Giftedness Institute

For 50 years, the Nueva School has led the field of gifted education as an independent school with a dual purpose: to serve gifted students and to share our resources, talents, knowledge, and innovation with the larger community. We are experts at meeting the specialized needs of gifted learners, knowing that giftedness is a concept that can be complex and nuanced.

Why attend?

While teaching and working with gifted students is exhilarating, it can also be daunting. Giftedness manifests itself in countless ways in the classroom, and at Nueva we have developed many approaches to support gifted learners and help them thrive. This Institute will educate teachers, parents, and caregivers about giftedness and its associated excitabilities and intensities. 

Session leaders will share best practices for differentiating curriculum and classroom experience. Videos of our classrooms in action and a discussion of curriculum and projects will give practitioners a chance to see our teaching in action as well as see how educators construct challenging and differentiated curriculum. A panel with gifted students and their parents will bring these practices to live, giving attendees a chance to hear and inquire about the lived experience of giftedness. 

Who is this Institute for?

This Institute is mainly for PreK–12 teachers, counselors, and administrators working with gifted students, but may also be helpful for parents and caregivers of gifted children who are seeking more information on giftedness and the range of behaviors that accompany giftedness.

The following topics are woven into this two day workshop. The format includes both general sessions open to all participants and choice sessions with multiple topics that will run simultaneously. Materials for all workshops will be shared with all participants (even for choice sessions you were unable to attend). 

Giftedness 101
What is giftedness? How does it manifest in children (and adults!)? How is giftedness different from academic achievement? What are some of the myths around gifted education?

Pedagogy in the Classrooms
Learn how teachers design their learning experiences to engage gifted learners and how they apply (and modify) pedagogy to meet the needs of these students.

Panel Discussion
Hear from students, alumni, and parents about the lived experience of giftedness. Panelists will discuss their challenges and achievements, lessons they learned along the way, and how mentoring was an important part of their experience and growth.

Reflection on Giftedness
How do teenagers reflect on their own giftedness? Watch the graduation speech of one of Nueva’s graduates to get an intriguing understanding of giftedness.

Differentiating the Classroom for Gifted Students
Gifted students thrive in a well differentiated environment. We will discuss the need for both flexibility and structure in the classroom, and share examples of how to differentiate curriculum and learning experiences for gifted students.

Engaging with Gifted Kids of Color
Students of color, especially black and hispanic students, are under-identified and underrepresented in gifted programs across the U.S. How can we help to change these statistics and to support gifted students of color within our schools are our classrooms?

Community Engagement/Social Justice
Gifted students thrive when they have the opportunity to both learn in the classroom and participate in the larger community. Hear from teachers about the ways that engaging in social justice and in the community through service learning enriches the education and social experiences of gifted students,

Scaffolding for 2-E Students in the Classroom
Many gifted students are twice exceptional: they have learning or behavioral differences such as ADHD, dyslexia, or auditory processing challenges. This session address the ways that teachers and caregivers can structure classrooms and home lives to support the needs of these students.

Building Relationships
Gifted children thrive when they are seen as individuals, and they love to engage with others, especially adults. Hear from teachers about the importance of building relationships between teachers or mentors and gifted children.

Registration for the 2025 Giftedness Institute is $500. Participants ​are ​responsible ​for ​arranging ​their ​own ​hotel ​accommodations ​and ​this ​is ​not ​included ​in ​the ​registration ​fee. ​Please refer to the Transportation & Lodging tab for more information. ​ ​ ​

We encourage schools and organizations to send teams whenever possible as we have found institutional learning and implementation is more impactful when teams come together. Correspondingly, we offer group discounts (5 registrations for the price of 4). For more information please email giftednessinstitute@nuevaschool.org.   

Space is limited so please ​register ​all ​group ​members ​at ​the ​same ​time. ​If purchasing tickets for multiple ​participants, kindly note that you are able to add/edit their names once your purchase is complete. We ask that each attendee ​complete ​the ​registration form as it inquires prior experience with design thinking, accommodations, and emergency contacts, etc. 

​Financial assistance is available. Please select the "Financial Awards" tab above to complete the applications. For questions, please contact giftednessinstitute@nuevaschool.org for more information. 

We offer a group discount of 5 registrations for the price of 4. For more information, please email giftednessinstitute@nuevaschool.org.   

*The Nueva School has secured a fixed-rate discount at the Embassy Suites and Marriott San Mateo. Please use the direct links to take advantages of these rates.