Oct 26, 2006
Scholarship Named for Late UGA Gifted Education Professor Mary Frasier Funds Training for 88 Teachers, Principals from Across the Nation
Writer: Michael Childs, 706/542-5889, mdchilds@uga.edu
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Eighty-eight principals and teachers from across the nation, including several from Georgia schools, will be trained to identify high-potential children in low-income settings in a three-day work session next month, thanks to a scholarship in memory of the late University of Georgia education professor Mary M. Frasier.
The inaugural class of scholars made possible by the newly created Mary Frasier Teachers Scholarship Fund for Diverse Talent Development was recently announced by the National Association for Gifted Children.
The training program honors Frasier, who was a nationally recognized scholar and researcher in gifted education and founder of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development in UGA’s College of Education.
Frasier’s pioneering work in Georgia increased by three-fold the number of African American and quadrupled the number of Hispanic children in gifted/talented programs. She later consulted across the U.S. and became legendary in the field of gifted on the topic of under served children.
After Frasier died in 2005, her colleagues in the field contributed thousands of dollars to this new initiative. These educators were joined by the Wachovia Foundation with a major gift and other generous contributions were made from the College Board and the Davidson Institute for Talent Development.
The scholars will be trained using the proven tools that Frasier developed and inspired during her career. A rigorous four-day program has been designed at the 53rd annual convention of the association in Charlotte, NC, where all of the experts in the field will gather November 2-5.
The scholars were selected from more than 145 applicants across the country. Twenty were selected from a nationwide pool of 77 and the balance of the class was selected locally through the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. The 20 Frasier National Scholars are from nine states. They are:
• Jennifer Atkinson, Washington-Wilkes High School, Washington, GA
• Kendra Willis Banks, Moore Elementary School, Griffin, GA
• Latresa Bray, McVay Elementary School, Westerville, OH
• Joyce Castronova, J.H. House Elementary School, Conyers, GA
• Michelle Ceccon, Riverview Elementary School, Rancho Cordova, CA
• Jana Czerwonky, Berkmar Middle School, Lilburn, GA
• Doris English, Wilder Elementary School, Sumter, SC
• Erinn Fears Floyd, Macon County Public Schools, Tuskegee, AL
• Michelle Henry, Witter Elementary School, Tampa, FL
• Tiffany Klyda Hill, John Burroughs Middle School, Los Angeles, CA
• DeLina Horton, I.T. Montgomery Elementary School, Mound Bayou, MS
• Kathy Jones, Cook Elementary, Sparks, GA
• Tiombe-Risa Kendrick, Myrtle Grove Elementary School, Miami Gardens, FL
• Barbara Patterson, J.J. Roberts Elementary School, Norfolk, VA
• Karen Reed, A.C. Corcoran Elementary School, N. Charleston, SC
• Roxanne Speer, W.D. Smith Career Center, Lafayette, LA
• Dalene Teichert, Rose Park Elementary School, Salt Lake City, Utah
• Meg Whitley, Cousins Middle School, Covington, GA
• Dornswalo Wilkins-McCorey, Kings Fork Middle School, Suffolk, VA
• Sharon Williams, Moore Elementary School, Griffin, GA
The national scholarships include the complimentary four-day training at the convention as well as a travel stipend of up to $500. The local scholars from Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools are funded by Wachovia and will be afforded ongoing professional development at UNC-Charlotte.
“I cannot thank the donors enough for making this dream a reality,” said Donna Ford, professor of educational psychology at Vanderbilt University and chair of the NAGC Diversity Committee. “There is no more fitting extension of Mary’s legacy than to dispatch 88 newfound voices for culturally and economically diverse students who are struggling to be recognized for their potential. This is a program that I am certain has a great future.”
For more than three decades, NAGC members have addressed the issue of under representation of culturally and economically diverse students. The Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act, passed in 1988 in honor of the late Republican senator from New York, has funded grants to focus on this specific area. Much of the research contained in the Frasier methodology has its origins in this research.
“Until now, we’ve not had an organizing principle around which to coalesce and provide this incredibly needed training. Thanks to the generosity of our members and major funding from Wachovia, we can truly advance the cause of leaving no talent behind, no matter what the economic circumstance of the child,” said Nancy Green, NAGC Executive Director.
For more on the National Association of Gifted Children: www.nagc.org
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