Getting the summer off to a shining start, the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education graduated its first class of ten doctorates, along with three master’s degrees, in a ceremony on Friday, June 24. During a separate ceremony, the Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development inducted three new honorees to its 2e Hall of Fame.
Taking place at the retro chic Garland Hotel Ballroom in North Hollywood, California, many of the leading lights in the field of twice-exceptional education were in attendance.
Honorary Doctorates
The celebration acknowledged innovators in the 2e world with honorary doctorates. Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, the director of the Center for Human Potential and author of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization and Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined — also the host of The Psychology Podcast was recognized. In addition, Henry “Hank” Nicols, the dean of the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education, donned the ceremonial hood.Hall of Fame Inductees
Established in 2017, the 2e Hall of Fame celebrates the contributions of educators, mental health professionals, and other leaders whose work has positively impacted the lives of 2e students and their families, as well as the broader 2e movement. Members of the Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development board vote on nominees for induction.
The honorees this year include best-selling author and acclaimed speaker Jonathan Mooney, renowned professor Jann Leppien, and popular podcaster and psychologist Dan Peters.
Jonathan Mooney, a dyslexic writer and activist, has earned an honors degree in English literature at Brown University and is the author of several best-selling books, including Learning Outside the Lines, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal, and his memoir, Normal Sucks. Mooney also founded Project Eye-To-Eye, a mentoring and advocacy non-profit organization for students with learning differences.
Dr. Jann H. Leppien, a professor emerita from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, has served as a research associate at the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented and taught in an elementary and middle school, and she conducts educator training sessions for differentiated instruction, curriculum design, assessment for advanced students, and gifted program development. She’s co-authored Multiple Menu Model: A Practical Guide for Developing Differentiated Curriculum and The Parallel Curriculum: A Design to Develop High Potential and Challenge High-Ability Students.
Dr. Dan Peters is the executive director of the Summit Center, which provides educational and psychological assessments for children with learning differences. The co-author of Bright, Complex Kids and Raising Creative Kids and the author of Make Your Worrier a Warrior and the Warrior Workbook: A Guide for Conquering Your WorryMonster, Peters also hosts the podcast, Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan.
Previous inductees include the director of the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa, Dr. Susan Assouline, the founders of the 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter, Mark Bade and Linda Neumann, and the Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and a principal investigator for the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, Dr. Sally Reis, among others.
The Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development, founded in 2006, utilizes the unique opportunities afforded by working with Bridges Academy as a demonstration and lab school. The 2e Center is a multi-disciplinary hub where professionals, scholars, and practitioners combine expertise to enhance understanding of a growing awareness of 2e students. By seeking out and developing best practices through research, curriculum development, outreach, and teacher training, the 2e Center develops and shares knowledge and pedagogy to benefit the under-served 2e population.
For more information about The Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development, head to https://2ecenter.org.
Hank Nicols and friend
The graduate school was formed in 2017 in response to a growing need for knowledge and expertise in human cognitive diversity and with the belief that education should be strength-based and talent-focused. Post-graduate programs are offered in cognitive diversity and a certificate program in twice-exceptional education. The school promotes and supports learning differences among students, parents, educators, and field leaders through developing strengths and talents. According to Nichols, “we unlock individual potential through cultivating knowledge of many worldviews and perspectives, as well as the skills, insights, and imagination required of scholars who will assume leadership roles as instructors, researchers, administrators, and policy makers.”
For more information about the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education, visit https://graduateschool.bridges.edu
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Honorary Doctorates
The celebration acknowledged innovators in the 2e world with honorary doctorates. Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman, the director of the Center for Human Potential and author of Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization and Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined — also the host of The Psychology Podcast was recognized. In addition, Henry “Hank” Nicols, the dean of the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education, donned the ceremonial hood.
Hall of Fame Inductees
Established in 2017, the 2e Hall of Fame celebrates the contributions of educators, mental health professionals, and other leaders whose work has positively impacted the lives of 2e students and their families, as well as the broader 2e movement. Members of the Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development board vote on nominees for induction.
The honorees this year include best-selling author and acclaimed speaker Jonathan Mooney, renowned professor Jann Leppien, and popular podcaster and psychologist Dan Peters.
Jonathan Mooney, a dyslexic writer and activist, has earned an honors degree in English literature at Brown University and is the author of several best-selling books, including Learning Outside the Lines, The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal, and his memoir, Normal Sucks. Mooney also founded Project Eye-To-Eye, a mentoring and advocacy non-profit organization for students with learning differences.
Dr. Jann H. Leppien, a professor emerita from Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, has served as a research associate at the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented and taught in an elementary and middle school, and she conducts educator training sessions for differentiated instruction, curriculum design, assessment for advanced students, and gifted program development. She’s co-authored Multiple Menu Model: A Practical Guide for Developing Differentiated Curriculum and The Parallel Curriculum: A Design to Develop High Potential and Challenge High-Ability Students.
Dr. Dan Peters is the executive director of the Summit Center, which provides educational and psychological assessments for children with learning differences. The co-author of Bright, Complex Kids and Raising Creative Kids and the author of Make Your Worrier a Warrior and the Warrior Workbook: A Guide for Conquering Your Worry Monster, Peters also hosts the podcast, Parent Footprint with Dr. Dan.
Previous inductees include the director of the Belin-Blank Center at the University of Iowa, Dr. Susan Assouline, the founders of the 2e: Twice-Exceptional Newsletter, Mark Bade and Linda Neumann, and the Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut and a principal investigator for the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, Dr. Sally Reis, among others.
The Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development, founded in 2006, utilizes the unique opportunities afforded by working with Bridges Academy as a demonstration and lab school. The 2e Center is a multi-disciplinary hub where professionals, scholars, and practitioners combine expertise to enhance understanding of a growing awareness of 2e students. By seeking out and developing best practices through research, curriculum development, outreach, and teacher training, the 2e Center develops and shares knowledge and pedagogy to benefit the under-served 2e population.
For more information about The Bridges 2e Center for Research and Professional Development, head to https://2ecenter.org.
