Episode 11: Zero to Sixty - The Case for Acceleration

Acceleration is an option for students who are academically advanced compared to peers in their age group. When is it a good idea to consider acceleration? How can we know a student is ready? What are the social and emotional implications of acceleration? We talk with Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik of the University of Iowa about academic acceleration, on this episode of Mind Matters.


About the guest - Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik, PhD is the Administrator for the Acceleration Institute and Research at the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychological and Quantitative Foundations, both at the University of Iowa.

Ann founded the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary Students (C-MITES) at Carnegie Mellon University and was its director for 22 years. Together with Dr. Susan Assouline, she wrote Developing Math Talent: A Comprehensive Guide to Math Education for Gifted Students in Elementary and Middle School (2nd ed.). She is also a co-author of the Iowa Acceleration Scale, and co-editor of the 2015 report on academic acceleration, A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students.

Links of interest: A Nation Deceived, A Nation Empowered, Acceleration Institute, Twitter, LinkedIn, Developing Math Talent