Around 2500 people came together this month at NAGC23 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. We started off NAGC’s 70th year with a convention full of professional learning, conversation, and celebration. Speakers offered reflections on NAGC’s past, present, and future; perspectives on the questions and dilemmas of the field; and practical guidance for educators and families seeking approaches to support and challenge the children in their care. And despite the allure of the attractions nearby, participants brought tremendous focus, energy, and enthusiasm as they packed session rooms. The diversity, compassion, and commitment of the NAGC community was evident across four days of professional growth and renewal.

The keynote speakers who bookended the convention challenged and encouraged listeners to strive for perspective and balance. George Couros captivated participants with stories of his own experiences as a learner and educator that contributed to his ideas around innovation. He reminded the audience of the importance of making space for themselves as they seek to support students. Donovan Taylor Hall emphasized students’ need for emotional safety in their learning spaces and showed listeners the power of teacher support, highlighting an influential moment from his own life with a teacher who happened to be an NAGC member in attendance. Both keynoters spoke to the hearts and minds of the community present, encouraging renewal and faith in the power of the work we do.

Featured and signature sessions prompted participants to consider the past and look toward the future, examining historical influences, present challenges, and possibilities on the horizon. One session shared key findings and future directions emerging from NAGC’s invitational colloquium in May, The Dream Unencumbered. This important event brought together partners outside of gifted education to examine questions and new directions surrounding equity and access for gifted programs for students from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds. Such partnerships with individuals and organizations sharing common goals are central to NAGC’s efforts to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in our advocacy, education, and outreach. Several partners came to the convention to share their experiences, continue critical conversations, and look ahead to next steps for collaboration in this important work. The key findings and recommendations from the colloquium will shortly be shared broadly with the NAGC community.

Another session invited eminent leaders Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Robert Sternberg, Joy Lawson Davis, and Joseph Renzulli to share their reflections on NAGC’s history and potential for the future. Their long view of the challenges and successes across decades provided perspective and insight around foundations of the field and the considerable work still to be done. As I reflected on the convention, I was struck by the combination of hearing from these leaders – some of whom highlighted half a century of NAGC membership – just a day after attending the first-timers’ orientation with several hundred people attending their first NAGC. This combination of new members and long-term colleagues is hugely valuable to NAGC’s community and the ongoing development of the field. There is tremendous promise in the combination of wisdom and innovation, the value of experience, and the potential of new ideas and perspectives.

Speakers also addressed some of the most pressing questions in gifted education and the broader educational environment today. The persistent issues of defining giftedness and identifying student needs for services appeared throughout the week, as we continue to wrestle with these central challenges of our work. Multiple convention sessions and a preconference explored the current and constantly evolving influence of AI in education and how educators can think about AI’s role as a tool for learning instead of a barrier. Speakers talked about how educators can navigate challenges to inclusive curriculum and advocate for students to have access to knowledge and opportunities to develop their critical thinking skills. Groups including state directors, state affiliate leaders, gifted program coordinators, and others gathered to address the policy and practice opportunities and challenges they face and how to serve as resources for one another. And sessions highlighted evidence-based curriculum, practices, and programs that work to support learners, with guidance for participants to take back to their schools.

There were sad moments in the convention that underscored our history and grounded our celebrations. Participants came together to remember Dr. Jaime Castellano, a leader in the field and champion for supporting diverse gifted learners, who passed away only weeks before the convention. Names of other leaders from our past history echoed in sessions and conversations, with comfort in the memories and sadness at the loss of those gone before. Yet there was considerable joy and celebration throughout, with the annual Celebration of Excellence and multiple network award events, including the Special Populations Network’s moving ceremony honoring this year’s Dr. Martin D. Jenkins Scholars. We also celebrated NAGC’s 70th birthday with cake in the exhibit hall and came together for a festive beach party that brought a little sunshine and magic even though it had to move inside out of the rain.

Overall, NAGC23 challenged us all to look back and look ahead, to understand where we have come from in 70 years as an organization and to think about the possibilities for what comes next. NAGC23 occurred in a time of considerable strife in the field of education and the broader society, and even as we enjoyed some sunshine and wore some mouse ears, we remained conscious of the context and the sobering implications of working in educational environments today. While aware of the challenges, we remain focused on NAGC’s mission and take away renewed energy – and perhaps a little magical pixie dust – to bring to our work as we look ahead.

Next November, we will come together once again for NAGC24. We will gather on the west coast, holding our convention in Seattle, WA, for the first time. I am excited by the opportunity to chair our outstanding Convention Committee, and we are already hard at work planning for the event. We are considering the “good problems” that emerged during NAGC23 – crowded rooms, showing high interest; conflicting sessions on similar topics, showing the depth of expertise on key issues; and the eagerness of our participants for more practical guidance to take away from the convention. We’re adjusting plans for next year to provide larger rooms and to encourage more networking and sharing of experiences from practice. We look forward to the conversations and community building of NAGC24. The call for proposals will open in mid-December, with a due date in January. Thank you to all who joined us for NAGC23 – in person and in spirit. We hope to see everyone again – and new friends as well – next year in Seattle.