INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT

In order for our nation to compete economically, continue scientific discovery, and sufficiently buttress our national security, it is vital that America's most intellectually able students are prepared to become successful professionals. IEA offers a space for these students to learn deeply. IEA's staff honors their curiosity and helps them explore their profound questions. IEA nurtures the children of its community holistically; countless children have arrived on our doorstep desperate to be understood, sad, and without a peer group. These children matriculate through our programs and find intellectual nourishment, friendship, and personal growth. IEA understands that these children are intrinsically valuable and need help. IEA also understands that these children are the future of America, and our programs offer profound assistance as they develop an ethical foundation and the tools they need to pursue their potential. IEA's goals are to:
• Identify and implement the best practices in teaching gifted youth;
• Advance public understanding of the need to nurture society's most talented students;
• Train teachers, inform parents, and provide mentors for exceptionally gifted students;
• Create partnerships with individuals, foundations, nonprofits, businesses, and universities to support the development of highly able students who will advance society as a whole;
• Encourage each gifted student to pursue his or her full intellectual and personal potential and develop mutual respect for all individual differences; and
• Become a leader in policy-making for gifted youth throughout the nation.
IEA's whole-child approach is unique; unlike most gifted-centered organizations, IEA offers programs and services designed to promote intellectual, physical, spiritual, emotional, and social growth. IEA identifies students based on portfolio assessments that reflect creativity, intellectual promise, integrity, personality, and deep thought.

IEA separates itself from other gifted-focused nonprofits by virtue of its portfolio-based selection process, focus on the whole child as opposed to one specific area of talent or ability, and optimal match philosophy. These exceptionally talented students greatly benefit from the professional expertise geared to their high functioning academic capabilities and often require informed assistance in finding the appropriate learning environment to nurture and challenge their individual goals and passions.

By providing an array of programs and services specifically tailored for gifted children, IEA strives to help them unlock their full potential. Many gifted learners within the IEA community will go on to contribute to the advancement of society through scientific, entrepreneurial, legal, creative, and humanitarian work.

One of the central objectives of IEA's programs and services is to provide a forum where participants can grow intellectually, academically, and personally. To this end, the following strategies guide our program activities:
1. Provide excellent, customized services to both our students and teachers;
2. Build diverse community partnerships with parents, educators, administrators, and specialists to expand offerings for each student's individual academic, social, and emotional needs;
3. Increase ethnic and socio-economic diversity across our programs;
4. Identify and evaluate program data to generate qualitative and quantitative measures for student progress;
5. Support staff teacher-training within and outside of our programs, disseminating best practices and lessons learned through the successful implementation of programs;
6. Track and strengthen connections with program Alumni through social media and monthly newsletter;
7. Conduct early outreach to promote programs to schools and organizations serving high potential and gifted students; and
8. Secure funds to expand programs, services and advocacy efforts.

Founded in 1998, IEA is dedicated to the intellectual, creative, and personal growth of our nation's gifted and high-potential youth. IEA was formed in response to our founders' realization that gifted-centered organizations often focused only on talent development and academic achievement, neglecting to nourish the social and emotional needs of children whose intensities and overexcitabilities are often misunderstood and misdiagnosed.

Through its four major programs – Academy, EXPLORE, CDB, and Yunasa – along with its online Gifted Resource Center, Professional Development and Consulting services, Parent Support Groups, and Public Policy Initiative, IEA encourages gifted children and their families to pursue their intellectual potential and advocate for their individual needs. IEA has served over 3,500 students from public, independent, parochial, and alternative school environments to ensure they are able to explore for the acquisition of knowledge, create with passion, persevere through challenge, and participate in community for the common good.

IEA's impact is wide. We have intensified its outreach endeavors to ensure that individuals of all ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds have access to its resources. IEA provides financial aid for programs based on both merit and need; qualified applicants are never turned away because they cannot afford to participate. Applicants are accepted into IEA's programs based on applications that provide insight into the whole child – their interests, achievements, motivations, and personalities. CDB, EXPLORE and the Yunasa Leadership Program require personal interviews in addition to exceptional applications.

Since 1998, IEA has directly served more than 3,500 children and youth, and indirectly impacted thousands of students, educators and parents. Each year, we see an increase in the number of students we are able to offer financial aid and scholarships to; in 2017, approximately 35% of our students received a scholarship or financial aid, enabling them to participate in our programs. Our award-winning Yunasa camps are at capacity, and we are exploring expansion opportunities in order to reach and impact more gifted students. Our Academy offerings increase in depth and breadth each year; we continue to add classes, exceptional instructors and create additional and highly sought-after one-time workshops and learning days. In 2017, IEA acquired a new property to serve as a permanent learning space for our local programs, offering the gifted community a place to feel welcome, nurtured and supported. The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship program reaches students in new regions each year, further diversifying our scholarship cohorts in geographic, income and ethnic backgrounds. Our CDB alumni base continues to stay connected to IEA through volunteer opportunities, charitable giving, board service and selection committee participation. The EXPLORE program adds mentors each year, expanding our students' opportunities to explore various careers in research, science, art and engineering.
Looking ahead, IEA is focused on further expanding our impact to reach more gifted children, their families and educators. We continue to seek partnership opportunities to offer professional development and services to educators and parents in order to equip them with the knowledge and tools to help gifted youth reach their potential. Pending funding, we will be renovating our new learning space with added classroom space, a science lab complete with wet lab equipment and acquiring innovative education technology to enhance the learning experience for students and teachers. IEA will continue to focus on advocacy through our public policy work, bringing together national groups to move forward strategies that improve support and resources for gifted education.