Exploring the Relationship Between Fidelity of Implementation and Academic Achievement in a Third-Grade Gifted Curriculum: A Mixed-Methods Study

Amy Azano, PhD, is a research scientist at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education and serves as a project manager for the “What Works in Gifted Education” grant with The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Her research interests include the development of reading and writing curricula for high-ability students, writing initiatives for struggling students, and place-based literacy interventions for rural students.

Tracy C. Missett, MAEd, JD, is a doctoral candidate in educational psychology, gifted education at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education where she works as a graduate research assistant with The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She received her BA from the University of Virginia, her JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and her MAEd from Columbia University, Teachers College. She taught history at the middle school level and as a gifted resource teacher at the elementary level. Her research interests include creativity, gifted students with emotional disabilities, fidelity of implementation, and program evaluation.

Carolyn M. Callahan, PhD, is a commonwealth professor of education at the University of Virginia and has been a principal investigator on projects of The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented for the past 20 years. She has published more than 200 refereed articles and 50 book chapters across a broad range of topics, including the areas of identification of gifted students, program evaluation, the development of performance assessments, and curricular and programming options for highly able students. She received recognition as outstanding faculty member in the Commonwealth of Virginia, outstanding professor of the Curry School of Education, distinguished higher education alumnae of the University of Connecticut, and was awarded the distinguished scholar award and the distinguished service award from the National Association for Gifted Children. She is a past-president of The Association for the Gifted and the National Association for Gifted Children. She is currently editor of Gifted Child Quarterly.

Sarah Oh, MEd, is a graduate student in gifted education at the University of Virginia where she works as a graduate research assistant with The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She is a former elementary classroom teacher and earned her MEd in curriculum and instruction from the University of Virginia. She has been working with pre- and in-service teachers at the graduate level on differentiating instruction and curriculum for the gifted learners. Her research interests include curriculum development, differentiating instruction, program evaluation, and identification of diverse gifted students.

Marguerite Brunner is a doctoral student in gifted education at the University of Virginia, Curry School of Education, where she also works in The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Her previous work in education includes teaching in both elementary and middle schools and serving as a math specialist in the Charlottesville City Schools. In addition to her teaching, Marguerite has 15 years of experience working with gifted students in various settings. She earned her BA in English at the University of Virginia and earned a postgraduate degree in teaching at the University of Texas. Her research interests include differentiated instruction, fidelity of implementation, identification of gifted students, and mentoring programs for gifted children and their families.

Lisa H. Foster, PhD, is a postdoctoral research associate for Project READS at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education. She is currently developing and overseeing all training, program and treatment fidelity measures/assessments for the project in addition to studying the relationship between fidelity, program evaluation, data sharing, and sustainability of an intervention. As a doctoral student in Educational Leadership at the University of Virginia, she worked as project coordinator for The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She taught Spanish for 20 years and is National Board Certified. Lisa holds licensure in K-12 administration, Spanish, Russian, and government. She earned BAs in international studies and political science from Virginia Tech, and a MEd in curriculum and instruction from Liberty University. She is engaged with research involving fidelity of implementation, effective leadership practices, improved literacy, and reduction of summer reading loss.

Tonya R. Moon, PhD, is a professor in the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia and a Principal Investigator for the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. In addition to her research and teaching responsibilities at the University, she is the Chair of the Institutional Review Board for the Social and Behavioral Sciences, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Association for Gifted, and is a Past President of the Virginia Educational Research Association. She is also an Associate Editor for Gifted Child Quarterly and editor for the GCQ Methodological Briefs.