Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster

Non-Fiction


Vermeer's hat

Praise for Being Smart about Gifted Education

"Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster's loving concern for children's healthy development runs through each page as they discuss real-life concerns in a practical way that will reach readers... Importantly, the voices of both children and adults are evident...I recommend this humane and empowering text to all educators and parents."
Belle Wallace
Gifted Education International

Dona J. Matthews, Ph.D was founding director of the Center for Gifted Studies and Education, Hunter College, City University of New York, and has published and presented extensively on gifted development across the lifespan. In 2008, Dr. Matthews received the Upton Sinclair award for her “outstanding contribution to the field of education in America.” Recent co-authored books include the award-winning Being Smart about Gifted Education; The Routledge International Companion to Gifted Education; and The Development of Giftedness and Talent across the Life Span.

Joanne F. Foster, Ed.D is a leading authority on gifted education, working in the field for more than thirty years as an educator and consultant. Dr. Foster teaches courses in educational psychology and gifted education at the University of Toronto, provides consultancy services to teachers, serves on advisory committees, and has written and presented dozens of scholarly works on high-level development. Widely respected as an expert in teacher development in gifted education, she co-authored with Dona Matthews the award-winning Being Smart about Gifted Education.

 Manuscript Available

Raising Smarter Kids

Two internationally recognized experts in gifted education have written an essential book for parents who want to help their children become smarter, or for parents dealing with children who are already exceptionally smart. 

Both Dona and Joanne were designated “gifted” as children, and have been thinking about giftedness in their careers as educators. 

What is intelligence? What is giftedness? What can parents, educators, and others do to nurture gifted-level development when it isn’t so obvious, and support it when it is?  

In Raising Smarter Kids, they reveal how parents can identify a child’s abilities, foster creativity, bolster effort and persistence, prevent or alleviate emotional and social problems, and provide a balance of support and challenge at home and at school. 

They draw on insights from current brain research to show that intelligence is not a fixed capacity. Through myriad anecdotes from their case files and in a warm reassuring voice, they offer practical suggestions and strategies for raising smarter kids. 

Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster are the authors of Being Smart about Gifted Education, an award-winning finalist in the National Best Books 2009 Awards sponsored by USA Book News and a Mom's Choice Gold Winner.