November 9, 2021

NAGC Congratulates Dr. Joseph Renzulli, 2021 President’s Award Recipient

The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is pleased to announce Dr. Joseph Renzulli will receive the 2021 President’s Award for his outstanding contributions to the field of gifted education.

Dr. Renzulli is a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Connecticut.  He served as the director of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented for over two decades and spent his 50-year career conducting research, focused on the identification and development of creative/productive giftedness in young people and the use of gifted education pedagogy to increase engagement, achievement, and an investigative mindset for all children. Dr. Renzulli’s work on assessment for learning, which uses student generated strength-based information about interests, learning and expression styles, and executive function skills, has contributed to increased participation of underrepresented students in talent development programs.

“I am deeply honored to receive this award and would like to thank the persons who nominated me,” said Renzulli after learning of his award. “I, like many others, truly stand on the shoulders of the many giants in our field who have preceded us and deserve credit for the influence they have had on my work.  I would also like to say that the award represents the hard work and creativity of the many former students, professional colleagues, and literally thousands of teachers who attended our Confratute program and other professional development events. They were courageous enough to experiment with a “brand” of learning that develops the gifts and talents of all students. Real and lasting change is always the result of our what our UConn group strongly advocates: teamwork makes the dream work,” he concluded.

“Joe's research and the practical knowledge and classroom strategies that have been developed based upon his research combined with his personal efforts at reaching and supporting practitioners have made a difference for children in countless classrooms, schools, and districts,” commented NAGC Board President Lauri Kirsch. “Throughout his career, Joe has made himself available to the practitioners who want to put his research into action. He empowers those on the front-lines to develop talents and bring out the giftedness in their students,” she said.

Dr. Renzulli will receive the NAGC President’s Award at the NAGC Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado, November 11-14, 2021.

                                                                            

                                                                                Dr. Joseph Renzulli

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