“Gifted Guru” Visits SLPS

St. Louis—Renowned American educational psychologist, Dr. Joseph Renzulli, will visit the St. Louis Public School District on Thursday, December 13. Considered one of the most influential authorities in the field of gifted education, Dr. Renzulli’s broadened conception of giftedness has been instrumental in changing educators’ views of intellectual talent. As part of a national tour, he and his colleagues will stop in St. Louis to share Dr. Renzulli’s new research and ideas, including the benefits of technology.

During his visit to SLPS, Dr. Renzulli will speak to district principals about how they can best meet the needs of gifted and talented students. He and his colleagues will also visit McKinley Ninth Grade Leadership Academy and meet with Superintendent Dr. Diana Bourisaw, assistant superintendents, and gifted education staff.

Thousands of teachers have applied Dr. Renzulli’s theoretical work to the classroom, where it has become very popular and influential. His work focuses on the identification and assessment of gifted and talented students and the development of programming models used in both gifted and general classrooms for improving learning for all students. His Schoolwide Enrichment Model is used in school systems across the United States to revamp curricula, and his research has been adopted in many countries, including China, India, South Africa, Russia, Turkey, England, Spain, Brazil and Mexico.
Dr. Renzulli is the director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, a federally funded program based at the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut. He also is the endowed chairman of the university's Neag Center for Gifted Education & Talent Development.