Giving to Gifted and Talented Education

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1 Giving to Gifted and Talented Education Academic talent and ability should never be constrained by family resources or personal situations. It is vital that we make opportunities available to deserving children. -Dorothy Lawshe, Founding Director of Gifted and Talented Education Students with exceptionally high ability need challenging coursework at a younger age than most schools are able to provide. Students of this ability often seek out and thrive on academic challenges, welcoming the opportunity to hone their skills and increase their knowledge just as students with athletic talents enjoy improving their skills. While sports camps are ubiquitous, academically challenging programs are harder to find. It is the mission of the GATE office to provide academic programs in a wide variety of fields to students in elementary school through high school. In order to serve students outside the Greater Lansing Area these programs need to provide a residential component and/or distance learning options, both of which cost more to develop and operate. In addition to the mission of developing high-quality, challenging academic programs for various grade levels and talent areas, it is important that the GATE office ensures that these opportunities are available to all deserving children, regardless of their family resources or personal situations. Resources are needed both to expand program opportunities and to provide all deserving students access to these opportunities. Programs offered by Gifted and Talented Education at Michigan State University provide the level of challenge and enrichment that highly motivated, gifted students deserve and require. In settings where their peers are as compelled to learn as they are, students engage in cooperative learning under the guidance of superb instructors. The broad selection of GATE programs gives talented students many learning options. Contributions can be made in a variety of formats:

2 Contributions to the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment for Gifted and Talented Education Programs Direct contributions to the GATE Scholarship Fund to be used for students in programs for the following summer Contributions to specific GATE programs to keep operational costs low and/or to provide scholarships Contributions to students of a specific demographic description no matter which GATE program they choose to attend

3 Our Programs The office of Gifted and Talented Education offers a number of programs for high achieving youngsters. Donations to the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment support the entire array of programs, or contributions can be made for scholarships to specific programs or for participants meeting particular criteria. Kid s College Dimensions MASCOT High Achievers MST at MSU CHAMP Explore Africa at MSU Kids College Kids College is designed for fourth and fifth-graders and concentrates on science exploration. Students must attend school in Eaton, Clinton, Shiawassee, or Ingham County. Twenty-four teachers receive training in conjunction with Kids College each year, which they apply in their own classrooms. The program cost is $ per student, but scholarships are awarded to students on the basis of need. Dimensions Dimensions is a four-week pre-college program for high-achieving seventh- and eighth-grade students. It includes both academic and arts laboratories and field trips. Six teachers are paired with MSU professors over the span of the course. The program costs $425 per student. MASCOT MASCOT is a three-week mathematics problem-solving program for students in the sixth grade. They learn concepts in geometry, algebra, and spatial reasoning. MASCOT emphasizes teamwork and comparative problem-solving strategy. The

4 program also offers exceptional training to ten teachers who apply the strategies learned at MASCOT to their teaching elsewhere. The cost is $200 per student. High Achievers High Achievers is a way for talented high school students to take honors-level college courses and earn college credit. Students choose among five offered courses on topics in areas such as economics, psychology, geology, philosophy, and English. The course costs range from $500 to $665 plus the cost of books, depending on the number of credits taken. Mathematics, Science and Technology (MST) at MSU This two-week residential program at Michigan State offers seventh and eighth grade students from throughout the state and beyond an intense learning environment where they study mathematics, science, and technology. Each student also participates in a special interest workshop in such areas as magic, musical theater, and creative writing. Over the course of the program, students use cooperative learning and hands-on activities to explore high-level themes in astronomy, genetics, mechanical engineering, physics, robotics and mathematics. Our best MSU professors team up with area middle and high school teachers to teach the courses. The cost per student is $1,125. CHAMP The Cooperative Highly Accelerated Mathematics Program (CHAMP) meets on Thursday afternoons during the school year and allows talented students to complete four years of math in two years. Gifted students get the level of advanced instruction that they need from Michigan State professors in a challenging yet supportive environment. Because of generous funding support from the Dart Foundation and the W.B. and Candace Thoman Foundations, along with support from Clinton, Ingham, Shiawassee, and Eaton Intermediate School Districts and the Capitol Area Science and Math Center, the cost to the families is just $325. Some of that cost may be borne by the student s local school district.

5 Explore Africa at MSU Explore Africa was instituted in 2002 as a pilot program and is a prime example of the sort of programs GATE would like to develop for the future. This two-week residential program at Michigan State challenges conventional perspectives of Africa and gives students tools to critically analyze the forces that shape the continent. High school students study African languages, culture, geography, and the impacts of colonialism and independence. The cost of the program is $1100 per student, with some scholarship assistance available.

6 The Dorothy Lawshe Endowment Fund The Dorothy Lawshe Endowment Fund, administered by Michigan State University s Honors College, removes financial barriers to participation in Gifted and Talented Education programs and promotes continuing program development. It sustains a variety of educational opportunities for highly talented and motivated students and guarantees that these special students will have access no matter what their family situation is. Dorothy Lawshe has spent nearly fifty years in education, including twenty-five years nurturing the minds of academically gifted young people. She recognizes the need to support these students in their pre-collegiate years so that they might fully develop into actively engaged people. The educational programs she developed as the founding director of Michigan State s Office of Gifted and Talented Education have served thousands of youth and stand as a model for other communities to emulate. Contributing to the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment expands the educational opportunities available to gifted and talented students and makes sure that those opportunities are open to all, regardless of socio-economic status. Contribute to the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment Fund We truly appreciate your contribution! Please make all checks payable to Michigan State University. All gifts to the university are tax-deductible. For more information, please call (517) Name: Address: City: State: ZIP code: Daytime phone: Evening phone: Amount of contribution to the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment Fund:

7 Many companies offer matching gift credits when their employees contribute to the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment Fund. Please check your company s human resources department policy on matching gifts. Please mail checks to: Dorothy Lawshe Endowment Fund C/o MSU Honors College Eustace-Cole Hall East Lansing, MI Michigan State University is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity institution.

8 The GATE Scholarship Fund While the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment also offers scholarships to students, donors may choose to give towards GATE Scholarships. All funds given to the GATE Scholarship Fund are used to assist students attending the following year s programs. Many of our programs, especially residential programs such as MST and Explore Africa at MSU, are costly. Scholarships awarded by the GATE Scholarship Fund put the cost of attending within the reach of families who otherwise might not be able to send their children to programs for high-achieving students. The GATE Scholarship Fund is a wonderful way to make sure that all deserving students have the opportunity to participate in quality programs that are appropriate to their abilities and interest

9 Contribute to GATE Scholarships We truly appreciate your contribution! Please make all checks payable to Michigan State University. All gifts to the university are tax-deductible. For more information, please call (517) Name: Address: City: State: ZIP: Daytime phone: - - Amount of contribution: Card Type: VISA MASTERCARD Card Number: Expiration Date: - - Signature: Many companies offer matching gift credits when their employees contribute to GATE Scholarships. Please check your company s human resources department policy on matching gifts. Please mail this completed form and check to: GATE Scholarships Office of Gifted and Talented Education 186 Bessey Hall East Lansing, MI Evening phone: - - I would like my contribution to be designated as follows: $ for the Dorothy Lawshe Endowment for on-going support $ for scholarship assistance in 2003 $ to the following program (specify) $ to the following demographic group for any program (specify) My contribution is in honor of: Name: Address: Michigan State University is an affirmative-action, equal opportunity institution.