Being a gifted student in a rural school district can be both a blessing and a curse. While programs and opportunities designed for high ability youth are often absent in small communities, so too may be the Lake Wobegon effect where all children are assumed to be gifted.
Gifted children who attend schools where many of the students are assumed to be highly able often find that their schools do not differentiate well for differing levels of giftedness or twice exceptionality. This is more likely to happen in higher income communities where many of the children perform highly due to enriched environments.
Conversely, in a rural or smaller community, gifted children may lack for resources yet be better recognized as having special needs. As such, their schools may be more willing to provide accommodations that are not often offered.
While neither the city of Fort Collins nor Loveland can be considered rural, Northern Colorado does have a number of smaller rural communities. Recognizing the limited resources for gifted youth in rural communities, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation has created the Rural Connections Program, which provides full scholarships for low to moderate income youth to participate in the Center for Talented Youth's academic summer camps.
This program is available to 7th through 9th graders throughout the United States. Review of applications for the summer of 2012 will begin on February 15, 2012. Applications submitted after this date will be considered on a space available basis.
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