Summer Programs

Summer programs for the gifted are broad in scope, content, focus, and format. These include talent searches, summer institutes, workshops, and conferences. They tend to be more focused on reaching the specific academic needs of gifted students than are summer adventure camps. Many of these programs are specifically designed for gifted and talented students, and several of them are described in this entry.

More than a decade ago, researcher Donna Enerson found that summer programs had positive effects on gifted students. More recent investigations by Paula Olszewski-Kubilius have similar positive findings. Gifted students find challenging course work with a group of intellectual peers to be satisfying and meaningful. For gifted and talented students, being able to attend a summer program with a group of intellectual peers ...