FUNDING FOR RESEARCH AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

Programs for Gifted Handicapped                                                                                                   1975-1977

A personal contract was awarded by the Council for Exceptional Children for (a) review of literature and research, (b) interviews of gifted handicapped individuals, and (c) survey of programs. Results were published in book form by the funding agency.  ($3,500)

An Inventory of Coping Strategies of Successful Handicapped Scientists                                   1977-1978

A research grant was awarded to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) to collect and analyze handicapped scientists' perceptions of significant events, causes and effects of success, and coping strategies important in learning and career development.

Using the Critical Incident Interview Technique, principal investigator, C. June Maker (University of Virginia doctoral student), project director, Martha Ross Redden (Director of AAAS Project on the Handicapped in Science), and other personnel analyzed results of interviews with 200 disabled scientists.  A technical report was printed and disseminated by the University of New Mexico.  ($32,697)

Preparation of Educators of the Gifted:  An Emphasis on Special Populations                            1981-1982

This professional development project focused on innovative methods to select and prepare teachers and other educators of gifted students.  A research component was included, but could not be completed because all funds were transferred into President Reagan's block grant funding after the first year of the project. C. June Maker, University of New Mexico, was the Principal Investigator, and remained as consultant/director, when she moved to the University of Arizona.  ($54,223)

Project DISCOVER I:  Discovering Intellectual Skills and Capabilities                                      1987-1989

while Providing Opportunities for Varied Ethnic Responses

C. June Maker was awarded this grant to study the problem solving processes used by bilingual and Spanish-dominant Hispanic children and adults recognized as highly competent or competent  in each of the seven intelligences as described  by Howard Gardner.  From these studies, instruments for identifying bilingual and Spanish-dominant Hispanic children not previously recognized as gifted have been developed.  ($116,787).

Project STEP-UP                                                                                                                              1990-1993

A research and development grant was awarded to Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas.  Dr.Dorothy Sisk was Project Director, and C. June Maker was coordinator for the State of Arizona.  The project involved four  states and 12 local districts.  Its purpose was to develop and test procedures for identifying and serving gifted students from minority, bilingual, and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.  Maker's responsibilities included selection of sites in Arizona, assistance in training of all 12 teachers, on-going assistance in program development and evaluation to sites in Arizona, preparation of videotapes for the training of all teachers, design of research on use  of Gardner's

Theory of Multiple Intelligences in identification and curriculum development, collection of data related to project purposes, and collection/analysis of data related to use of Gardner's theory.

Project DISCOVER III                                                                                                                    1993-1996

C.  June Maker, Principal Investigator

Based on several years of research on problem solving in gifted people from special populations, the project director developed and pilot tested a new way to identify giftedness in grades K-3.  Equal percentages of children were identified from different minority groups; and children identified by these methods made tremendous gains when placed in special enrichment programs.  The new process needed long-term evaluation, and adaptation for students in grades 4-12.

The U of A and nine LEAs with high percentages of Hispanic, African American, and American Indian (e.g., Navajo, Pascua Yaqui, Tohono O'Odham) children implemented and evaluated these new procedures and extended their use to grades 4-12.  Using Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences as a framework, special enrichment programs were provided for students identified by traditional and alternative methods.  Project staff facilitated this curriculum development in cooperation with LEA contacts, educators, community members, gifted individuals, and an advisory committee.

Significant outcomes of the project were (a) new procedures for identifying gifted children in grades K-12 with demonstrated reliability and validity for use with ethnic, cultural, and linguistic minority groups in a variety of settings; (b) curricula designed to develop problem solving abilities in multicultural, multilingual groups in seven areas of intelligence; (c) a cadre of local community members in eight varied LEAs;  (d) videotapes and other materials for information dissemination and staff development. ($863,069)

 Project DISCOVER IV                                                                                                                    1993-1996

C. June Maker, Principal Investigator 

Based on several years of research on problem solving in gifted people from special populations, the DISCOVER project was designed to provide a developmental bilingual enrichment program for preschool children gifted or potentially gifted. and who have limited proficiency in English. Children who participated in this program were selected through an innovative process in which trained observers watched and interacted with children in the usual context of the classroom.  Follow-up included (a) development of profiles of strengths and weaknesses in seven intelligences, (b) IEPs, (c) placement in targeted classrooms, (d) monthly parent and child meetings, (3) intensive staff development activities involving their teachers, and (f) comprehensive assessment and documentation of growth using performance-based assessment of what children actually can do in contexts that are instructionally valid.

The University of Arizona and seven LEAs developed several cooperative projects to benefit gifted minority children.  Preschool programs were held in at least two sites.  At one site, instruction was provided in Navajo and English, and at the other, in Spanish and English.  Using Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences as the framework, project personnel, an advisory committee, and local gifted individuals (e.g., artists, musicians, writers)  assisted each LEA in the development of culturally-relevant curricula to enhance problem solving abilities in seven intelligences. ($435,175)

 Project DISCOVER V                                                                                                                      1997-2000

C. June Maker, Principal Investigator

The goals of the DISCOVER V Project are to (1) collaborate with Project Partner community members in four schools with diverse ethnic populations to identify the varied strength profiles of all learners in their community; (2) continue the development and validation of the DISCOVER assessment processes for two purposes: identification of students who are gifted and creation of strength profiles of all learners in project schools; (3) collaborative in the design of teaching/learning units with a focus on problem-solving, multiple intelligences, cultural context, and varied activities to enhance the abilities of all learners; (4) evaluate the effectiveness of varied levels of implementation of the DISCOVER curriculum; and (5) disseminate information about the DISCOVER assessment process, the DISCOVER curriculum model, and research on their effectiveness. ($843,000)

The research design is a more powerful approach to the experimental-control group design often used to assess the impact of educational innovations.  Based on extensive observations in classrooms, a teacher’s implementation of the DISCOVER curriculum will be evaluates as one of five levels: The lowest level (1) corresponds to the traditional control group, and the four higher levels (2 through 5) correspond to experimental groups but demonstrate the reality of implementation of educational practices (i.e., teachers differ in the degree to which they implement any innovation).  Changes in students’ assessment results will be analyzed to determine whether the gains made by students can be attributed to the use of the DISCOVER Curriculum Model.  Assessments will be administered each year, in collaboration with SPS community members, to document changes in learners and teachers.  Observations of teachers and students, portfolio assessment, and interviews also will contribute to the profiles constructed for each student and each teacher.  Analyses of all data will be conducted on a regular basis, and a final evaluation will be conducted to assess changes during the four years of the project.

Project DISCOVER V at Shonto School                                                                                         1996-2000

C. June Maker, Principal Investigator

The DISCOVER Project at Shonto Preparatory School (SPS) is a four-year collaborative venture between the DISCOVER project at The University of Arizona and the staff and community of the Shonto Preparatory School, a Bureau of Indian Affairs grant school in northern Arizona.  The project includes several components: 1) assisting SPS staff members in the identification of the varied strength profiles of all learners in their community; 2) collaborating in the design of DISCOVER teaching/learning units focused on problem solving, multiple intelligences, cultural context, and varied activities that will enhance the abilities of diverse learners; 3) continuing to validate and refine DISCOVER Assessment processes; and 4) evaluating the effectiveness of various levels of implementation of the DISCOVER curriculum. ($403,000)