"Man wishes to be confirmed in his being by man,
and wishes to have a presence in the being of the other....
secretly and bashfully he watches for a YES which
allows him to be and which can come only from one human person to another."
Martin Buber
The Knowledge of Man

History | Goal Statement |Belief Statement

Formation and History

Prior to 2004, Colorado was one of more than half the states in the United States that had no certification or endorsement process for teachers of gifted, talented, and creative students. However, a group of Colorado educators who focused their professional efforts in the education of gifted children and youth, believed that, in the absence of state provisions to set and monitor professional standards in the teaching and development of gifted students, some method was needed to provide peer review and recognition of professional competence.

Throughout the spring and summer months of 1992, this group of educators of gifted students drafted the goal statement, membership procedures, and governance that led to a new professional organization, the Colorado Academy of Educators for the Gifted, Talented, and Creative . On August 28, 1992, the ten founding members were inducted into the organization, and the Academy was established.

In its first decade, the Academy primarily focused on identifying, qualifying, and recognizing professional educators in Colorado who had significant training, knowledge and skill, professional experience, and commitment in the education and development of gifted students. Since 1992, over 160 Colorado educators have become members of the Academy and form the core of educators dedicated professionally to education of exceptionally able students throughout the state.

Part of the advocacy work of the Academy since its founding has been to help institute a state-approved endorsement for teachers of the gifted. In part because of this advocacy and involvement by a number of Academy members, the Colorado State Board of Education adopted professional endorsement standards for Gifted Education Specialists in 2004.

In recent years, the Academy has focused on professional development and mentoring, as well as creating a scholarship program for educators pursuing graduate degrees and endorsement in gifted education.

Goal Statement

Belief Statement

We believe...

• in the fundamental right of all children to receive an education commensurate with their talents and abilities.

• that gifted, talented, and creative children and adolescents have special needs that require at least partial special education services.

• it is critical that such services be facilitated and/or delivered by educators who have credentials that attest to their knowledge base and expert training in the nature and nurture of giftedness, and have substantial working experiences with gifted, talented, and creative youths.

• that such fundamental knowledge, training and experience cannot be left to whim or chance.

• in professional excellence and peer review.

Founding Members and Positions Held, 1992

• George Betts, Director, Center for Study of Gifted, Talented, and Creative, University of Northern Colorado
• Jill Burruss, Director, Rocky Mountain Talent Search, University of Denver
• Dennis Corash, Teacher, Highly Gifted Program, Denver Public Schools
• Jerry Flack, Professor and Director, Masters Program in Gifted Education, University of Colorado - Colorado Springs
• Elinor Katz, Dean, College of Education, University of Denver
• Dorothy Knopper, Editor and Publisher, Understanding Our Gifted
• Frank Rainey, State Consultant for Gifted Education, Colorado Department of Education
• Ken Seeley, Executive Director, Colorado Foundation for Children and Families
• Linda Silverman, Director, Gifted Development Center
• Shirley Weddel, Director of Gifted Education, Cherry Creek School District