For the past 34 years, Storrs, Connecticut has attracted thousands of educators worldwide for a highly acclaimed, weeklong program sponsored by the Neag Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.  Attended by over 550 educators from 34 states and 13 countries, this year’s Confratute was a blending of educators interested in gifted education, differentiation of instruction and curriculum, and creativity and innovation in education.

Confratute, founded in July of 1978 by Neag School of Education professor Joseph Renzulli, is the longest-running summer institute of its kind in gifted education. Through exposure to differentiation, talent development and enriching learning experiences, the community of adult learners is able to share similar interests, as well as foster professional growth.

“A unique part of the Confratute concept is that it is more than a summer course, more than formal instruction, for it is a careful blend of a conference and an institute with a good deal of fraternity in the middle,” said institute director, Dr. Sally M. Reis.

“Confratute is total immersion and involvement in enrichment, teaching and learning,” she said. “It is the excitement of new ideas, the satisfaction of hard work, the joy of creating and producing and the happiness that comes from making new friends, having fun and learning a little bit more about themselves.”

The informal learning environment provided in over 50 hands-on class strands fuels interaction between passionate participants, keynoters and faculty members alike.

Dr. Reis attributes much of the program’s success to the enthusiastic and dedicated participants who collectively have brought thousands of years of diverse experience in education. It is the acknowledgement and celebration of differences that make Confratute so memorable and special.

For more information on the program or to learn more about the 35^th Annual Confratute, check out http://www.gifted.uconn.edu/confratute/.