Institute for Educational Advancement

- The Beautiful Butterfly
- Building an Orchestra of Hope
- Carmela Full of Wishes
- Dancing Hands
- Dear Primo
- Islandborn
- Nuestra América
- Planting Stories
- Rainbow Weaver/Tejedora del arcoíris

Happy National Hispanic Heritage Month!

This September 15 - October 15, we're giving extra recognition to the contributions the Hispanic and Latinx communities have made in the US.

Swipe through for some book recommendations to learn more about some inspiring figures!

📢 Announcing the CDB Scholars Class of 2030!

This year's cohort includes 26 students from 11 states who are dedicated community members, passionate learners and leaders among their peers. 

Read the full press release on our website at bit.ly/3VfErgX

#GiftedEducation

Thank you to our students for their participation and words of wisdom!

Responses have been edited for brevity. Read it in full on our blog at bit.ly/487hyny

#GiftedEducation

What's the best high school for a gifted student? 🏫

It isn't one size fits all. In these profiles, IEA students share how they discovered their best fit high school, what they learned along the way, and the advice they believe families would like to know.

#GiftedEducation

While this advice is catered toward 9th graders, we think many of them apply to students of all grade levels, and even college.

Do you have any advice for starting the new school year?

#GiftedEducation

How to start the year off right 💬

We asked our students to give advice to 9th graders who are starting off the new year, likely at a new school. Here's what they had to say.

Happy National Read a Book Day! 📖

Not sure what to read? We recommend:
- Mistakes That Worked by Charlotte Foltz Jones
- What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada
- Weird! by Erin Frankel
- Some of My Best Friends Are Books by Judith Wynn Halsted
- And Still We Rise by Miles Corwin

#ReadABookDay

Select Academy courses still available!

Keep your curious child engaged this fall in our advanced enrichment courses. Take deep dives into unique topics with real-world experts:
📽️ Writing for Movies
🤖 Advanced LEGO Mindstorms
⚖️ Mock Trial
🔬 I am a Scientist

Apply by Sep 9 at bit.ly/4ndiJ99

Last call to register for Fall Academy! 📣

Advanced enrichment perfect for your curious learner, in-person and online!

Some of our favorites this fall are:
⚖️ Mock Trial
🤖 Advanced LEGO Mindstorms
🎵 Physics of Music
🏜️ Extreme Environments and Evolution

Deadline: Tue, Sep 2nd
Apply: bit.ly/4mZDwgo

Meet Thomas! 👋

Thomas Zenteno is an IEA Alum who participated in our programs when he was in high school. We're so excited to have him back as a teacher at Academy almost 20 years later!

Read more of Thomas' story and more from our community in our brand new 2024 Annual Report! bit.ly/iea2024

988 Lifeline At the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, we understand that life’s challenges can sometimes be difficult. Whether you’re facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns…

- Yoga Tots: Calm Bunny by Tessa Strickland and illustrated by Estelí Meza ⁠
⁠
If you need to talk, reach out to us at IEA or the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org).

- The Heart Never Forgets by Ana Ot and illustrated by Hayden Goodman ⁠
- Mindful Tots: Rest & Relax / Niños Mindful: Descansa Y Relájate by Whitney Stewart and illustrated by Rocío Alejandro ⁠
- Outside In by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Cindy Derby ⁠

Here are some children's' books we recommend to help educate, advocate and support each other: ⁠
- Benji, the Bad Day, and Me by Sally J. Pla and illustrated by Ken Min ⁠
- Empty and Me: A Tale of Friendship and Loss by Azam Mahdavi and illustrated by Maryam Tahmasebi⁠

Let’s lift each other up. 💚⁠
⁠
1 in 6 U.S. youth have a mental health condition, but only half receive treatment (Peterson & Whitney, 2019.) That's why this #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, we are encouraging early intervention and fostering empathy and understanding. ⁠

- Our Nipa Hut: A Story in the Philippines by Rachell Abalos and illustrated by Gabriela Larios
- Simone by Viet Thanh Nguyen and art by Minnie Phan
- We Are Not Strangers by Josh Tuininga
- Wei Skates On by Nathan Chen and illustrated by Lorraine Nam

#CelebrateAAPI

- Bharatanatyam in Ballet Shoes by Mahak Jain and illustrated by Anu Chouhan
- Eyes That Speak to the Stars by Joanna Ho and illustrated by Dung Ho
- Gibberish by Young Vo
- Jenny Mei is Sad by Tracy Subisak

We're celebrating AAPI Heritage Month by reading books featuring Asian and Pacific Islander characters! 📚️

Here are a few of our favorites that you and your families can enjoy in May and beyond:

It’s one more way we turn curiosity into meaningful learning (and maybe a little apocalypse readiness, too).

Enroll in other summer courses like this one at bit.ly/4iXE30t

#GiftedEducation

Turns out, that's Montana!

From the abundance of freshwater to plant life, landscape and cows (there are more cows than humans), Montana is the perfect place for humanity to rebuild and defend themselves from oncoming zombie attacks.

#Montana

By analyzing fictional zombie migration patterns and learning about zombie and human impacts on the environment, they developed critical thinking, problem solving and spacial awareness skills that will ensure their long-term survival when they have to start over somewhere safer. 🗺️

#ZombieGeography

Ready for anything–even a zombie apocalypse! 🧟‍♂️

Thanks to their Zombie Based Geography course this spring, our students might be the most prepared group of 11–14 year olds to survive in "The Last of Us."

#TheLastOfUs

Register by Monday, July 21, 2025 at bit.ly/maker-teache...
⁠
Huge thanks to @avnetinc.bsky.social and @hacksterio.bsky.social for donation supplies for these workshops!⁠

#GiftedEducation #TeacherTraining @joanhorvath.bsky.social

Choose from one or all sessions over 2.5 days, with content tailored to your grade level.⁠
⁠
📐 3D Printing and Math Curriculum August 11, 9:00am-3:30pm⁠
⚡️ Electronics August 12, 9:00am-3:30pm⁠
🖥️ Project Design and Costing August 13, 9:00am-12:00pm⁠
⁠

Curious how you can incorporate 3D printing in your classroom? 🖨️

Join us for our training series on Teacher 3D Printing, Electronics, and Math Curriculum Workshops, hosted by IEA and NonScriptum LLC!⁠
⁠
Dive into maker technologies and how they can transform STEM learning for your students.⁠

The cost of eggs won't stop us from doing egg drop experiments 🥚

Students had a great time building structures to try and protect their eggs from breaking when dropped. Sadly, not all structures were successful.

See if this egg survived!

#GiftedEducation #EggDropChallenge

In his EXPLORE internship with Caltech, Matteo built an algorithm to analyze data from a NASA mission, resulting in the discovery of 1.5 million new objects in space!

Read more about Matteo's work and win at bit.ly/4jAhhg1

📷️Chris Ayers Photography/Licensed by Society for Science

Congrats on your Regeneron Science Talent Search win, Matteo!🏆️

Former IEA Academy and EXPLORE student won the first place prize of $250,000 last month for his work during his EXPLORE internship!

#GiftedEducation #RegeneronSTS @regeneron.com

Students had a great time at IEA's Museum Mysteries workshop at The Huntington Library this past Saturday!⁠
⁠
They solved the case of the stolen orchid through simulated DNA testing, chromatography, logic puzzles, and more, and got to explore the Conservatory and Library. ⁠
⁠
#GiftedEducation

Join us for a free Gifted Support Group to learn practical strategies for handling difficult emotions.
⁠
Supporting Children's Emotional Well-Being in the Face of Adversity⁠
Wednesday, April 16, 2025, 4:00pm
569 S Marengo Ave. Pasadena, CA 91101⁠
⁠
#GiftedEducation #ParentSupport⁠