assertion — that the most effective way to help bright students is to accelerate their education — prompted a national discussion and exploded myths about letting students skip grades. The report’s lead authors were Dr. Nicholas Colangelo and Dr. Susan Assouline of the Belin-Blank Center and Dr. Miraca Gross of The University of New South Wales in Australia, with costs underwritten by the John Templeton Foundation. The report brought together research on grade acceleration from experts at twelve
universities, with information presented in bold, straightforward, accessible language. Topics included entering school early, grade-skipping, high school challenges, Advanced Placement courses, and how adults who were accelerated in school felt about their experiences.
Dr. Nicholas Colangelo and Dr. Susan Assouline of the Belin-Blank Center
the idea of acceleration. It presented several reasons why schools hold back America’s brightest students:
• The worry that other students will be offended if gifted students are accelerated.
• An unfamiliarity with research on the benefits of acceleration.
The report showed that none of those concerns was supported by research.
The conclusion: Acceleration is, overall, the most effective intervention for highly capable students. This is true academically, emotionally, and socially.
• The feeling that children must be kept with children their own age.
The report questioned why schools, teachers, and parents hadn’t already accepted
• The myth that acceleration could hurt students socially.
• The belief that acceleration “hurries” children out of childhood.
• Political concerns about “equity” for all.
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2004
At the time, Colangelo said the report’s authors were “speaking on behalf of countless experiences in the field when we say: Enough of the inconsistencies. Enough of treating the education needs of gifted students as if they are dispensable. This report takes all of us to task. The title may be provocative, but it is, first and foremost, accurate.”
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accelerate
Helping Advanced Placement go mainstream
The first cousin of acceleration is Advanced Placement® — college preparatory courses offered to academically talented high school students. Students completing the courses take nationally administered tests that measure their understanding of subject matter and can lead to college credits. In 2001, the U.S. Department of Education awarded $1.6 million to the Belin-Blank Center to increase student participation in AP
4,155,954 hits to the Nation Deceived website 150,706 copies downloaded from the website 56,000 print copies of the report distributed
courses and exams in Iowa high schools. Since 2002, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded almost $5 million to the center’s Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy, which opens challenging classes to students throughout the state, particularly in rural districts which sometimes lack enough students to support advanced classwork.
The report garnered exceptional national media coverage, including a story in Time magazine. More than fifty thousand copies of the report were distributed, with more than one hundred and fifty thousand copies downloaded from the website, www.nationdeceived.org. The website had more than two million visits in the three years after the report’s publication. It continues to merit comments from teachers and educators today, almost a decade after
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publication. An online survey in 2007 indicated that seventy-three percent of respondents said the report had a positive impact on their attitudes about grade acceleration. Almost one hundred percent thought the report would have a long-term positive effect on the field of gifted education.
Most importantly, numerous educators and parents reported the acceleration of high-ability, highly motivated, and academically gifted students was directly tied to the report. The report has been translated into nine languages and remains available, for free, to guide those interested in accelerating the education of gifted students. A revision will be available in 2014, for the
In addition, the Belin-Blank Center each year releases the Iowa Advanced Placement Index, which tracks the number of students taking AP classes in high school. The Index has raised awareness of college preparatory classes and spurred Iowa high schools to offer more to college-bound students. Iowa, for example, had one of the lowest totals in AP test-taking twenty years ago and is now among the nation’s leaders.
“Think how much it helps to have someone say, ‘Yes, you can do it.’ A great teacher does a thousand things each day that go beyond passing on information or drilling students on facts. A great teacher inspires an enthusiasm for learning; a great teacher finds ways to open up possibilities for his or her students so that they can find their own way to grow as scholars and as creative artists and as human beings.”
– Jon Whitmore, Chief Executive Officer of ACT, Inc., Former Provost at The University of Iowa
“At Belin-Blank, we are very much committed to schools offering advanced work so students with high ability and high commitment can really stretch themselves while they’re in high school.” – Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, Founder and Director Emeritus of the Belin-Blank Center 34
Belin-Blank Center
10th anniversary of the report. The impact of the report, in short, has been profound and worldwide. It continues to help parents, educators, and policymakers. It continues to provide a lifeline to bright students who need more than they can find in a traditional classroom. In 2006, the Belin-Blank Center created the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration, which continues to study and support the educational acceleration of academically talented students. The Institute offers assistance for launching acceleration programs. Its Iowa Acceleration Scale (see www.accelerationinstitute.org) provides a decision-making guide to assist decisions on a student’s readiness for grade acceleration.
ignite “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” – William Butler Yeats
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4. Discovering & Developing Often, the first step in helping bright students develop their talent is to help them discover their gifts.
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“Lighting a tiny fire and nurturing it as it becomes a bright lamp is the greatest gift one generation can give the next.� Dr. Tom Rocklin,
Vice President for Student Life, The University of Iowa
Cody Shafer
Several years ago, Cody Shafer, a former Belin-Blank student, stood in front of hundreds of elementary, middle school, and high school students and said: “Never turn your back in shame or embarrassment on your need to learn because you have a gift. To squander that gift is to possibly deprive the world of the greatness only you have the ability to contribute.”
Since 1993, the annual Belin-Blank Recognition Ceremony honors hundreds of the top students in Iowa and their teachers. In past years, members of the Belin and Blank families have participated in the ceremony, including David Belin (pictured above left). A different slate of prominent speakers share motivational remarks each year, including Sally Mason, president of The University of Iowa (pictured above right).
Shafer, who now works for Johnson County Public Health in Iowa City, was speaking at the Belin-Blank Recognition Ceremony at The University of Iowa. The annual ceremony, held since 1993, recognizes elementary, middle school, and high school students who score in the top one percent of the Belin Elementary Student Talent Search (BESTS), or who have received a scholarship for a summer program or recognition for performance in one of the Center’s competitions.
same ceremony only a few years before. He said the
Shafer, who grew up in Wapello, Iowa, had been at the
teachers by constantly asking “why?”
experience changed his life. “I would no longer have to hide in the library, hold back my questions, or feel ashamed. With the support of these wonderful people, I spread my wings and finally began to truly revel in my nerdiness.” Shafer added that the path hadn’t been easy. He’d been teased about being smart, he’d annoyed some
“I began to withdraw from my own interests to better assimilate into the social groups around me,” he said. “My lack of engagement led to boredom, which, in turn, led to lower grades.” Then his talented and gifted teacher nominated him for a summer program at the Belin-Blank Center. “I had no idea how impactful my twelve days at the Blank Summer Institute would be. I don’t know what my life would be like had I not been given that wonderful opportunity by an educator who believed in me and
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“The assumption seems to be that gifted and talented students will do just fine, no matter what. Others seem to think that gifted and talented programs are somehow elitist or undemocratic. I couldn’t disagree more strongly. When we say ‘leave no child behind,’ we’re not talking only about disadvantaged children. We mean all children. In my book, this means ensuring that children with special talents and intellectual gifts are given every opportunity to develop their abilities at an accelerated pace.”
– U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa “The most significant educational opportunity I have ever had was given a center that believes in the vital need to nurture giftedness and develop talent in students.” Shafer would skip his senior year of high school and enter the Center’s National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (NAASE) as a first-year UI honors student. “Thank you,” he said to the center’s staff, “for showing me it was OK to want to know more.”
Encouraging students to do their best Shafer’s powerful testimonial lies at the heart of the center’s testing and recognition of talented and gifted students.
to me by the Belin-Blank Center.”
– Eileen Lee, M.D., Instructor in Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
The center’s above-level testing program, BESTS (Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search) is one portal into the center’s programs and services and has been replicated in other countries.
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“In a world that often emphasizes the non-academic, the heart of a child is warmed by the ceremony of accomplishment.” –C hris Bergman, Principal, South Middle School, Waukee Community School District, Waukee, Iowa
The tests offered through BESTS differ from grade-level tests in that they reveal what bright students are ready to learn. Since 1992, nearly 100,000 gifted students have been identified and encouraged by the annual Talent Search. Dr. Susan Assouline, associate director of the Belin-Blank Center for twenty-two years and now its director, said participating in BESTS helps parents better understand their child’s educational needs. “It gives parents objective information that can be extremely useful in working with their child’s teachers as they plan challenging curriculum that meets the needs of that child,” Assouline says. “Advocating for a student takes a lot of time. However, it is well worth it. Parents are the best advocates
for their children because they know their children.” As is the case with the many talent search programs across the country, BESTS relies on tests developed by major testing companies, such as ACT. BESTS elementary students take an eighth-grade test, EXPLORE. Students in grades seven through nine take the ACT or SAT college-entrance exams. Those doing extremely well, compared to their peers, are invited to the annual recognition program and also can invite a teacher who has inspired them. For some children, the Belin-Blank recognition ceremony is their first opportunity to see their giftedness as true gifts and not burdens.
curiosity
“The ceremony is our effort to let the students know that the development of their talents and their commitment to
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“A teacher’s job, above all, is to help our students discover what they’re capable of.” – Dr. P. Barry Butler, Executive Vice President and Provost, The University of Iowa
education will be rewarded,” said Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, Founder and Director Emeritus of the Belin-Blank Center. “It’s also a chance to let teachers know that their dedication is not only vital to the education of students but also has a major impact in the lives of students.” The testing and talent searches serve another purpose — discovering students who would benefit from Belin-Blank Center residential academic programs, summer institutes, and weekend enrichment programs. The tests also provide researchers with pools of information about academically gifted students.
The Belin-Blank Center clerical support staff includes: (left to right) Rachelle Blackwell (Secretary for Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (IRPA) and Special Events), Pamela Bullers (Administrative Specialist), Melissa Keeling (Secretary for Professional Development and Talent Search), Lori Hudson (Secretary for Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) and Arts Programs), Bridget Pauley (Secretary for Student Programs), and Nancy Whetstine (Secretary for the Assessment and Counseling Clinic)
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But perhaps the greatest legacy of BESTS comes in the encouragement and the recognition of talented and gifted students. “You may help lead the next green revolution, may help close the achievement gap in education, may pioneer the next initiative in law, physics, chemistry, cinema, art, or writing,” University of Iowa student and Belin-Blank scholar Julia Zalenski told BESTS honorees in 2009.
bright
An idea takes root and grows
What Belin-Blank Means to Me How did you get involved with the Belin-Blank Center?
my case, and in two years my district began offer-
fects. One had to know the events, of course, but
“During the program, I met a diverse group of people
A copper beech tree, the only one
ing AP classes.”
one truly grasped history when you could tie these
who all were gifted. Gifted no longer meant one or
on The University of Iowa campus,
What impact did it have on your life?
disparate events together into a causal narrative. Un-
two students in a corner of a classroom with extra
“I attended the AP Academy during the summer of
proudly stands outside the Belin-
derstanding ideas that underpin rival historical narra-
homework. In the AP Academy, there were actors,
Blank Center. Estimated to be 100
tives has become the theme of my professional life. I
painters, math whizzes, writers, card players, ath-
years old, the tree’s leaves are a
did my dissertation on the topic, I have published on
letes, and, yes, there were pretty girls at the AP Acad-
deep purple in the spring, changing
the topic, and I spend much of my working life trying
emy. For a high school boy just turning seventeen,
to a copper hue in the fall. Before
to explain and predict how events will be interpreted.”
this was all good to know. Being gifted was not an
the Belin-Blank Center was built, the
identity in and of itself. Rather, having an academic
building was actually redesigned to be
Strictly academics?
gift is just one element of a multifaceted and well-
taller and narrower in order to save
developed personality. The social aspects of the AP
the tree. Today, staff members say
1991 at The University of Iowa while I was a student in Wisconsin. This program offered courses
Alex Vacca , PH.D. Corporate Director, Business Assessment Northrop Grumman Falls Church, Virginia
in U.S. history, English, biology, and calculus, and I chose to study U.S. history.” Vacca says during the six-week residential program he earned AP
Vacca says he felt a tremendous boost in his selfconfidence. “While still in high school, I discovered that I could handle college-level work; indeed, I discovered that I loved college-level work.”
college credit. “I went back to my school district,
He said his time at Belin-Blank also gave him a far
which did not at the time offer AP and talked up
more nuanced understanding of history. “While stan-
the rigor of the courses and the benefit of the
dard history is a collection of names and dates, the
Even though Belin-Blank is all about education, Vacca
Academy really crystallized my own sense of self,
exams. I ended up meeting with the superinten-
way that I learned history from Mr. Jim Daniel, our
says people should realize how important it is for
and for that I am eternally grateful to Nick, Susan,
dent and members of the school board to make
instructor, was as a set of potential causes and ef-
talented and gifted kids to socialize together, to just
and all of those who support the Belin-Blank Center.”
the tree stands as a symbol of the center’s caring and excellence.
hang out. 48
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• Junior Scholars Institute Students in grades 6 through 8 may nominate themselves for one of eight classes offered through the Junior Scholars Institute (JSI), a one-week residential summer program at The University of Iowa.
Grades 7 to 12
• Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
Hundreds of talented and gifted students from throughout the United States find their way to The University of Iowa in Iowa City for summer and weekend enrichment classes offered by the Belin-Blank Center. Enrichment opportunities also are offered in the Des Moines metro area.
For both younger and older students
For younger students
Grades K to 12
Grades 2 to 6
• Invent Iowa
• Challenges for Elementary School Students (CHESS)
The annual Invent Iowa program encourages students to think creatively and solve problems through the invention process. Now in its twenty-fifth year as part of the Belin-Blank Center, Invent Iowa has celebrated the work of tens of thousands of students. Selected inventors receive scholarships to The University of Iowa or Iowa State University and to Belin-Blank summer programs.
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These half-day classes are taught at a faster pace than in traditional schools; higher-order thinking skills are emphasized. Grades 4 to 8
• Challenge Saturdays High-ability students can register for half-day classes at
Grades 9 to 11
• National Scholars Institute
For older students
Opportunities for students abound
matics. The Academy of Applied Science distributes cash awards for the top three research projects in the Iowa region, and The University of Iowa awards scholarships to the top five finalists.
Students throughout the nation are encouraged to submit their best work to the annual Scholastic Art & Writing competition, coordinated in Iowa and the Midwest region by the Belin-Blank Center. Winners are recognized in the spring during a ceremony at The University of Iowa. Students compete in more than thirty categories, including animation, poetry, sculpture, fashion design, journalism, photography, writing, and video game design.
• Junior Science & Humanities Symposia The Junior Science and Humanities Symposia (JSHS) program recognizes original research and experimentation by gifted high school students in the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathe-
The National Scholars Institute (NSI) is a one-week residential summer program at The University of Iowa. NSI features coursework in physics, writing, engineering, health sciences, visual arts studio, advanced leadership seminar, Asian and Pacific studies, and evolutionary developmental biology.
• Secondary Student Training Program The Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP) is a six-week residential summer research program at The University of Iowa. Students in grades 10 and 11 — who nominate themselves — conduct scientific research in university laboratories under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
University of Iowa • Honors Opportunity Program The Honors Opportunity Program offers additional
The University of Iowa and at the Des Moines Central Academy to learn more about geometry, creative writing, robotics, and chemistry, among others.
• Iowa Talent Project The Iowa Talent Project (ITP) identifies a select group of highly able high school students from under-represented backgrounds from the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids school districts. These students attend Belin-Blank summer programs at The University of Iowa and during their high schools years, they focus on Advanced Placement (AP) courses. When they graduate from high school they attend The University of Iowa where they receive support and programming from the Belin-Blank Center. The goal of ITP is to ensure that students graduate from college.
• National Academy of Arts, Sciences, & Engineering The National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (NAASE), established in 1999, allows high-achieving students to enroll at The University of Iowa after their junior year in high school. Belin-Blank Center staffers and The University of Iowa work together to select students ready for college and then provide a community and guidance for those young scholars when they start classes.
• China and Hong Kong Scholars Program
Grades 6 to 8
• Blank Summer Institute Schools nominate seventh- and eighth-grade students for the Blank Summer Institute for the Arts & Sciences (BSI) at The University of Iowa. The one-week, residential summer program provides 120 of Iowa’s gifted students with an intensive and advanced intellectual experience.
challenges and support to honors students in the College of Education at The University of Iowa. Students are paired with faculty mentors on a research project, which leads to a publication, and are offered the opportunity to complete training in teaching talented and gifted students.
Jan Warren, Administrator for Student Programs
Brian Douglas, Administrator for Center Finances and Technology
Josh Jacobs, Administrator for Technology
Emily Ladendorf, Administrator for Digital Media and Technology
The China and Hong Kong Scholars Program (CSP/HKSP) is a unique program that provides a special opportunity for academically gifted high school students from across China and Hong Kong to attend a two-week Belin-Blank Center gifted program on The University of Iowa campus. Upon conclusion of the summer program, they are considered for early admission to The University of Iowa for undergraduate studies. Those selected receive support and programming from the Belin-Blank Center throughout their undergraduate years.
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5. Counseling & Empowering Some bright students, “twice-exceptional students,” experience learning, behavioral, social, or emotional difficulties. The H.B. and Jocelyn Wallace Assessment and Counseling Clinic at the Belin-Blank Center stands ready to help them reach their full potential.
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“These children are potentially one of the most crucial generations of Americans in our history. They rival the founding generations and the post-Civil War generation in terms of the work being asked of them… We need them not to fail, so we cannot possibly afford to fail them.”
Jorie Graham, Professor, Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Harvard University; Winner of 1996 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
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It would be easy to assume that life is easy for all talented and gifted children. Take the case of two junior high girls, Hannah and Carrie, both exceptionally bright at eleven and twelve years of age. Yet they were both having social difficulties at school. Their respective parents brought them each to the Counseling and Assessment Clinic at the Belin-Blank Center.
Dr. Megan Foley Nicpon, Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology Photo by Tim Schoon
Two days of comprehensive testing and interviews followed. Both girls scored high on academic ability — reading, math, memory — and fine-motor skills. But further testing found Carrie less attentive, less able to recognize faces and emotions, more impulsive, and less adaptive to social situations.
Dr. Alissa Doobay, Licensed Psychologist
The conclusion: Carrie demonstrated autism spectrum disorder; Hannah did not.
Wallace Assessment and Counseling Clinic at the Belin-
The psychologists — Dr. Susan Assouline, Dr. Megan Foley Nicpon, and Dr. Alissa Doobay — reported, in a later journal article, how limited testing could have missed the “nuances and subtleties” that were revealed in a comprehensive evaluation.
Twice-exceptional students may need extra support
The case study demonstrates what happens, and the level of expertise available, at the H.B. and Jocelyn
associate professor of counseling psychology at The Uni-
Blank Center.
“It’s kind of a myth that gifted kids will be fine, and we should leave them alone,” says Dr. Megan Foley Nicpon, versity of Iowa. “Research shows that gifted children can
and do experience social and emotional difficulties.” Since its opening, the clinic has assisted almost 1,000 families. The clinic is nationally known for its research, identification, and counseling of “twice-exceptional” students — individuals who are intellectually gifted but with a behavioral or emotional disorder, autism spectrum disorder, learning disorder, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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“These students are the next greatest generation, the generation that will steer, shape, and write the next chapter of the United States of America.”
– Sarvjeev Sidhu, Global Head, Emerging Markets at AEGON Asset Management, member of the Belin-Blank Advisory Board
The research on twice-exceptionality received a boost with a Jacob K. Javits grant from the federal government. The award funded assessments of seventy-seven gifted students. Analysis continues even today on those assessments, but a follow-up study by Foley Nicpon found that almost all the parents and students found the experience a positive one. The children and their parents reported fewer psycho-social problems and improved social interactions. The students’ coping skills also improved. “Not a lot of people are doing research on twice-excep-
tionality,” Foley Nicpon says. “I don’t know how many times I’ve had parents say, ‘You’re the first person to understand.’”
Providing individual assessment and counseling Dr. Alissa Doobay, who is now the clinic’s licensed psychologist, said parents usually contact the clinic for assessments of their children, though schools and doctors also make referrals.
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“Each student’s experience is different, but I have five words of advice: You’re going to be fine.”
support
– Julia ZalEnski, UI honors student in the Belin-Blank Center’s National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering (NAASE)
Typically, Doobay says, an assessment takes six to eight hours over a two-day period. Parents come prepared with the child’s developmental history and medical background, the family’s medical and psychiatric history, and completed checklists of behavioral issues. Doobay gives the child educational and psychological tests. She talks with the child about his or her interests, activities, hopes, and dreams. She interviews the parents about the child’s social interactions, what teachers have said over the years, and any stressors in the home. The end result is a comprehensive written report and diagnosis, which parents can share, if they choose, with a school or family doctor. The results can help parents and educators
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determine a child’s classroom needs. Doobay also will recommend services and areas for further assessment. Some families continue coming to the clinic for therapy, consultation, or reassessment. The clinic also offers training to counseling and school psychology students in the assessment and counseling of talented and gifted students. In addition, clinic results and experiences are continuously used in research. Doobay says the work is very rewarding. “You see what a huge difference an accurate diagnosis can make when very bright students finally have an answer to the challenges they face and are given the tools to achieve their potential. It’s reflected in heightened self-esteem, and it helps them move forward in ways they didn’t think possible.”
H.B. and Jocelyn Wallace and the Wallace Symposium:
Advancing the latest research in gifted education “On behalf of the Board of Regents, I’d like to say how proud we are of the Belin-Blank Center. No star shines
The late Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace
Gifts from H.B. and Jocelyn Wallace, and
were strong supporters of gifted
the Wallace Research Foundation, made
education and the Belin-Blank Center,
possible the Wallace Research Symposium
donating $2.7 million to support research
on Talent Development. The scholarly
symposia, scholarships, and programs
conferences have attracted hundreds of
for gifted students and teachers in rural
educators, researchers, and administrators
areas.
from around the world to learn about the
brighter in the University sky than the
The center’s Assessment and Counseling
Belin-Blank Center, which has built a
their financial gift and commitment to the
world-class program.”
of gifted students.
Clinic bears their name, demonstrating educational and social-emotional needs H.B., as he preferred to be called, was
– Jack Evans, President of Hall-Perrine Foundation, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Iowa Board of Regents
the son of famed Iowan Henry A. Wallace, who was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture from 1933 to 1940 and vice president during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third term.
latest research in gifted education. The first symposium was held in 1991, the most recent one in 2010. The next one is scheduled for 2014 in Washington, D.C. “The Wallace Symposium has built a very strong reputation both nationally and internationally as being the premier research symposium on gifted education and talent development,” Dr. Nicholas Colangelo says. “We have people from sociology, psychology, and psychiatry and
An Iowa State University graduate, H.B.
so it gives us very strong and diverse
Wallace parlayed a childhood interest in
dimensions. It’s one of our trademarks.
chickens into one of the world’s largest
And we have the Wallaces to thank for this
producers of eggs, Hy-Line International.
continuing impact.”
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6. Researching & Influencing The Belin-Blank Center has advocated for talented and gifted children for twenty-five years, and it has the research to back it up.
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Belin-Blank Center
“The center continues to pioneer and champion the truly worthy cause of gifted and talented education.� James Hoffman, Former President of Alliant Energy Resources and Executive Vice President of Business Development for Alliant Energy, Cedar Rapids; member of the Belin-Blank Advisory Board
The research conducted at the Belin-Blank Center doesn’t merely gather dust on a shelf: It positively impacts the lives of thousands of students around the country, indeed the world. Parents in Altoona, Iowa, share their story. “We were given copies of A Nation Deceived a few years ago when our daughter’s school brought up the idea of her skipping a grade. We were reluctant at first, but after reading the information, we made the choice to have her skip fifth grade. Our daughter is well-rounded and has only excelled beyond our expectations. She is still getting all A’s and continues to have lots of friends. She is in several clubs and continues to take accelerated classes. We are now looking into having her take college classes in eighth grade.”
“We thought we were jumping on the bandwagon, but we became the engine.” –Dr. Susan Assouline, Director of the Belin-Blank Center This is just one of scores of parent testimonials received by the Belin-Blank staff. They almost all cite Belin-Blank research in helping them advocate for the academic acceleration of their gifted children.
became the engine,” she says in summing up the impact the center’s research has had on gifted and talented education, particularly in the areas of academic acceleration and twice-exceptionality.
Research backs up advocacy That advocacy is grounded, first and foremost, in research, notes Dr. Susan Assouline, director of the Belin-Blank Center.
Dr. Assouline has had a front-row seat to that impact. She joined the center as a certified school psychologist in 1988 and then served as the center’s associate director for twenty-two years before being named its director in December 2012.
“We thought we were jumping on the bandwagon, but we
A Nation Deceived, published in 2004 (see Chapter 3),
compiled five decades of research on acceleration — the practice of moving gifted students ahead in school to a point where they are academically challenged. “The impact was tremendous. It’s known throughout the world,” Dr. Assouline says of the report, noting more than four million visits to the report’s web site and its translation into nine languages. The report, in turn, gave birth to the center’s Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration, the first of its kind in the world, where research into giftedness continues today.
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opportunity 66
Belin-Blank Center
Another watershed moment in the Belin-Blank Center’s history came in 2005, when the center received a federal grant to investigate twice-exceptionality — students who are intellectually gifted as well as having a behavioral, learning, or emotional disorder.
of their academic and psycho-social needs.
The grant supported research into gifted students with autism spectrum disorders, learning disabilities, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The research and counseling led to increased accommodations for twiceexceptional students, as well as improved understanding
A third area of research arose from the Belin-Blank Center’s annual Talent Search, where academically talented students are identified and recognized. Aggregate information about the students has been studied by a number of organizations. And the center’s use of the
“It’s been tremendously rewarding and important, impactful work,” Dr. Assouline says.
Recognizing the best & brightest
Talent Search model provides a framework for schools throughout the world wishing to identify and recognize their brightest students. But acceleration of academically talented students remains the Belin-Blank Center’s cornerstone intervention for bright students. The Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration, founded in 2006, is dedicated to serving educators, parents, students, administrators, and policymakers —
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“Today, as a result of globalization, the world is much more interconnected than it has ever been before. It is quite a different world than your parents or grandparents grew up in. It’s a very competitive world today, but I feel so proud to be among those of you who are going to keep the U.S. in a competitive environment.” – Gregs Thomopulos, chairman and CEO of Stanley Consultants Inc. of Muscatine, Iowa, member of the Belin-Blank Advisory Board
in short, anyone interested in learning how academic acceleration meets the needs of high-ability students. Dr. David Lohman, the Institute’s research director from 2006-2012, and Dr. Maureen Marron, associate research scientist from 20062013, established an international clearinghouse for research and policy on acceleration. The institute pulls together and summarizes relevant research in ways useful to educators, policymakers, and other researchers at the local, state, national, and international level. And the institute continues to study how different forms of academic acceleration affect students.
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Among its offerings, all available at www.accelerationinstitute.org, are: • Belin-Blank Ideal Solutions® for STEM Acceleration, a web-based tool for determining readiness for acceleration of students in those areas. • Guidelines for Developing an Academic Acceleration Policy, which can assist school districts in developing a policy on acceleration of gifted students. The guidelines are available in English and Korean. • The Iowa Acceleration Scale (3rd edition), an objective, decisionmaking guide to help a child’s parents and teachers determine if a student would benefit from grade skipping.
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Making a real difference in kids’ lives Together, the Belin-Blank Center’s research and tools have a daily, lasting impact on gifted students and their parents.
“I think students always have a right to ask themselves, ‘Is it really worth it for me to work hard? Is it really worth it for me to do my best?’ The short answer is, ‘Yes.’ The long answer is, ‘Yes.’ The answer is always going to be ‘Yes, to use your talents, to work hard with what you have.’ ”
– Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, Founder & Director Emeritus of the Belin-Blank Center 70
Belin-Blank Center
A parent from Pickerington, Ohio, shares that A Nation Deceived helped her persuade her school district to let her second-grade son join a third-grade math class. “This has been the BEST thing we have ever done for him. We were lucky enough to have a teacher who made this experience go so well. (The teacher) has told me multiple times that he amazes her every day, and that he is at the very top of her class. I only hope the school will open this up to more gifted students who truly need it.”
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7. Expanding & Globalizing What started as a small movement to help the state of Iowa has grown into an international organization, with many countries turning to the Belin-Blank Center to help them learn how to best identify and teach gifted students.
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“Knowledge is important because it leads to wisdom; wisdom is important because it leads to deed. One of the great differences between the United States and virtually every other country in the world is that we have so many people involved in volunteering their time in support of all kinds of charitable endeavors, ranging from education and the arts, to medicine and science; it’s the combination of the volunteerism, and the public and private support, that makes this the great nation that it is.�
David Belin
A good idea knows no boundaries, and the world has found its way to the BelinBlank Center, forging partnerships to identify talented and gifted students and their teachers in around forty-five countries. Belin-Blank professionals also journey to international conferences, sharing research, and serving as consultants in other countries determined to pursue educating their brightest students.
Here’s an overview of some of the international projects pursued by the Belin-Blank Center:
How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students and spearheaded development of the gifted center in Sydney.
Australia — Beginning in 1995, the center helped The Gifted Education Research, Resource and Information Centre (GERRIC) in Sydney, Australia, develop a system for identifying academically talented children in Australia. In cooperation with GERRIC, Drs. Colangelo and Assouline have routinely conducted workshops and presentations for Australian educators.
“The Belin-Blank Center is truly one of the world leaders in the field of gifted education. We are proud to be associated with them as academic partners,” Gross says.
Dr. Miraca U.M. Gross, director of GERRIC, from the University of New South Wales, co-authored with Colangelo and Assouline the seminal A Nation Deceived:
began partnering with the Israel Arts and Science Academy, a residential high school in Jerusalem
Israel — In the late 1990s, the Belin-Blank Center
that offers extracurricular mathematics and science enrichment for high-ability, middle-school students. The partnership has seen a number of visits back and forth between Belin-Blank and Israeli educators. The partnership culminated with Drs. Assouline and Colangelo giving keynote presentations at a prestigious international conference in Jerusalem. As part of the Israel Excellence program, U.S. and Israeli educators took turns writing math and science riddles for students in the United States and Israel.
South Korea — Science, math, and technology teachers from South Korea have attended professional development programs at the Belin-Blank Center. With the help of translators, experts in the field of gifted education lead sessions on concepts of giftedness and on creating lessons for gifted students. The visiting teachers also intern with master teachers and observe gifted programs in area schools. “My country gave me a chance to see the world and
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“The Belin-Blank Center has made a great contribution to the gifted world. It continues to do quality research and offers many valuable services to gifted individuals locally and globally.” – Dr. Wu-Tien Wu, Emeritus Professor of National Taiwan Normal University, and former President of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Taipei, Taiwan
(Bottom photo) The Belin-Blank Center hosted faculty and staff members from the National University of Science and Technology (MISiS) of Moscow.
to learn gifted education,” says Hong Kyunghee, a physics teacher from South Korea. “I thank (the Belin-Blank Center) for this chance.”
Chile — Belin-Blank staff members Drs. Laurie Croft and Clar Baldus, and Jan Warren, and former staff member Damien Ihrig have trained gifted education teachers in Santiago, Chile. “The Belin-Blank Center has been a lighthouse in gifted education — so powerful that its light has traveled all the way to South America,” said Dr. Violeta Arancibia, professor of psychology at the Universidad Católica and director of the Center of Students and Development of Talent in Santiago.
Mexico — Belin-Blank Center staff consulted with
In addition, scholars from around
Universidad Autonóma de Yucatán in establishing a new center on giftedness in Mérida, Mexico. Students from Mexico have attended summer enrichment programs at the center while staying on The University of Iowa campus in Iowa City.
the world have visited the Belin-Blank Center to conduct research, teach classes, observe classrooms, and enhance their expertise in gifted education.
Canada — The Belin-Blank Center partnered with The Centre for Gifted Education at the University of Calgary in Canada, identifying and testing gifted children in Alberta.
One of them was Dr. Kyungjin Kim, from South Korea, who studied for a year-and-a-half at the center, working with researchers and teaching a Saturday class for gifted students. The time at the center, she says, “broadened my understanding about gifted education, especially a gifted education system and the psychology of gifted students.”
The Templeton International Fellows Program (20082010) provided fifty-one international educators from forty-one different countries with information and skills to facilitate their advocacy on behalf of gifted children. The program began with attendance at the 2008 Wallace Symposium and formally concluded with the 2010 Wallace Symposium; however, most participants remain active in the field and are still connected to the BelinBlank Center through the Templeton Fellows Listserv.
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“The vision of the Belin-Blank Center has led to a worldwide awareness of the unique needs of gifted students and promoted excellence in education in general.”
– Hezki Arieli, Former Director General, The Society for Excellence through Education, Jerusalem, Israel
Cutlines for these photos?
(Top left) Summer participants in the China and Hong Kong Scholars Program. (Bottom left) Dr. Nicholas Colangelo meets with gifted students in Bratislava, Slovakia. (Bottom center) Dr. Laurie Croft congratulates a student in a residential academy in Kamshet, India. (Top right, bottom right) Students from around the globe are touched by the work of the Belin-Blank Center.
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What Belin-Blank Means to Me How did you get involved with the Belin-Blank Center? “I was a member of the inaugural class of NAASE (National Academy for the Arts, Sciences, and Engineering). I was 17 when I entered the program and left high school for the University. The Belin-Blank staff was great; even as the program was in its infancy, it felt like we were all doing something brand new. Nick Colangelo and Susan Assouline were always incredibly supportive, as was Jan Warren and Michelle Muratori (a former graduate assistant).” Administrators from the Belin-Blank Center consult all over the world. Dr. Laurie Croft had the opportunity to visit students in a residential academy for high-poverty children in Kamshet in the state of Maharashtra, India; students identified as gifted by the Tribal Mensa Nurturing Program receive additional enrichment and accelerative programming.
Lee has fond memories of her time with Belin-Blank and made several lifelong friends. In fact, a friend she made at Belin-Blank, Pam Anderson, was the maid of honor at her
“From my perspective, the Belin-Blank Center meets the highest standards of quality and richness in both research and education.” – Dr. Franz Mönks, Former President, European Council for High Ability (ECHA) Center for the Study of Giftedness, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Can you talk about the good and the bad side of being talented and gifted? “I have been aware of my classification as gifted/talented for almost as far back as I can remember. I reveled in it, sometimes too much.” Lee admits that it’s not always easy for gifted and talented kids to fit in. They want to be proud of their accomplishments, but they don’t want to make their classmates feel uncomfortable. “It was a tremendous boon, being able to handle accelerated coursework and having the opportunity to accelerate and not be limited by age. I was able to leave high school early, graduate college by the age of 19, and enter medical school by the age of 20 because of it. These days I work with tons of amazingly talented people at one of the top medical schools in the country.”
nurture E i l een Lee, M.D.
wedding.
Instructor in Medicine Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis, Missouri
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8. Creating & Inventing Not all learning comes from the pages of a book. Creativity, artistry and self-expression are equally important.
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“Teaching happens throughout your life. And what is wonderful is when one can be open enough to teaching to continue that process of interchange throughout one’s life.” Antonio Damasio, ph.d., m.d. Professor of Neuroscience at The University of Southern California, former Professor of Neurology at The University of Iowa
Often, kids learn the most about themselves, and the world, when allowed to create and invent. Invent Iowa is one of the state’s oldest STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) outreach programs, with regional competitions for students in kindergarten through twelfth grade. The winners advance to the state “invention convention” held alternately at The University of Iowa and The Iowa State University Colleges of Engineering. Winners receive a $500 scholarship to either university. Approximately one-half million Iowa students have participated since the program began in 1987; Invent Iowa has been a part of the Belin-Blank Center since the center’s inception. Over the years, young inventors have indeed invented a better, more humane, mouse trap, in addition to developing myriad other inventions,
Since 1987, almost a half million elementary, middle school, and high school students have been involved in the Invent Iowa program, developing their creative thinking, problem-solving, and research skills.
from motorized skateboards to mitten driers, not to
participated in the early years of Belin-Blank’s Invent
walker; today, he’s a producer/director for Red Bull
mention diagnostics and therapeutics for macular
Iowa competition. “Our kids are 24 to 27 now,” says
Moving Images in Santa Monica, California. When
degeneration-related disorders and genetic markers
Sharon Schrunk, of Spirit Lake, Iowa, noting that the
Gineal Schrunk, now 24, was in fourth grade, she
for improved meat characteristics in animals.
program helped each of her children express their own
invented a Portable Pitching Pal. Today, she’s finishing
unique creativity. “It’s an awesome program, a creative
her teaching degree. Twins Erin and Caedryn, both
outlet for creative kids,” she says.
26, also participated in Invent Iowa. Present day, Erin
She fondly recalls her oldest, Nicholas, coming
is graduating from The University of Iowa’s Carver
home from school, excitedly waving the Invent Iowa
College of Medicine, and Caedryn works in marketing
registration papers over his head. When he was in
and creative for Nike. “Invent Iowa was the highlight of
first grade, Nicholas invented a motorized guinea pig
their elementary years,” says Sharon Schrunk.
In the process, the students practice creative thinking, problem-solving, and research skills. They also practice writing and public speaking when they present their inventions. All four of Michael and Sharon Schrunk’s children
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“It’s not enough to be smart. A true scholar is perpetually curious, seeking avenues to use his or her talents to make the world a better place.” – dr. Sandra Bowman Damico, Former Dean of the College of Education, The University of Iowa
Developing talent in the arts What about the student who has mastered piano or cello or dance or who shows promise as a writer, a painter or composer? Enter Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan of Woody Creek, Colorado, whose total gifts of more than $1.5 million created programs and scholarships to encourage and nurture young artists and writers.
Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board, sees the arts as an integral part of every person’s education.
developed for children with ability and interest in the arts,” she says.
“As more and more art programs are cut from school budgets, I felt compelled to make a contribution to the Belin-Blank Center so that programs could be
The Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan Arts Program annually honors an arts teacher and provides about twentyfive scholarships to artistically gifted and talented students to attend the center’s on-campus summer programs. Some 275 students in grades four to eleven have attended summer visual arts programs since 2007.
Dr. Nicholas Colangelo says, “These gifts take the Belin-Blank Center not only in new directions, but to a new level of outreach. It provides the center with the resources to make the arts a focus of our future.” Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan
Trained as a photographer, Scanlan, a member of the
Cayli Graham
Thad Stalmack II
to know people who share my art interest,” Cayli says, adding she “absolutely loved” the Institute experience. “I was inspired by all of the wonderful people there who shared my passion for art. We worked throughout our stay and visited a museum, gallery, and toured parts of the campus at The University of Iowa. I made great friends.
Two of those attending the National Scholars Institute for visual arts in the summer of 2012 were Cayli Graham of Ogden, Iowa, and Thad Stalmack II of Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“The instructor who coached us really broadened my creative thoughts and taught me techniques that I wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. I took home two finished paintings, a load of creative ideas, and a big smile on my face.”
“Coming from a small town, I have never gotten
Thad, too, cites the friendships he made and
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“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” – Margaret Mead
“spending time with a bunch of people, outside my comfort zone, who shared a love of art like I do.” Both say the experience affirmed their goal of pursuing art as a college major. “The camp gave me a boost of confidence in my abilities and dreams for the future,” Cayli says. “It was a very nice way to shake some of the fears about college that most have at my age and also reassure myself that my major suits me.”
invent
“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience,” Thad adds.
Dr. Clar Baldus, Administrator for the Arts
And that’s what the arts program is all about, says Dr. Clar Baldus, the Center’s Administrator for the Arts.
“Talent development of young artists and creative writers is central to the Belin-Blank Center’s mission,” she says. “The center encourages and celebrates artistic creativity through programming, advocacy, and environment. The creative process provides a path not only to make art, but to achieve success in every field of endeavor.” The Bucksbaum Scanlan endowment also helps support the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards program, which receives thousands of entries each year from students in grades seven through twelve. The Belin-Blank Center serves as a regional center for the competition. Another happy, fun competition, Dr. Baldus says, is Vision of Inventiveness, which began in 2001. It invites students to visualize and draw a creative solution to an open-ended problem — say, a drought or a flood; what to do with old CDs; or ways to peel fruit. That program, an offshoot of Invent Iowa, is supported in part by the McKee Voorhees & Sears law firm in Des Moines.
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What Belin-Blank Means to Me How did your kids get involved with Belin-Blank programs? Sarvjeev Sidhu, an executive with AEGON in Blank Center Advisory Board. Perhaps more
fascinated with scientific research and was
importantly, he and his wife, Homa, have chil-
accepted into the Belin-Blank Center’s Na-
dren in Belin-Blank programs.
tional Academy of Arts, Sciences, and En-
environment,” Sidhu says. Their second child, Shairaz, felt unchallenged and lacked motivation in the structured environment of a public elementary school. “It was clear that Shairaz was showing lack of interest in schoolwork, and we felt a need for a more
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versity of Rochester. The Sidhus’ oldest child, Shabana, was
demic abilities often struggle in a school
– Dr. Randi Levitz, Belin-Blank Advisory Board
studying biomedical engineering at The Uni-
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a member of the Belin-
“Children with highly gifted, talented aca-
“Parents and teachers have a job: to help students interpret what they’re learning, to cheer them on from the sidelines, and to clear obstacles from their path so they can move forward ever faster.”
mathematics, research, and arts. He is now
gineering and early admission to The University of Iowa after her junior year in high school. Shabana is a now a college junior with interests in genetics and biotechnology, and a career in medicine.
How has the center helped you as a parent?
stimulating environment. The Belin-Blank
“It is important for parents to take the initia-
Center’s CHESS (Challenges for Elementary
tive to inspire and motivate their children.
School Students) and WINGS (Weekend In-
But the Belin-Blank Center has provided our
stitute for Gifted Students) programs gave
family a helping hand in figuring out the op-
S a rv j e ev Sidhu
Shairaz an opportunity to explore subjects
portunities available to gifted and talented
Global Head, Emerging Markets at AEGON Asset Management Cedar Rapids, Iowa Member of the Belin-Blank Advisory Board
of interest, while matched with other gifted
children. This effort has come together un-
and talented students. This was the begin-
der the leadership of Nick Colangelo, Susan
ning of our family’s association with the
Assouline, and the staff at the Belin-Blank
Belin-Blank Center.”
Center.
The staff at the Belin-Blank Center would
“This institution is not only about creating the
help Shairaz in the grade acceleration pro-
environment for our children, but to also help
cess. He would take advantage of intel-
them dream the impossible, a truly transfor-
lectually challenging programs in science,
mative experience for the gifted and talented.”
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9. Giving & Giving Back The expanding and life-changing work of the Belin-Blank Center has been enhanced by the selfless gifts of a number of benefactors.
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“The Belin-Blank founders ... what great people with great vision.� Douglas True, Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations at The University of Iowa
The first donation Dr. Susan Assouline received after becoming director of the Belin-Blank Center in December 2012 was from a former Blank Summer Institute student, Alyssa Levitz, 24, now a young working professional, who lives in Seattle and works for Microsoft.
The Belin-Blank Center takes great pride in working to make sure that their programs are available to all students, regardless of a family’s finances. “Economics shouldn’t hold you back,” says Founder and Director Emeritus Dr. Nicholas Colangelo. “We give a tremendous amount of financial aid.” In addition, the center works to help students and their families learn more about how to access resources that can help them achieve.
In her letter, Levitz wrote, “The program helped foster my love of science, kept me engaged over the summer, and gave me a taste of ‘college life’ in the dorms that was so exciting at the time. I also formed several lifelong friendships. … I am thrilled to be able to donate even a small amount toward helping other kids have the same sort of experience.” The gift touched Dr. Assouline. “I don’t know that I would have thought to do that at such a young age,” she says.
Gifts — small, large, and some beyond generous — have supported the Belin-Blank Center, and the students, teachers, and researchers it serves, since the center’s founding.
center in private gifts and grants. Federal and state
Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank laid the foundation for the center and enabled its growth with gifts of $12 million. The Belin and Wallace families and their foundations have donated more than $2 million each. Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan has given more than $1.5 million for the arts program.
Donors, large and small, “are tremendously caring
In total, more than $25 million has come to the
Without them, we couldn’t.”
grants — representing taxpayer support of the center’s ideas and goals — have provided another $15.7 million.
and visionary people who want to make a difference in the lives of students and teachers,” says Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, who was the center’s director for twenty-five years. “Thanks to these gifts, we can continue programs and learning for a long, long time.
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“From its infancy twenty-five years ago, the team at Belin-Blank has grown to national and international prominence helping kids, teachers, and parents maximize their gifts to this and future generations.”
– Ann Hoffman, Facilitator and Research Associate for the Center for Research on Learning at The University of Kansas; member of the Belin-Blank Advisory Board
The 2012-2013 Staff: Susan Assouline, Clar Baldus, Amanda Berns, Rachelle Blackwell, Pam Bullers, Elise Charles, Nicholas Colangelo, Laurie Croft, Alissa Doobay, Brian Douglas, Debbie Green, Nanseol Heo, Lori Hudson, Lori Ihrig, Joshua Jacobs, Melissa Keeling, Clark Kopelman, Emily Ladendorf, Leon Lueck, Ana Magallanes, Maureen Marron, Kirstin Miller, Jean Oberbroeckling, Bridget Pauley, Rachel Revelez, Allison Richards, Jan Warren, Alex Wenger, and Nancy Whetstine. Not pictured: Kate Degner, Megan Foley Nicpon, and Zach Sussman. 25 Years of Inspiration and Excellence
97
thank you The Belin-Blank Honor Roll
The University of Iowa College of Education’s Belin-Blank Center and The University of Iowa Foundation gratefully recognize the generosity of the following individuals and organizations who have made gifts and pledges of $1,000 or more through April 15, 2013, to the Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.
Contributors of $5,000,000 and Above Myron N. and Jacqueline N. Blank Contributors of $3,000,000 through $4,999,999 John Templeton Foundation Contributors of $1,000,000 through $2,999,999 Cole-Belin Education Foundation
Aviva Charitable Foundation
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Belin-Blank Center
– Darrell Wyrick, President Emeritus, UI Foundation
Jim and Ann Hoffman
Gregory W. and Suzie Glazer Burt
Austin D. Blank
Spencer and Jaye H. Kennedy
Roger K. Brooks and Sunnie Richer
Paul S. and Angela S. Hott
James J. and Marcia J. Kerwin
Nicholas and Kay Colangelo
Matthew and Kay Bucksbaum
Jeffrey E. and Jane Lamson
Mansfield Charitable Foundation
Michael and Barbara McCoy Gartner
Iowa Foundation for Education, Environment, and the Arts
Shayla and Joel From, Bob and JoLee Scarborough, and T. Robert Scarborough
Quentin R. and Inez L. Boyken
Richard L. Ferguson
Morris and Susan Mark
Sandra Sands Karottki
The College Board
Mark McCormick
Messengers of Healing Winds Foundation
Richard S. and Jeanne S. Levitt
Kenneth E. Jones and Signe Kim Lauridsen-Jones
Maurice S. and Dorothy R. Bucksbaum
R.J. McElroy Trust
Iowa Intellectual Property Law Association Gary S. and Randi S. Levitz
Marvin J. Klass
Arvind J. and Swati Dandekar
MidWestOne Bank
ENT Medical Services, P.C.
Len and Eileen K. Newman
Sandor D. Fein
Louise Rosenfield Noun
First Citizens National Bank Charitable Foundation, Inc.
Ohnward Bancshares
Beverly Blank Perry Foundation, Beverly Blank Perry, and Jeffrey R. Perry Variety — The Children’s Charity of Iowa Linda Wallace-Gray
Contributors of $100,000 through $499,999
that chosen program through extraordinarily generous support.”
Belin McCormick P. C.
Henry B. and Jocelyn M. Wallace
Wallace Research Foundation
donor to study and analyze the value of a particular program and then build and enhance
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Henry D. Wallace
The Davidson Foundation Inc.
because of their interest in a particular program or topic. That type of interest leads the
BP Foundation, Inc.
Mary Bucksbaum and Patrick Scanlan
Contributors of $500,000 through $999,999
“The Blanks exemplified those friends of the University who have ‘adopted’ the university
Ann V. York Contributors of $25,000 through $99,999
Philip G. and Lois F. Roets Contributors of $10,000 through $24,999 Alliant Energy Foundation, Inc. Jose G. and Susan G. Assouline Joanne H. and Milton J. Brown Burnett Family Foundation Robert A. and Gloria M. Burnett Mary Sue and Kenneth M. Coleman
Lumina Foundation for Education, Inc. Marty Nemko Charles M. and Mary Ann Peters Mary A. and Suku V. Radia Julianne E. and Marty R. Smith W. Alexander and Eva Vacca F. Arthur Wittern, Jr., and Carol Wittern Contributors of $5,000 through $9,999
Dave Lash Memorial Fund McKee, Voorhees & Sease, P.L.C. Rose Lee and Marvin A. Pomerantz Stanley Consultants Charitable Foundation
Rosalie B. Gallagher
Shirley L. Wyrick
David A. and Elizabeth V. Hoak
Curtis T. Poor and Katherine M. Sigardson-Poor
James Hoak, Jr., and Nancy J. Hoak
Qwest
Jonathan S. Hoak
Sheldon and Roselind Rabinowitz Rockwell Collins
Contributors of $1,000 through $4,999
Tom D. Ghrist, Sr., and Joan L. Ghrist
ACT Inc.
Joy C. Corning
Loretta A. and Kent Angerer
BP Amoco
The Ahmanson Foundation
Jerry and Laurie J. Croft
George L. and Marilyn Baker
Bankers Trust
Helen H. Hubbell and James W. Hubbell, Jr.
Robert H. and Mary Jane Asher
Jack B. and Nancy H. Evans
Alan H. Blank
Bankers Trust Company
Iowa Farm Bureau Federation
Mark C. and Cheryl A. Falb
Bloomhall Family DA Fund
Andrea Birt
Robert E. Josten
Patricia Williams Ballou
John and Mary L. Pappajohn Jean P. and Reuben G. Peterson
E. John Rosenwald, Jr., and Patricia Rosenwald
Gifts can be made through The University of Iowa Foundation, Levitt Center for University Advancement, 1 West Park Road, Iowa City, Iowa 52244; (800) 648-6972 or (319) 335-3305; www.uifoundation.org.
Shannon Ross-Sheehy and Andrew Sheehy Richard Sawyer Kristin L. Schultz Stephen B. and Judith A. Schultz Security State Bank Jon L. Staudt Steindler Orthopedic Clinic, P.L.C. Roger T. Stetson Gregs G. and Mettie L. Thomopulos Paul G. and Jeanne S. Thompson Tippin’s Restaurants, Inc. Frederic J. and Virginia Tremmel Helen J. Urban and Thomas Nelson Urban, Sr. Charitable Foundation Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. Charles H. and Claire S. Whiteman Steven E. Zumbach
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Men-Je an Lee, M.D. (pictured with son, Alessandro) Associate Professor Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, Indiana
What Belin-Blank Means to Me How did you get involved with the Belin-Blank Center?
Would you recommend it to others?
”When I was in high school, participating in
gram, too, and this past summer (2012), my
the University's Secondary Student Training
son Alessandro was there to study the effects
Program launched my research career. It was
of caffeine on fruit flies. I just love the SSTP
a life-changing experience. I lived on The Uni-
program and can’t wait till my other sons are
versity of Iowa campus for eight weeks in the
old enough to participate!”
“All three of my siblings went through the pro-
summers of 1981, 1982, and 1983 and conducted research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.”
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10. Leading & Guiding As the reach and impact of the Belin-Blank Center grew, its national Advisory Board helped point the way.
102 Belin-Blank Center
“Right here in Iowa, in the heart of our country, the Belin-Blank Center is an international jewel for gifted education.� Tom Vilsack, Former Governor of Iowa, Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mark McCormick says he became the first chairman of the Belin-Blank Center’s Advisory Board in 1999 as a way to honor David Belin, a good friend and one of the founding members of a major law firm in Des Moines, Iowa, and of the Belin-Blank Center. McCormick was a justice on the Iowa Supreme Court when Belin persuaded him to join the firm, now known as Belin McCormick, in 1986. David and Connie Belin, he says, were very interested in education. “Partly because they had children who were gifted, they were sensitive to the fact the school system lacked programs tailored to the
needs and abilities of children at that end of the ability spectrum,” he says. When David Belin died in 1999, Dr. Nicholas Colangelo contacted Belin’s law firm to see if another member of the firm would be interested in serving on the National Advisory Board. McCormick’s daughter, Kate, had been one of the gifted students recognized in the 1998
Belin-Blank Recognition Ceremony. With that introduction to the center, and as “a way to honor David’s memory,” McCormick volunteered. “David and I had talked on numerous occasions about the status of gifted education because we each had children who had been involved in those programs in our local school district and had a shared interest in the goals of the center,” he says.
This 1999 photo of The Belin-Blank Center’s initial nineteen-member board includes: Back row, from far left: Michael Gartner, Michael New, Robert Burnett, Nicholas Colangelo, Tom Belin Middle row, from left: Joy Corning, Ted Wheat, Travena Potter-Hall, Roger Brooks Front row, from left: Susan Assouline, Jackie Blank, Mike Blank, Sandra Bowman Damico, Mark McCormick, Joanne Brown, Darrell Wyrick, and Suku Radia
104 Belin-Blank Center
Dr. Colangelo, he says, “was able to assemble a wonderful group of individuals to serve on the initial board.” “I learned a good deal more about the center and was fortunate to see the fruition of Nick’s goal to have a building constructed that would be dedicated to the center,” McCormick adds. “He and Susan (Assouline) are wonderful people, and the center and its programs owe their success in substantial part to their dedication to its programs.” The National Advisory Board first met on July 23, 1999, at The University of Iowa.
McCormick agreed to chair the board. Honorary cochairs were Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank. The Belin’s son, Tom Belin of Santa Monica, California, a professor of biostatistics at The University of California-Los Angeles, also was an initial board member and now chairs the Advisory Board. The board, which meets annually, was created to provide advice and consultation on policy, programming, and fundraising for the center.
students,” Dr. Colangelo says. “I would add my deep appreciation for the dedication of the board members, which is demonstrated by their timely advice and recommendations, often reflecting business and organizational acumen that help us in our mission,” says Dr. Susan Assouline. “The board members inspire others with their generosity and certainly inspire the staff to strive to provide programming that is at a level of expertise that matches the board members’ generosity.”
“The board has provided important leadership for the Belin-Blank Center as well for the education for gifted
Belin-Blank Center Advisory Board
“It took us ten years to become an overnight success.” – Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, Founder & Director Emeritus of the Belin-Blank Center
Founders:
Swati Dandekar, Marion, Iowa
Darrell Wyrick, Iowa City, Iowa
Jerry Harris, Dallas, Texas
David Belin*, West Des Moines, Iowa
Bob Davidson, Incline Village, Nevada
Ex-Officio Members:
Michael Hogan, Storrs, Connecticut
Connie Belin*, West Des Moines, Iowa
Jan Davidson, Incline Village, Nevada
Myron Blank*, Des Moines, Iowa
Susan Assouline, Iowa City, Iowa
Jeanne Levitt, Des Moines, Iowa
Nancy Evans, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
P. Barry Butler, Iowa City, Iowa
Mark McCormick, Des Moines, Iowa
Jacqueline N. Blank*, Des Moines, Iowa
Dick Ferguson, Iowa City, Iowa
Nicholas Colangelo, Iowa City, Iowa
Michael New*, Iowa City, Iowa
Of the original members, six continue to serve on the board in 2012-13: Tom Belin, Joanne Brown,
Ann Hoffman, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Lynette Marshall, Iowa City, Iowa
John P. Rigler II, Clive, Iowa
Jim Hoffman, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Sally Mason, Iowa City, Iowa
David Skorton, Ithaca, New York
Randi Levitz, Iowa City, Iowa
Tom Rocklin, Iowa City, Iowa
Carmen Sosa*, Ankeny, Iowa
Ann Hoffman, James Hoffman, Jeffrey Perry, and Suku Radia
Jeffrey Perry, Scarsdale, New York
Art Spisak, Iowa City, Iowa
Ted Wheat*, Des Moines, Iowa
Chuck Peters, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
The current members of the National Advisory Board are:
Suku Radia, Des Moines, Iowa
Emeritus Members:
Jocelyn Wallace*, Poughkeepsie, New York
Mary Jane Asher, Chicago, Illinois
Art Wittern, West Des Moines, Iowa
Robert Asher, Chicago, Illinois
Carol Wittern, West Des Moines, Iowa
Theodore (Bob) Scarborough, Chicago, Illinois
Roger Brooks, Des Moines, Iowa
Ann York*, Iowa City, Iowa
Sarvjeev Sidhu, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Mary Sue Coleman, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Barbara Ross Belin, New York, New York
Gregs Thomopulos, Muscatine, Iowa
Sandy Fein, Wilmington, North Carolina
Paul Thompson, Denver, Colorado
Joanne Brown, West Des Moines, Iowa
Gary Fethke, Iowa City, Iowa
Gregory Walker, Chicago, Illinois
Joy Corning, Des Moines, Iowa
Michael Gartner, Des Moines, Iowa
Jon Whitmore, Iowa City, Iowa
Travena Potter-Hall, Ithaca, New York
Tom Belin, chairman, Santa Monica, California George Baker, Snowmass Village, Colorado
106 Belin-Blank Center
Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan, Woody Creek, Colorado
Robert Burnett, Des Moines, Iowa
Honorary: H.B. Wallace* * In memoriam
State and national leaders have been proud and supportive partners of the Belin-Blank Center, including Iowa Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds (opposite page); Tom Belin (top left); Paul and Angie Hott and Nicholas Colangelo (top center); Darrell Wyrick, Tom Belin, and Shirley Wyrick (top right); Ann Hoffman and Susan Assouline (bottom right).
“The center has earned an international reputation for success while helping thousands of gifted and talented students work toward realizing their potential.”
partners
– Dr. P. Barry Butler,
Executive Vice President and Provost, The University of Iowa
25 Years of Inspiration and Excellence 109
25 Years of Inspiring Excellence 1978- Belin-Blank Teacher Fellowship Program preceding 1987 the establishment of the Belin-Blank Center. 1988 Iowa State Board of Regents establishes Connie
First Summer Institute for Creative Engineering and Inventiveness.
1991 First biennial National Wallace Research Symposium on Talent Development.
Belin National Center for Gifted Education, with Dr. Nicholas Colangelo as director.
include tens of thousands of students.
Handbook for Gifted Education (first edition) published, edited by Nick Colangelo and Gary Davis.
1992 First Talent Search is conducted, now known as
Cole-Belin Foundation endows professional development.
1990 First Leadership Institute for talented and gifted educators in Iowa.
1989
Myron (above left) and Jacqueline N. Blank gift $1 million; UI appoints Dr. Nicholas Colangelo Blank Chair in Gifted Education
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Belin-Blank Center approved as site for State of Iowa’s Talented and Gifted Endorsement.
Jan Warren becomes the Administrator for Student Programs.
Blanks endow student scholarships for Blank Summer Institute for the Arts and Sciences.
1994 Iowa Talent Project for under-represented students from Des Moines.
1995 Belin Center renamed The Connie Belin &
Belin-Blank Exceptional Student Talent Search (BESTS).
Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.
First National Scholars Academy.
First Junior Scholars Academy.
Challenges for Elementary School Students.
World Council for Gifted and Talented headquartered at the center (1995-97).
1990
The first Summer Institute for Creative Engineering and Inventiveness
1991
Dr. Susan Assouline is appointed associate director
1992
National Scholars Academy
1993
First Recognition Ceremony honoring outstanding students and teachers
Handbook of Gifted Education (second edition) published, edited by Nick Colangelo and Gary Davis.
1998 Blanks endow 120 student scholarships for the Blank Summer Institute.
Jerilyn Fisher becomes the Administrator for Conferences and Events (1995-2011).
First Wallace Policy and Leadership Conference. Iowa Acceleration Scale and Manual published by Dr. Susan Assouline, Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, et al.
1996 Blanks give $1 million for center development and publicity.
1994
Iowa Talent Project
Dr. Laurie Croft becomes the Administrator for Professional Development.
Wallace family endows Wallace Policy & Leadership Initiatives.
1999 First class of National Academy of Arts, Sciences,
First Environmental Health Sciences Institute.
Project ACHIEVE for gifted students from inner-city Chicago.
Family counseling program initiated.
1988
Brian Douglas becomes the Administrator for Technology and Finances.
(sponsored by Henry B. and Jocelyn Wallace) to honor outstanding students and their teachers.
Dr. Susan Assouline appointed associate director of center.
1989 Invent Iowa. The annual competition grows to
American Regions Mathematics League (ARML) competition first hosted by Belin-Blank Center.
1993 1,300 attend first Recognition Ceremony
Honors Opportunity Program developed for undergraduates in the UI teacher education program.
Eighty students attend first program in gifted education, called the Iowa Governor’s Institute, at The University of Iowa.
Myron and Jacqueline N. Blank give $1 million to endow a university chair in gifted education; Professor Nicholas Colangelo appointed.
| A look at Belin-Blank through the years
and Engineering (NAASE) students gain earlyentrance to University of Iowa.
1997 Blanks give $1 million to support center’s technology programming. International partnerships established with Australia and Canada. Chile is added in 2000, and Israel in 2002. Belin-Blank Center hosts 12th Biennial World Conference for Gifted Children in Seattle, Washington.
1995
First Junior Scholars Academy
1996
Blanks give $1 million to support center’s technology programming
Handbook of Gifted Education (2nd edition) published
2000 Blanks pledge $5 million toward Blank Honors Center. David W. Belin Excellence in Teaching Award established. Assessment and Counseling Clinic established. Dr. Clar Baldus becomes the Administrator for Iowa Online AP Academy (IOAPA) (2000-2012) and the Bucksbaum Arts Program. Damien Ihrig becomes the Administrator for Talent Search (2000-2008).
2001 Ground broken for Myron & Jacqueline N. Blank
Center’s National Advisory Board meets for first time.
Honors Center.
Belin-Blank becomes headquarters for Invent Iowa.
Challenge Math (renamed Challenge Saturday).
Middle School Talent Search.
Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy established, allowing high school students to take web-based AP classes.
First biennial Wallace Conference on Gifted Education in Rural Schools.
1997
Weekend Institute for Gifted Students established.
1998
Blanks endow 120 scholarships for Summer Institute
1999
First Middle School Talent Search
2000
Teaching Award established in honor of David Belin
2001
Groundbreaking ceremony for Myron & Jacqueline N. Blank Honors Center
25 Years of Inspiration and Excellence 111
2002 First program for Korean Gifted Educators. Web coursework becomes available to talented and gifted teachers. Davidson Foundation awards grant for National Academy of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering. Advanced Placement courses offered via the Iowa Communications Network.
2003 Handbook of Gifted Education (third edition) published, edited by Nick Colangelo and Gary Davis.
Davidson Institute for Talent Development Research study.
Foreign Language Summer Institute.
Dr. David Lohman appointed Research Director of Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration.
Challenge Science and Challenge Language Arts (renamed Challenge Saturday). Dr. Megan Foley Nicpon becomes the Administrator for the Wallace Assessment and Counseling Clinic. David Rogers becomes the Administrator for the Javits Alternative School Program (2004-2007).
2005 Best Practices in Identification of Twice-Exceptional
Asian & Pacific Studies Institute.
Students (for gifted students with disabilities).
Iowa Excellence Program. Assessment & Counseling Clinic funded by H.B. and Jocelyn Wallace. Catherine Blando becomes Administrator for Curriculum Development (2003-2012).
2004 Belin-Blank Center moves into new, six-story Blank Honors Center on University of Iowa campus. A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students authored and edited by Drs. Nicholas Colangelo, Susan Assouline
2002
and Miraca Gross, spurs national discussion on talented and gifted education.
Mary Bucksbaum Scanlan Program for the Visual Arts. Developing Math Talent published by Susan Assouline and A.E. Lupkowsi-Shoplik. Dr. Claire Whiteman joins the Assessment and Counseling Clinic (2005-2012).
2006 The John Templeton Foundation awards grant to begin Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration, to study early entry to college for exceptional students.
2003
2004
2005
Josh Jacobs becomes the Administrator for Technology. Dr. Maureen Marron becomes the Administrator for the Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration (2006-2013).
2007 Iowa Legislature awards $400,000 to support Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy. China Scholars Program.
Pamela Bullers (Belin-Blank Center secretary from 1987- 2008) appointed Administrative Specialist.
2008 The John Templeton Foundation awards $450,000
to bring international educators to the UI, beginning the Templeton International Fellowship Program. Iowa Governor’s Conference on Advanced Placement. Fifty students from China participate in summer program for gifted students, with ten later enrolling at the UI.
2007
2012 Center co-hosts Templeton Summit on Acceleration
original Templeton International Fellows to attend the 10th Wallace Research Symposium on Talent Development.
in Washington, D.C., with the National Association for Gifted Children.
America’s Brightest Students website surpasses three million visits.
Developing Math Talent: A Comprehensive Guide to Math Education for Gifted Students in Elementary and Middle School (2nd edition, Assouline and Lupkowski-Shoplik) is published.
A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students translated into seven languages.
Dr. Alissa Doobay joins the Assessment and Counseling Clinic.
Belin-Blank Center is named lead author of Guidelines for Developing an Academic Acceleration Policy by the National Workgroup on Acceleration.
Emily Ladendorf becomes the Administrator for Social Media and Technology.
2009 A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back
2010 A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s
Gifted students from Yucatan, Mexico, visit Belin-Blank Center for learning and cultural immersion program.
2006
Belin-Blank Center celebrates 20th anniversary.
Brightest Students is translated into two more languages: Hindi and Korean. IDEAL Solutions® for Acceleration is developed. Center unveils National Institute for TwiceExceptionality. The John Templeton Foundation awards $1 million to expand acceleration policy initiatives. Third Templeton Summit on Acceleration. Templeton Conference Award enables seventeen of
2008
2009
Debbie Green appointed College of Education and Belin-Blank Center Development Officer.
Center partners with UI’s Division of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures to develop World Languages Institute. Dr. Susan Assouline named director of Belin-Blank Center in December, following retirement of Dr. Nicholas Colangelo, who is appointed interim dean of the UI College of Education. Jean Oberbroeckling and Leon Lueck become Administrators for Invent Iowa.
2013 Dr. Kate Degner appointed Administrator for the
2011 Center hosts Iowa Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.
Lori Ihrig appointed administrator of Student Program Faculty.
First Hong Kong Scholars Program. First India International School Leadership Summit, in partnership with UI College of Education and Division of Continuing Education. Secondary Student Training Program, a successful UI summer program for high school students, moves to center.
2010
2011
Iowa Online Advanced Placement Academy (IOAPA).
Dr. Leslie Flynn appointed STEM administrator.
Belin-Blank Center celebrates twenty-fifth year. Center completes successful $2.5 million campaign for 25th anniversary.
2012
2013
Nurturing Potential Inspiring Excellence
Belin-Blank Center
25 Years of Inspiration & Excellence
First program for Korean Gifted Educators
Iowa Excellence Program
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Blank Honors Center on University of Iowa campus opens
A Nation Deceived is published
Developing Math Talent published
Templeton Foundation awards grant to begin Institute for Research and Policy on Acceleration
China Scholars Program
Templeton International Fellowship Program
Nation Deceived website A surpasses three million visits
Templeton Foundation awards $1 million to expand acceleration policy initiatives
First India International School Leadership Summit
Dr. Susan Assouline named director, following Dr. Nick Colangelo’s retirement
Belin-Blank Center celebrates its twentyfifth year
25 Years of Inspiration and Excellence 113
Belin-Blank Center: 25 Years of Inspiration and Excellence Acknowledgments Published by The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Writer: Mary Sharp Photographer: Mark Tade Designer: Tara Ellison Editor: Karen Klinkefus Product manager: Mattie Brawner
The students featured on the front cover are the children of several Belin-Blank Center staff members: (left to right) Maya Warren (daughter of Jan Warren); Aiden Seifert (son of Melissa Keeling); and Makensie Hansen-Rich (daughter of Rachelle Blackwell) With heartfelt thanks to the entire Belin-Blank Center staff for their help in bringing this book to life. It is their continuing dedication that has helped the Belin-Blank Center reach this significant milestone.
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