3.8.1 A cross-cultural comparison of leading school models for engaging intellectually able students: USA and Australia
Four academic schooling models providing for gifted and highly able students will be presented by leading educators with programs subsequently compared and contrasted. The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, Kentucky, USA, is a residential school for high school juniors and seniors with access to Western Kentucky University. Three leading Australian government schools, Mac.Robertson Girls, a selective high school (Y9-12), Box Hill High School, co-educational for students Years 7-12, with a Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) Program (Y7-10), and Nossal High School, the first fully academically selective co-educational secondary school (Y9-12) in Victoria.
Author(s):
Leonie Kronborg
Leonie.Kronborg@monash.edu
Monash University
Australia
Dr. Leonie Kronborg, Senior Lecturer and Co-ordinator of Postgraduate Studies in Gifted Education at the Faculty of Education, Monash University teaches gifted education at pre-service and post graduate level, and supervises PhD students with research interests in gifted education and talent development. She is past president of the Australian Association for the Education of Gifted Children and elected Executive Member of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, 2013-2017. She gained the Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2013; is Co-Editor of the Gifted and Talented International journal and on the Editorial Board of Australasian Journal of Gifted Education.
Julia Link Roberts
julia.roberts@wku.edu
Western Kentucky University
United States
Julia Link Roberts, the Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University, is Executive Director of The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky and The Center for Gifted Studies. Dr. Roberts is on the Executive Committee of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children and president of The Association for the Gifted. She received the 2011 Acorn Award as outstanding professor at a Kentucky four-year university, first NAGC David Belin Advocacy Award, 2012 NAGC Distinguished Service Award, and 2011 William T. Nallia Award for innovative leadership from the Kentucky Association for School Administrators.
Toni Meath
meath.toni.e@edumail.vic.gov.au
The Mac. Robertson Girls High School
Australia
Dr Toni Meath is a graduate of Sydney University and The University of Melbourne, Toni’s work in education innovation has been published both nationally and internationally. Toni is currently Principal of The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School, Victoria and her portfolio across many schools has been one of leading a strong performance and development culture and as a strong advocate for gifted learners.
Kate Mitchell
mitchell.kate.k@edumail.vic.gov.au
Box Hill High School
Australia
Kate Mitchell, [M.Ed(gifted ed), B.Comm., Dip. Ed] has been an educator in Victorian State Government schools for 20+ years, taking on school leadership roles including curriculum development, student welfare and coordination of the largest high school Select Entry Acceleration Learning (SEAL) program. In 2007 she became the first female Principal at Box Hill High School. In 2011, she was seconded to the position of Acting Regional Network leader. In 2013, she was invited to join the Victorian Department of Education’s Gifted and Talented Expert Reference Group. She is a strong advocate for all students including gifted and talented students.
Roger Page
page.roger.r@edumail.vic.gov.au
Nossal High School
Australia
Roger began teaching in 1980 after completing a Bachelor of Arts, Monash University and a Graduate Diploma of Education, Melbourne University. Working initially in the Technical School division he was heavily involved in leadership roles in student welfare and teacher professional development in several schools. He developed an interest and involvement in integrated curriculum and gifted education early in his career, and has been involved in the design and planning of several new schools. Roger is the foundation principal of Nossal High School, the first purpose built coeducational government selective entry school in Victoria.