What participants are saying they appreciate most about our annual Summit.

  • ​​"The rich discussions about high ability, I am grateful to have the time to collaborate with other schools."

  • "Listening to the programming of other schools."

  • "Connecting with colleagues about HA was wonderful."

  • "We are at a beginning stage at our school so the entire experience was helpful."

  • "Loved the interaction between fellow participants and faculty! I am going back with some new and potentially useful ideas and practical strategies to use in the classroom!"

  • "The sessions and the time to pause and think of application."

  • "The enthusiasm, the passion for the topic, really inspired me to want to support teachers and students."

  • "Hearing from experts in the field - mix of best practice, research and practical tips."

  • "I liked that we had advisory groups. It was helpful to connect with them throughout the sessions to continue to debrief and share ideas."

  • "Good resource materials, engaging presentations."

  • "Being around others grappling with the concept of gifted education in the international setting."

  • "Learning about all the possibilities for HA learners and my own perspective shifting in understanding even more how much HA students need advocates."

  • "Lots of ideas to take back to the classroom; making links with other professionals and resource/idea sharing."

  • “I felt like I was getting practical information that I could use in my classroom immediately.”

  • “It was most valuable to see the examples of practical applications when considering the social-emotional needs of highly able/gifted & talented students.”

  • “I was really impressed by the presenters who were not only experts, but also very down-to-earth and empathetic with some of us who are new to beginning a program or implementing these strategies.”

  • "Learning about HA and 2e profiles, indicators, and varied pathways to support..."

  • “The presenters were very knowledgeable and engaging.”

  • “I was provoked by one question posed: what is the goal, a student meeting standards or experiencing a year of growth? This question is at the core of how my school may need to reframe their thinking about our most able students.”

  • “There was not just one best part but several; the parallel sessions, the resources, the advisory groups and I really liked how we ended with planning”

  • “Being able to ask questions about certain situations and getting expert advice and feedback."

  • “Talking with others about where they are in the process and seeing the numerous options around how a programme can be implemented.”

  • "Being part of a large group from a school was really beneficial - it was so fantastic to have those K-12 multidivisional conversations there, in the moment. So much of the energy from conferences like these are lost once back to the daily routine and is also hard to convey, in detail, to those who did not attend. I would highly encourage other interested schools to send a team of three or more to participate next year."

  • “The sessions that gave you a basic understanding of how to "start" a program. Resources that I can bring to my school after this PD.”

  • “The fact that presenters were present in small group discussions allowing us to ask the experts directly in a more intimate setting"

  • “All of the presenters can speak from experience about pushing through roadblocks and obstacles.”

  • “I was able to listen in to the strategies and language that have helped you all be persuasive and successful in supporting HA learners.”

  • “It gave us the window to reflect about our own program and very concrete steps to be taken.”

  • “Thank you for all the resources shared with us.”

  • “Networking with teams and sharing challenges and practices also helped a lot.”

  • “The breakout sessions were extremely helpful.”

  • “[T]he best part for me was takeaways regarding how things can be added to current activities the school has in place and that the development of the programme can be incremental and effective.”

  • “I really liked all the practical info and being so open in sharing information and helping others learn from their successes and challenges. Thanks so much, HAGT team!”

  • “The extensive content and variety of speakers and information presented.”

  • "I have come from a position of knowing little about this to feeling like I can contribute to future discussions at my school about our philosophy, goals, expectations and future plans."

  • "The high quality presentations (were) full of rich ideas and examples."

  • "Networking and sharing with other colleagues what has worked at other international schools."

  • "It was extremely informative, it had a great balance of sessions not just based on topics but groupings, time to converse and not just listen, ask questions and share experience."

  • "Having the time to network and share ideas that other schools have in place."

  • "I liked that it occurred and the cost wasn't prohibitive to bring a group. It was very beneficial to have my whole admin team there. I had some very knowledgable people in my groups, which I appreciated."

  • "Having the advisory groups, especially the last one with our school groups. It's nice to debrief right as we get the information."

  • "I enjoyed the breakout rooms where we could find out how other schools have been doing it, what they've learned in their journeys, and how our school might use that information to save us from the same potential pitfalls."

  • "Hearing about programmes that are established and hearing about ideas that could be implemented here. I think debriefing with colleagues from our own school was valuable time."

  • "It is the mix between conferences and opportunities to learn from peers and what is happening at other schools. Facilitators of these groups are currently involved in building and refining programs so are able to share their expertise and resources with participants."