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UofA and FPS Collaborate on Summer GT Youth Scholars Program
Every child has unique abilities, but not all children learn in the same way or at the same speed.
The Gifted & Talented Program specializes in identifying and challenging those students whose needs are not fully met by the standard curriculum.
Since the early 1980's Fayetteville Schools Gifted & Talented Program has collaborated with the University of Arkansas to provide training for teachers who work with gifted and talented students. The teachers are earning state licensure and completion of a master's degree in the area of gifted education. Teachers participating in this program are supervised by a professor from the university. The culminating coursework for this licensure involves teaching
a practicum at a summer enrichment program for identified elementary gifted and talented students. The university practicum is usually conducted every three years.
This summer approximately 80 GT elementary students signed up for the two week summer enrichment program held at Butterfield Trail Elementary School. A variety of classes were offered from earthquakes to art, comixology to economics. The students in the economics class, for
example, learned about pricing, production costs and profit margins. Proceeds from a lemonade stand they operated all went to support the families affected by the Joplin, MO tornado.
The final day of the summer enrichment program culminated in an Open House where family members were invited to see all of the work completed by their students during the two weeks.