Meet at the WCS Administrative Building at 1320 West Main Street in Franklin in the School Board Auditorium on the first floor, (look for WillCoGS signs).

Please join us for this presentation by Dr. Tamra Stambaugh.

A Parent’s Guide to Educational Terms and Advocacy

Your child wants more challenge at school but how do you ask for that? What do you ask for? Perhaps the teacher said your child's educational needs are being met through the promotion of higher level thinking skills. That's great but what does that really mean or look like? Learn definitions and examples of common models and terms used in gifted education such as differentiation, higher level thinking, depth, complexity, acceleration, and curriculum compacting, including the research supporting these strategies. After sharing some examples and educational terms, we will discuss ways to talk with your child's teacher so that you can better advocate for your child's needs, help your child advocate, and develop a positive partnership with the school.

Tamra Stambaugh, Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Programs for Talented Youth and an Associate Research Professor at Vanderbilt University. Stambaugh’s research interests focus on gifted students living in rural settings, gifted students of poverty, and curriculum and instructional interventions that promote talent development and expertise. She is the co-author/editor of several books, book chapters, articles, and curriculum units including Comprehensive Curriculum for Gifted Learners; Overlooked Gems: A National Perspective on Low-Income Promising Students, the Jacob’s Ladder Reading Comprehension and Affective Series, Serving Gifted Students in Rural Settings (Legacy Award Winner), the Gifted Child Quarterly journal's special issue on low income students, and the award winning Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth curriculum. Stambaugh frequently provides keynotes, workshops, and research presentations at research conferences and in school districts nationally and internationally. She has held appointments on multiple National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) committees and currently serves on the NAGC Board of Directors. She has won multiple awards and recognitions for her work from the College of William and Mary, NAGC, Vanderbilt University Peabody College, the Ohio Association for Gifted Children, and the Tennessee Association for Gifted.