Our Story

Our Story

Gifted Children Are Being Left Behind

Gifted children are often assumed to be fine – that they’ll rise to the top no matter what. But that is not the case.

Gifted individuals think and learn differently than their peers. They have needs that extend far beyond the academic. And the traditional school system, built around average pacing and standardized benchmarks, was not designed with them in mind.

75% of gifted students receive little to no services tailored to their needs. Many are bored, isolated, and misunderstood – in some cases, quietly falling behind in the very classrooms where everyone assumes they are thriving.

More Than A Test Score

Gifted children are more than high test scores and academic achievement, but what does it mean to be gifted? IEA advocates for the following definition established by the Columbus Group in 1991.

More Than Their Minds

While intellectual challenges are necessary for gifted children, they need more than intellectual stimulation to thrive. Along with advanced intellectual capacity, they have social, emotional, spiritual, and physical selves...

Finding Your People: The IEA Community

Gifted children often feel like outliers – out of step with their classmates, unsure why they seem so different. For many, IEA is the first place they have ever truly felt they belong.

We Are Here For Them

IEA exists because gifted children deserve more than being left to figure it out on their own.

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“Gifted individuals are not all the same, and a one-size-fits-all approach will not adequately meet their needs.”

– Elizabeth D. Jones, IEA Founder

More Than Their Minds: IEA’s Whole Child Approach

Children with unusually advanced intellectual abilities are uniquely vulnerable to challenges of social and emotional development that stem from being gifted and trying to navigate a world that does not readily understand or accept them.

Additionally, in today’s struggling educational system, the needs of our gifted and highly gifted students are often neglected. Understanding and acceptance of giftedness – and the unique joys and challenges that accompany it – as an integral part of self is crucial during childhood and adolescence, as these are critical stages of development.
Gifted children are more than their achievements. At IEA, our Whole Child Approach emphasizes each child’s potential as a whole person, rather than focusing on one specific area of talent or ability.

We address their social and emotional needs through programs that teach skills related to problem solving, risk-taking, interpersonal relations, and self-esteem. IEA balances the need for academic success with soft skills, to ensure they thrive in all aspects of life and grow into their best and most realized selves.