Connie Phelps
Gifted Program Director & King Endowed Professor
Emporia State University
Emporia, Kansas, United States
Website: Emporia State University
Dr. Connie Phelps directs the Gifted, Talented, and Creative Special Education program, teaches gifted program courses, and supervises PK-12 gifted practica experiences.
Prior to her appointment as Assistant Professor in 2004, she taught middle school language arts and social science classes for diverse gifted learners, provided high school gifted consultation services, and delivered staff development for elementary school staff in USD 259 Wichita Public Schools. She received her MS in Special Education-Gifted, Talented, and Creative from Emporia State University, MEd from East Texas State University, and EdD from the University of Arkansas.
Phelps's contributions in the field of Gifted Education include the Kansas Association for Gifted, Talented and Creative Board of Directors, National Association for Gifted Children Professional Development Network Chair, World Council for Gifted and Talented Children USA alternate delegate, and Future Problem-Solving Program International Board of Advisors. She leads site team accreditation visits for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.
Dr. Phelps conducts international collaborative research on giftedness, talent development, and creativity, and she enjoys mentoring colleagues in the field. Promoted to Professor in 2016, Dr. Phelps was named the inaugural Dr. John E. King Endowed Professor at Emporia State University in 2019.
- Contributions at Talent Education 2020
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Home Thoughts From Abroad: Celebrations of Gifted EducationPaperAfter conducting sabbatical research in 2012 on four national initiatives on high potential children and adolescents in France, a second sabbatical in 2019 expanded research on giftedness, talent development, and creativity studies through travel to nine European countries. Onsite visits to universities, schools, creativity centers, and professional conferences yielded insight … More
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Summer Enrichment Camp Experiences and the Dual Pandemics of COVID-19 and Systematic RacismPaperIn addition to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, educators worldwide viewed a series of horrific events of systemic racism marked with the murder of George Floyd in the United States. This session describes two virtual summer enrichment camps conducted during Summer 2020, and implications for those camps derived from a … More
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What Can Gifted Education Learn From the Reggio Emilia Approach?PaperGifted Education provides child-centered individualized learning experiences designed to advance abilities and talents of children and adolescents identified with advanced abilities. Specialized services often begin in the primary grades and extend through secondary schools. Adapted instruction often focuses on cognitive abilities based on individual goals and objectives with emphases on … More
- Contributions on other events
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Montessori Peace Education Practices That Encourage Safe Home and School EnvironmentsWorkshopTalent Education 2019PreK-12 schools experience significant issues with bullying among all grade levels. Although school communities implement intervention programs and anti-tolerance policies, various forms of aggression continue to disrupt productive classroom environments. Moreover, aggressive behaviors that occur covertly confound their discovery and subsequent intervention practices. This workshop defines multiple forms of aggression … More