The American Association for Gifted Children (AAGC) is the nation's oldest advocacy organization for gifted children. It was established in New York in 1946.

Over the course of its history, AAGC has published materials for the educational research community, for people in the medical profession and for parents and teachers of gifted children.

AAGC moved from New York to North Carolina, where it is now incorporated as a non-profit organization at Duke University with the mission to serve as an advocate organization for nurturing the potential of children with unusual abilities.

AAGC publishes information for parents, educators and the public only on the web site: www.aagc.org.  Publications located on the web site include an occasional series called Working Papers and information on research-based educational practices, including the Javits Research Project, Bright IDEA 2 funded by the US Department of Education to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in collaboration with AAGC.

For many years, AAGC had a role in the Presidential Scholars Program, which recognized 141 outstanding high school graduates every year with cash awards and a visit to the White House and Congress.

AAGC awards the Mary Jane and Jerome A. Straka Scholarship to students who participate in the Talent Identification Program at Duke University.

AAGC continues to focus its energies on providing parents of gifted children with information that will assist them in raising their exceptional children.  

A goal of AAGC that led to the collaboration of the Javits Research with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction is to be an advocate for nurturing the potential of all young children, especially children from underrepresented populations.

Mission:

To foster a better understanding of the needs and capabilities of children of high potential and with unusual abilities.

Goal One: Develop and disseminate information about gifted education and promote equal access to services and programs for bright children.

Goal Two: Communicate the goals and services of AAGC to parents, education and health professionals and the general public.

Goal Three: Evaluate and promote the best curriculum resources and teaching practices for gifted children.

Goal Four: Focus attention on developing the potential of all children through research-based programs.

AAGC strives to carry out its stated mission for gifted children by providing the best available research based information on curriculum, programs and resources for parents and professional who work with gifted children and talent development programs.

AAGC continues to be an advocate for gifted children and their parents, with a special emphasis on diverse populations and on those who have fewer financial resources.  Over the next few years AAGC will focus on providing information to parents of gifted pre-school and elementary students.

Over the next few years AAGC will focus on providing information to parents of gifted pre-school and elementary students.

American Association for Gifted Children
Duke University
Box 90359
Durham, North Carolina, 27708-0270