North Dakota Association for

Gifted Children

About NDAGC
Our Board

Welcome!

This past August of 2021 NDAGC celebrated the 3^rd birthday of its non-profit status and formal affiliation with our parent organization, National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). While our organization may be small, it is without question, active and vibrant. The life that NDAGC has is in no small part due to the commitment of the Board and Officers that come together every month, twice per month, to plan how we will put feet to our mission -- to support the growth and development of gifted and talented children through education, advocacy, community building, and research within North Dakota.

I am so grateful to them for being willing to embrace this mission together for the sake of gifted students across our state – from the gifted students in our larger school systems, to the gifted students in the smallest of school settings and from every culture and economic strata. In these first three years, our President Yee Han Chu, Ph.D., kept our organization laser focused on the goal of advocating for their growth through webinars, forums, research, and the development of statewide best practices.

Now I have been given the opportunity to continue the mission, too.

As the next President of NDAGC, I share the same commitment to gifted education as Dr. Chu and each of our officers. Like them, my devotion to gifted children and gifted education is steadfast. It has to be. Historically, gifted education has received very little support when compared to other educational arenas. Still, ever since I made the decision to shift my course from classroom teacher to teacher of the gifted, I have always found the educators in the field to be extraordinarily passionate about advocating for gifted children—it is the kind of contagious passion that continues to fuel my own even on the toughest of days.

Gifted education has been the most wonderful place to spend my career, and I remain incredibly grateful to not only be able to continue to lead a gifted program in my city, but to be a part of an organization dedicated to advocacy and education of our students in the state of North Dakota – NDAGC. I look forward to watching our organization continue to grow in the fulfillment of its mission and vision for our gifted students.

Appreciatively,

Ann Duchscher

President/Chair

North Dakota Association for Gifted Children

Our Mission

The mission of NDAGC is to promote the needs of the gifted in North Dakota through advocacy, education, and scientific research. Our work is --

To advocate and promote an awareness of the academic, intellectual, and social-emotional needs of North Dakota’s gifted children including underserved gifted populations in public and private schools, colleges and universities, and other settings;
To stimulate among teachers, parents, public officials, educational administrators and others in the general public a deeper understanding and interest in the needs of the gifted;
To provide a forum for the exchange of information and ideas that foster collaboration and cooperation among all stakeholders;
To encourage and stimulate the best possible training and access to resources and information that concern gifted children for all educators;
To encourage and stimulate research in the area of gifted education, particularly in the State of North Dakota.