Gifted-talented conference ahead in Kalispell

There is still time to register for an upcoming conference devoted to gifted and talented education.

The 31st annual Montana Association of Gifted and Talented Education spring conference is April 28 through 30 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kalispell.

The event is expected to draw more than 200 teachers from around the state and will feature keynote speakers and breakout sessions. The breakout sessions are led by teachers from local schools and districts across the state. The keynote speakers are nationally respected teachers and researchers in gifted and talented education.

Sally Reis is a board of trustees distinguished professor at the University of Connecticut and principal investigator for the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She has written or co-authored more than 250 articles, books, chapters and reports.

Terry Neu teaches at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn., and is vice president of the Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students. His book, "Helping Boys Succeed in School," offers various approaches to differentiate instruction to meet male students' needs in school.

Carol Tieso teaches graduate courses in gifted education at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., and is the network member of the National Association for Gifted Children. Her teaching focuses on meeting the socio-emotional needs of talented students and improving the quality of curriculum and instruction for gifted students.

The three keynote speakers also will lead "An Evening with the Experts," a panel discussion slated for 7 p.m. April 28 in the hotel's Glacier Ballroom IV. The discussion is free for parents and other interested individuals.

The conference will include a silent auction and vendors' displays. Teachers may earn renewal credits through the Office of Public Instruction for attending.

For further information or to register, visit the Montana AGATE website, mtagate.org.