Durham, NC — Duke University’s Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP), a leader in gifted education services and resources, is now offering the Duke Gifted Letter online and without charge. The seven-year-old publication has filled a critical need in the gifted field by providing timely and practical information for parents of academically gifted children. Former editor, Steven I. Pfeiffer, says, "The goal of the Duke Gifted Letter is to provide engaging and authoritative articles addressing educational and social-emotional issues relevant to the gifted. The newsletter has become a valued resource for thousands of parents nationwide." Duke TIP wants to make the newsletter’s material more widely available by publishing the quarterly newslett er without a subscription and by including archives of all back-issues on its Web site.
        The premiere online issue contains topics such as: developing personal talent, the effect of state-level assessments on gifted students, advocating for a customized gifted education program for your child, motivating boys to succeed, and questions the parents of young gifted children ask the most, among others. In the Editor’s View column, Kristen R. Stephens, Ph.D., calls for a consistent definition of gifted and talented and encourages awareness of the special educational needs of America’s brightest students. Otherwise, we could be stifling the learning potential of our future leaders.
        The Duke Gifted Letter online has a searchable database that allows readers to gain quick access to topical information or key questions on the gifted. For example, typing “underachievement” into the search archive feature yields ten articles. The blogging element on the Web site also allows users to comment on articles and engage in dialogue with other readers and the editors. Reader and parent, Donna Miller, comments on the article “Lighting A Fire: Motivating Boys To Succeed.” She affirms, “Yes, boy[s] do learn very differently at different ages! Also the reward factor and training him to face what he does not like/want to do (sit still, stay on task) is VITAL in all forms of learning for a boy.” Editorial board member and executive director of the American Psychological Association’s Center for Gifted Education Policy, Rena Subotnik, says “The Duke Gifted Letter targets the full range of issues associated with giftedness in adolescence. The online version will make this excellent resource more widely available to audiences of teachers, parents, psychologists, and talented youngsters.”
The Duke University Talent Identification Program is a nonprofi t educational organization that identifies and provides educational programs and resources for academically talented youth. For more information about Duke TIP visit www.tip.duke.edu. The Duke Gifted Letter is published by Duke TIP and can be discovered online at www.dukegiftedletter.com. Contact Bobbie Collins-Perry at (919) 668-9127 or
bcollins-perry@tip.duke.edu for more information.