The Academic Year Governor’s Schools of Virginia: A Community of Learners

Abstract

High-ability and gifted students are well-served by a focus on the development of community. The Academic Year Governor’s Schools of Virginia were created with a formalized emphasis on the network of relationships built among the students, faculty, and the larger community. The power of these communities of learners was evident in a study of the Governor’s Schools. At a time when students are buffeted by stressors such as school shootings, pandemics, and war, a community of like-minded and caring peers and adults can provide support for their positive psychological development.