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Discover! Institute
June 1-3, 2026
About Discover! Institute
Leadership, Talent Development, and Gifted Education Practices
The Discover! Institute is a professional development program designed for teachers, gifted specialists and coordinators, school administrators, and school support staff who are committed to advancing gifted education.
Over the course of three days, the institute features three learning strands: Talent Development, Gifted Education Practices, and Leadership.
Each strand includes keynote presentations, interactive and hands-on breakout sessions, and a collaborative Hackathon.
Sessions will explore key areas of gifted education related to the strands, including differentiation, creativity, gifted identification, twice-exceptionality, career planning and mentoring, and the social and emotional needs of gifted learners.
Participants are encouraged to follow one strand throughout the program for deeper learning, but they may also attend sessions across strands based on their interests and availability.
Why Attend?
Participants will have the opportunity to:
- Gain practical strategies and tools that can be applied directly in classrooms or schools
- Learn from faculty, researchers, and experienced practitioners in gifted education
- Build professional connections with educators across schools, districts, and universities
- Participate in a collaborative Hackathon and compete for a small grant opportunity to support initiatives in gifted programming at their schools
Join us to connect, learn, and lead in the field of gifted education!
Keynotes
John and Hazel Feldhusen Distinguished Lecture in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Studies
Talent Development—How Did We Get Here? What Do We Know? Where Are We Going?
Ann Robinson, Ph.D.
Talent development is a powerful lens for spotting and fostering high-level performance across the lifespan. For educators, talent development focuses most intensely on children and youth in the K-12 continuum. Who influenced our thinking about talent development? Discover surprising stories of early conceptualizers illustrated with a gallery of images that bring the talent development perspective to life. What do we know about successful models of talent development now? Example programs built around bedrock principles of curricular complexity and student access provide us with evidence and evidence-based practices we can use to argue for services for children and youth and to persuade others to adopt talent development models and perspectives. Finally, where are we going? Lively lessons from history, from research, and from common-sense teacher expertise lead us forward into the possibilities for talent development for advanced learners in the future.
About the Speaker
Ann Robinson, Ph.D.
Ann Robinson, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor and Founding Director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at the UA Little Rock, is the Past President of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC), Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE), and the Arkansas Association of Gifted Education Administrators (AAGEA). She is the recipient of numerous awards from these professional associations, including the NAGC Ann Fabe Isaacs Memorial Founders Award. Ann coordinates the graduate programs in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Education at UA Little Rock which include the online K-12 Gifted Education Licensure and Masters in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Education. Her research interests include preparation and professional learning for teachers, school-based interventions for talent development, and the use of biography in the curriculum. An alumna of Purdue University, Ann serves on the Advisory Board of the Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute (GER2I) and co-chairs the GER2I 50th Anniversary Planning Committee. Ann grew up in Wyoming where she rode horses, biked, and swam backstroke for the local swim team. She reads biographies with a passion and has had the opportunity to live in the UK and Australia as well as to travel internationally for professional obligations and for fun!
The Strategic Pause: Enhancing Leadership and Cultivating Clarity
Michelle (Shelli) Frazier Trotman Scott, Ph.D.
In gifted education, impactful leadership is defined by intentional decision-making. The Strategic Pause will assist leaders with embracing the power of pausing with purpose to reflect, recalibrate, and lead with clarity. The pause will be presented as a strategic leadership tool that strengthens focus, enhances creativity, and sustains productivity. Participants will gain practical strategies for embedding purposeful pauses into their daily routines, aligning their actions with their vision and values. Grounded in transformative leadership and self-awareness, this session highlights how intentional pauses elevate leaders’ ability to enhance environments for gifted learners. This session will equip leaders to lead with clarity, purpose, and precision. By shifting from urgency to intentionality, this keynote will help leaders deepen their impact, strengthen connections, and create spaces where excellence thrives.
About the Speaker
Michelle (Shelli) Frazier Trotman Scott, Ph.D.
Michelle (Shelli) Frazier Trotman Scott, Ph.D., is a Professor, Interim Assistant Dean, and Chair of the Department of Counseling, Higher Education, and Speech-Language Pathology at the University of West Georgia. Committed to equity and excellence, her work centers on disproportionalities in gifted and special education, dual exceptionalities, culturally responsive pedagogy, and meaningful family engagement. She currently serves as President-Elect of the Board of Directors for the National Association for Gifted Children. Affectionately known as “Dr. FTS” or Dr. Shelli, she earned her Ph.D. in Applied Behavior Analysis with emphases in special, gifted, and urban education, along with her M.A. and B.S. in Education from The Ohio State University. Dr. Frazier Trotman Scott is a sought-after speaker and facilitator, delivering professional learning and engaging in community-centered dialogue across diverse educational settings. She has authored numerous articles, co-edited books, and contributes extensively as a reviewer and editorial board member. She currently serves as Co-Managing Editor of Gifted Child Today. An award-winning leader, she is the recipient of the CEC-TAG Diversity Award and the NAGC SPN Alexina Y. Baldwin Gifted Award. She is also the founder of The Octopus Agency, LLC, and a devoted wife and mother of three daughters.
The Many Dimensions of Giftedness: Rethinking How We See, Support, and Develop Talent
C. Matthew Fugate, Ph. D.
Gifted learners demonstrate advanced potential in a variety of ways, influenced by their experiences, opportunities, and individual learning profiles. However, traditional approaches to identification and instruction do not always capture the full range of student strengths. This keynote will explore how educators can broaden their understanding of giftedness by recognizing multiple pathways through which talent develops and is expressed. Attendees will examine how student experiences, context, and access to opportunities shape both identification and outcomes in gifted education. Participants will leave with a renewed lens for recognizing potential, along with practical strategies to strengthen talent development, expand participation in gifted programming, and create learning environments that support high levels of engagement and achievement for advanced learners.
About the Speaker
C. Matthew Fugate, Ph.D.
C. Matthew Fugate, Ph.D., is Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Elmbridge University. He received his doctorate in Gifted, Creative, and Talented Studies from Purdue University. His research interests include twice-exceptional students and students from underrepresented populations. He has presented to audiences nationally and internationally on a variety of topics including twice exceptionality, creativity, and intersectionality of gifted identities. Matthew is the Immediate President of the Texas Association for Gifted and Talented (TAGT) and has held a variety of leadership roles in the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). He has received the NAGC Early Leader Award, the Dr. Marcia L. Gentry Special Populations Early Career Award from the NAGC Special Populations Network, and was named one of Variations magazine’s “22 People to Watch in the Neurodiversity Movement”. Matthew serves as the Associate Editor of Teaching for High Potential and has published several articles, book chapters, and books related to his work.
Program Details
Registration
June 1-3, 2026
Indiana Historical Society
450 W. Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
$750
Three-Day Pass
$300
Single Day Pass
Registration includes lunch, refreshments, parking, and free admission to the museum exhibits at the Indiana Historical Society.
Speaker Propsals
Submit a Presentation Proposal
The Center for Literacy and Language Education and Research (CL2EAR) in the College of Education at Purdue University invites proposals for individual papers, research-to-practice presentations, interactive workshops, and poster presentations.
Selected articles from the conference will be published in the peer-reviewed
International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education (IJLCLE).
The deadline for receipt of proposals is June 30, 2026.
Sponsorship
Invest in Literacy and Language Educators
ICLCLE provides exposure for companies and organizations to K-12 Literacy & Language teachers, administrators, university faculty, and graduate students. We expect over 250 researchers, practitioners, and graduate students from across the U.S. and abroad this year. We offer various sponsorship levels with benefits (see table below). We can also customize a sponsorship package to meet your needs.
Possible sponsorship benefits include conference admission, listing in the conference program, presentations during the conference, and the ability to interact with conference attendees during designated exhibit times.
Level 1, $350
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Include a flyer or paper handout in the SWAG bag
- Access to attendee list including email addresses
Please note, this level does not include a booth in the exhibit hall
Level 2, $600
- Booth at in-person exhibit hall
- Exhibit space is approximately 8’ x 8’ and includes a skirted 6’ display table
- Dedicated break time for participants to visit the exhibit hall
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Admission for four guests: includes full access to the conference, lunch, and refreshments
- Include an item in the SWAG bag
- Items are pens, post-it notes, stickers, or similar
- Level 2 does not allow flyers or paper handouts to be included in the SWAG bag
Level 3, $1,000
- Booth at in-person exhibit hall
- Exhibit space is approximately 8’ x 8’ and includes a skirted 6’ display table
- Dedicated break time for participants to visit the exhibit hall
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Admission for six guests: includes full access to the conference, lunch, and refreshments
- Include an item in the SWAG bag
- Items are pens, post-it notes, stickers, or similar
- Level 3 does not allow flyers or paper handouts to be included in the SWAG bag
- Access to attendee list including email addresses
Level 4, $1,500
- Booth at in-person exhibit hall
- Exhibit space is approximately 8’ x 8’ and includes a skirted 6’ display table
- Dedicated break time for participants to visit the exhibit hall
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Admission for eight guests: includes full access to the conference, lunch, and refreshments
- Include an item in the SWAG bag
- Items are pens, post-it notes, stickers, or similar
- Include a flyer or paper handout in the SWAG bag
- Recognition in pre-conference emails
- Access to attendee list including email addresses
- Guaranteed in-person conference session
- Mention during keynote speaker
Sponsor packages can be customized.
Level 1, $350
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Include a flyer or paper handout in the SWAG bag
- Access to attendee list including email addresses
Please note, this level does not include a booth in the exhibit hall
Level 2, $600
- Booth at in-person exhibit hall
- Exhibit space is approximately 8’ x 8’ and includes a skirted 6’ display table
- Dedicated break time for participants to visit the exhibit hall
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Admission for four guests: includes full access to the conference, lunch, and refreshments
- Include an item in the SWAG bag
- Items are pens, post-it notes, stickers, or similar
- Level 2 does not allow flyers or paper handouts to be included in the SWAG bag
Level 3, $1,000
- Booth at in-person exhibit hall
- Exhibit space is approximately 8’ x 8’ and includes a skirted 6’ display table
- Dedicated break time for participants to visit the exhibit hall
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Admission for six guests: includes full access to the conference, lunch, and refreshments
- Include an item in the SWAG bag
- Items are pens, post-it notes, stickers, or similar
- Level 3 does not allow flyers or paper handouts to be included in the SWAG bag
- Access to attendee list including email addresses
Level 4, $1,500
- Booth at in-person exhibit hall
- Exhibit space is approximately 8’ x 8’ and includes a skirted 6’ display table
- Dedicated break time for participants to visit the exhibit hall
- Electronic resources posted on conference website
- Listing in conference online management platform or program
- Admission for eight guests: includes full access to the conference, lunch, and refreshments
- Include an item in the SWAG bag
- Items are pens, post-it notes, stickers, or similar
- Include a flyer or paper handout in the SWAG bag
- Recognition in pre-conference emails
- Access to attendee list including email addresses
- Guaranteed in-person conference session
- Mention during keynote speaker
Schedule
7:30-9:00 A.M.
Registration/Check-in
9:00-10:15 A.M.
Keynote Session
10:15-10:30 A.M.
Break
10:30 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Breakout Session I
12:00-1:30 P.M.
Lunch
1:30-3:00 P.M.
Breakout Session II
3:00-3:15 P.M.
Break
3:15-4:45 P.M.
Breakout Session III
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