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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Dear Colleagues:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Beginning on June 22, we are offering a three-week book study about
<i>Excellence Gaps in Education</i> (Plucker & Peters, 2016). This online class (asynchronous) focuses on strategies we can use
<span style="color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white">
to eliminate the achievement gaps that exist even among the students who perform at the highest levels (<b><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://myui.uiowa.edu/my-ui/courses/details.page?ci=157462&id=962496__;!!KGKeukY!irnkVxsbh4JdHh0OTjrHgYUHyUzm6g8albQitIiYq6LbihQ49fLlLtChUTCZ8uaEOEIq$">EDTL:4096:0WKD</a></b>).
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white">This is a new class, and if you haven’t read
<i>Excellence Gaps</i>, this is the time! <i>Excellence Gaps </i>won the 2017 Book of the Year award from NAGC, and our need to understand excellence gaps—going beyond achievement gaps—is more important than ever. The
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.hepg.org/hep-home/books/excellence-gaps-in-education__;!!KGKeukY!irnkVxsbh4JdHh0OTjrHgYUHyUzm6g8albQitIiYq6LbihQ49fLlLtChUTCZ8mu3qV4i$">Harvard Education Press</a> posted:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in"><span style="font-family:"Georgia",serif;color:#333333;background:white">In <i>Excellence Gaps in Education</i>, Jonathan A. Plucker and Scott J. Peters shine a spotlight on “excellence gaps”—the achievement gaps
among subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement. Much of the focus of recent education reform has been on closing gaps in achievement between students from different racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic backgrounds by bringing all students
up to minimum levels of proficiency. Yet issues related to excellence gaps have been largely absent from discussions about how to improve our schools and communities. Plucker and Peters argue that these significant gaps reflect the existence of a persistent
talent underclass in the United States among African American, Hispanic, Native American, and poor students, resulting in an incalculable loss of potential among our fastest growing populations.</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">This is one of the Belin-Blank Center classes this summer intended to help educators ensure that their districts are doing everything possible to ensure that they are identifying and serving ALL their gifted
learners—including those that have been traditionally underrepresented. The other two classes include
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:0in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Talent Development: Arts, Academics, and Athletics</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> (EDTL:4096:0WKB), focusin on the preparation required
for gifted performers, and <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left:0in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo3"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Serving Visual/Spatial Learners,</span></i><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> discussing ways to provide programming for students identified for advanced
abilities beyond mathematical and English/Language Arts abilities.<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">To take part in our classes, you must register one time each year with
<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://distance.uiowa.edu/students/distance-and-online-nondegree__;!!KGKeukY!irnkVxsbh4JdHh0OTjrHgYUHyUzm6g8albQitIiYq6LbihQ49fLlLtChUTCZ8m7BhJZ4$">Distance and Online Education</a> as a non-degree seeking student. For the State of Iowa Endorsement in Talented and Gifted Education, you may register as either a graduate or undergraduate
student, regardless of your professional status. If you won’t benefit in other ways from the graduate credit, you can save tuition dollars. Once you have your HawkID and password, you can follow the directions to register for the courses that interest or benefit
you. Follow <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://belinblank.education.uiowa.edu/educators/endorsement/*how-to-apply__;Iw!!KGKeukY!irnkVxsbh4JdHh0OTjrHgYUHyUzm6g8albQitIiYq6LbihQ49fLlLtChUTCZ8kM-hCSt$">
belinblank.org/educators/reg</a>. All our classes fulfill strands required for endorsement, and the study of
<i>Excellence Gaps</i> can apply to the Administrative strand.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Questions? Email <a href="mailto:educators@belinblank.org">
educators@belinblank.org</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">We look forward to having you join us for this one-semester-hour workshop, and for other classes available through June and July.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Laurie<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Laurie Croft, PhD (she/her/hers)</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Clinical Professor of Gifted Education, Teaching & Learning</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"><br>
Associate Director for Professional Development, Belin-Blank Center</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">College of Education<br>
600 Blank Honors Center, Iowa City, Iowa 52242<br>
Office: 319-335-6148, Toll Free: 1-800-336-6463<br>
<b><a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.belinblank.education.uiowa.edu/?utm_source=EmailSignature&utm_medium=email&utm_content=CroftEmailSignature&utm_campaign=EmailSignature__;!!KGKeukY!irnkVxsbh4JdHh0OTjrHgYUHyUzm6g8albQitIiYq6LbihQ49fLlLtChUTCZ8nojr7sM$" target="_blank" title="uiowa.edu">belinblank.education.uiowa.edu</a></b></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"> </span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#00436E;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Nurturing </span></i><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT",sans-serif;color:#00436E;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Potential</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#00436E;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"> | </span><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Garamond",serif;color:#00436E;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Inspiring</span></i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#00436E;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"> </span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Gill Sans MT",sans-serif;color:#00436E;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Excellence</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in"> </span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:blue;border:none windowtext 1.0pt;padding:0in">Follow us on Twitter @belinblank or @LCroft57</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><img border="0" width="150" height="72" style="width:1.5625in;height:.75in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D762A7.92411C00" alt="wwgVYFOVrG9UAVwP6R5q4GtP2JA38D9oLnKOeCY5JAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC"></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background:white"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;color:#201F1E"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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