50 Percent of gifted students not reaching their full potential: Study
Bangalore, 8th November 2023: Power Club, a US-based career and talent development company and IPN Foundation, a knowledge network of school leaders, successfully concluded the Education Summit (GTES 2023) focused on nurturing the extraordinary gifts and talents of K-12 students/children on Nov 03, 2023. With over 100 researchers, educationists, and school principals as attendees, the virtual summit emphasized schools’ crucial role in preparing students for the future and identifying their unique talents beyond academics. The event also saw participation from industry-leading guest speakers and top school leaders like Don Ambrose (Author and researcher, Gifted Education), Sonia Lal (Former Harvard Admissions interviewer) and B. Earl (Writer and storyteller at Marvel Entertainment), Mrs. Amrita Buramn (Deputy Director, Sunbeam Group of Educational Institutions, Varanasi), Dr. Chandrashekar (CEO, Jain Group of Institutions, Hyderabad), Mr. Sanjay Dutta (Director principal, MMPS Udaipur), Ms. Rama Maylavarapu (Principal, CPS Global, Chennai) and more.
Gifted students are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude or competence (compared to others of their age) in one or more domains. These domains could include structured areas of activity like mathematics, music and languages or skills like dance, sports and painting. When there is a gap between a child’s potential and their achievement, it is referred to as underachievement. According to a study by Dr. Jae Yup Jung from UNSW, Sydney, over 50% of gifted students fail to reach their full potential, with a significant number dropping out of school and university prematurely. This gap is exacerbated by the lack of dedicated policies and programs, as well as a general unawareness and misunderstanding of giftedness.
At GTES 2023, Don Ambrose, author and a leading expert in Gifted Education, shared his insights on the missing link in schools’ assessment of giftedness and talent and how they can nurture their students’ full potential. While acknowledging the value of standardized testing and IQ, Don went on to talk about the ‘spectrum of abilities’. Using the analogy of visible light, which when passed through a prism gives us a spectrum of colors, Don shared his concern about the many gifts and talents possessed by students remaining latent. He urged schools and policy makers to go beyond academic assessments that look only for algorithmic abilities and also search for abilities like critical thinking, visual metaphoric thinking (the ability to be able to synthesize and represent complex ideas through diagrams and visuals, aesthetic sensibilities), and the ability to appreciate aesthetics and beauty. He stressed on the need for schools to foster multidisciplinary thinking to enable students to discover their aspirations and empower them to act on their unique talents and gifts.
Saurabh Saxena, Founder and CEO of Power Club said, “We believe that every student is uniquely talented. Five years ago we discovered that 50% of gifted students remain underachieved for life, and this compelled us to work towards making real world education inclusive, so that every student is empowered to discover and develop their unique talents and find a path to creative fulfillment. GTES 2023 aimed to inspire forward-thinking school leaders to transcend existing academic boundaries, work towards identifying the unique talents of their students and offer expert advice on how they can nurture them to achieve their full potential. Going forward, we aim to make GTES an annual event, fostering holistic development in gifted education, worldwide.”
Gaurava Yadav, Founder & Chairman of IPN Foundation, talking about their association with Power Club, said, “We are excited about the possibilities of bringing a Gifted and Talented education programme for the Indian School education system along with the PowerClub team. NEP2020 has ushered in massive possibilities for Indian students and as a country we are undergoing major metamorphosis in our overall education landscape. This is the best time to bring world class opportunities to the Indian school ecosystem. And we believe the team behind Power Club is geared up in bringing this movement with the right mix of experience and expertise for Indian students.”
Power Club, through GTES, aims to empower school leaders with the knowledge and tools necessary to identify and support gifted students fostering an environment where their unique talents can thrive. By bringing together experts and practitioners in the field, the summit serves as a catalyst for change driving awareness and advocating for necessary policy reforms. The company is all set to launch its transformative curriculum with select top schools in the US, Middle East, and India this year.