Texas Tech University :: Outreach & Distance Education
The Institute For the Development and Enrichment of Advanced Learners (IDEAL)
The mission of the Institute for the Development and Enrichment of Advanced Learners (IDEAL) is to provide distinctive and unique academic enrichment programs that promote academic excellence, citizenship/leadership, diversity, and an appreciation of the arts for children in grades kindergarten through 12.

Programs offered are: Building A College Going Community academic clubs that include four LISD elementary schools; Iles Crusader Raiders, Wheatley WonderCats, McWhorter McRaiders and the Harwell StarRaiders. Two sessions of Super Saturdays are offered annually. Shake Hands With Your Future and Science: It's A Girl Thing are academic/residential summer camps offered in June and July.

Super Saturdays - View Brochure / Enroll
Super Saturdays consists of a variety of academic enrichment classes for children in grades K-5. Topics include: forensics, mathematics, photography, geology, art, animal science, biotechnology and MORE. Classes are held on Saturdays on the Texas Tech campus.

Shake Hands With Your Future - View Brochure / Enroll
Shake Hands is a summer residential camp for academically talented students. Students experience university life and attend two classes. The camp includes field trips, and recreational activities. In the summer of 2005, Shake Hands celebrates 26 years of serving gifted and talented children and youth.

Science: It's a Girl Thing - View Brochure / Enroll
Science: It's A Girl Thing is a residential camp for girls. The goals are to provide girls with strong role models and dispel myths and misconceptions about science and careers in science. Campers experience university life, hands-on classes and recreational activities.

Learn more about the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented.



Spotlight on IDEAL Partners
Many IDEAL classes are created, taught and supervised by Teacher Partners, outstanding teachers from area classrooms, who are selected by the Center for the Integration of Science Education and Research (CISER) at Texas Tech University. Teacher Partners work to plan and implement curriculum aligned with the national and state standards in science education. CISER faculty members with extensive training in writing model curriculum following state educational standards team with Teacher Partners to develop engaging activities designed for the gifted learner. The focus for the program follows The National Science Teachers Association philosophy that all children should be taught as gifted learners in science. The program uses inquiry based activities to challenge students to explore and solve problems by applying the processes of science to enhance and promote science training. CISER co-founded and sponsors the academic summer camp Science: It's A Girl Thing.
(Center for the Integration of Science Education and Research (CISER) Teacher Partner Michelle Abeyta and her Science: It's A Girl Thing, Planet Earth Rocks class.)