Dr. Ann Robinson, distinguished professor of education at UA Little Rock, has been honored for her dedication to serving and advocating for gifted children around the world. 

The World Council for Gifted and Talented Children awarded Robinson the A. Harry Passow International Award for Leadership in Gifted Education during its biennial World Conference. 

Recipients of this award hold international stature as a leader in gifted education. Their life and work have significantly influenced policy and practices in gifted education, or they have made other outstanding contributions in promoting the cause of gifted education worldwide.

“This is a lovely award, particularly nice for me because I happened to know A. Harry Passow personally,” Robinson said. “He was a giant in the field of educational leadership. To receive an award named in his honor is amazing.”

Dr. A. Harry Passow, Jacob H. Schiff Professor Emeritus of Education at Teachers College, was one of the world’s leading experts on gifted education as well as a founding member and past president of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Education. 

Passow collaborated on a project called the Graduate Leadership in Education Program. The project was directed from Teachers College and included four other universities nationwide. Robinson was a recipient of the program, and the fellowship provided funding during her time as a doctoral student at Purdue University.

“Dr. Passow saw the wisdom in an international network of gifted education scholars back in the 1960s,” Robinson said. “He did some of the first work with students from low-income neighborhoods and communities. His perspective very much affected how I think about education. Many awards are lovely, but this one had a real personal touch to it for me.”

Robinson serves as founding director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. It is one of only 25 centers in the nation dedicated to the development of gifted students and is also home to UA Little Rock’s graduate programs in gifted and talented education. Under her leadership, the center has garnered millions of dollars in grants to help advance education in the state.

Robinson, along with the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, also received the 2021 Presidential Award from the Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education, which recognizes a person, organization, or institution that has been a powerful influence in gifted education across the state. Robinson is also a past president of the National Association for Gifted Children.