Tammy Byrd, 2024 Gifted Education Fellowship winner

Tammy Byrd, a doctoral candidate in gifted, creative, and talented studies at Purdue University, is a passionate advocate for gifted education research and resources.

As the mother of a student who is twice-exceptional, Byrd has faced many challenges in finding the necessary support to ensure her child’s success and happiness. With a school district unable to offer guidance on where to seek help, she took on the role of researcher to support her child’s academic and emotional well-being. Recognizing that not all parents can sustain this level of research, she made it her personal and professional mission to provide these parents with the resources they need.

As a participant in Purdue University’s Gifted Education Research and Resource Institute program, Byrd is expanding her research on twice-exceptionality, giftedness, and creativity. Upon graduating, her plans include teaching and continued research to support students and families directly in the classroom. She then hopes to transition into an administrative role within the public school system to enhance the gifted education offerings within her local district.

Byrd is currently a member of the American Educational Research Association, a national research society dedicated to advancing knowledge about education, encouraging scholarly inquiry, and promoting the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Her continued research efforts include collaborating with fellow researchers in the field of twice-exceptionality, supporting site visits and interviews with parents and students to aid in developing a tool to measure parental support from school systems, and promoting the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.

“Eventually, I aspire to teach at the college level and lead the gifted program, where I can educate pre-service teachers on identifying and supporting gifted and talented students and their families,” she said. “It is imperative that all teachers are educated on gifted and talented students, even if it’s just an introduction to gifted and talented.”

The Foundation’s Gifted Education Fellowship was created to assist outstanding educators in acquiring a graduate degree in gifted education or a closely related field from an accredited institution of higher education.