Robinson Honored as Outstanding Rural Scholar in Gifted Education

Dr. Ann Robinson, distinguished professor of education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has received the Outstanding Rural Scholar in Gifted Education Award from the University of Denver.

The Rural Education Researcher Award honors a researcher whose work has made a significant contribution to understanding and improving education in rural or remote communities. This award recognizes research that informs practice, shapes policy, and addresses the unique challenges and opportunities of rural education systems.

The honor was presented during the university’s Rural Summit, held June 26-27 in Pueblo, Colorado, which convened educators, policymakers, and community leaders to tackle the challenges and opportunities facing rural communities.

Robinson, who has served nearly 40 years at UA Little Rock and is the founding director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, said she was deeply moved by the recognition, which reflects both her personal roots and her professional contributions to rural education.

“What I thought was very special to me is that even though I have worked in a metropolitan environment for 40 years, my rural roots are still there,” Robinson said. “I’m from a small farming community 70 miles north of Cheyenne, Wyoming, called Wheatland. I come from a family of rural educators.”

Robinson noted that her grandmother once rode a mule to teach in rural Iowa, and both her aunt and mother were also rural educators.

“Rural education is a part of who I am,” she said.

The award highlights Robinson’s long-standing commitment to rural gifted education, much of it supported through 15 years of federal funding from the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program. Her research and service projects have impacted both metropolitan and rural districts across Arkansas, especially a series of STEM programs that have explored engineering concepts for gifted and talented students in kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, and fifth grades.

Dr. Norma Hafenstein, director of the University of Denver’s Gifted Education Center and an organizer of the Rural Summit, said Robinson’s legacy in the field made her an ideal recipient.

“It is both an honor and joy to recognize an extraordinary individual whose research contributes meaningfully to advancing education in rural contexts which has left a profound impact on our rural research community,” Hafenstein said. “At her core, Ann believes in the power of teachers, the brilliance of children in all zip codes, and the responsibility we share to find and foster that brilliance. Her work has changed lives, not only through evidence-based practices and professional learning, but through the relationships she’s built and the hope she’s inspired.”

Over the course of her career, Robinson has secured more than $30 million in external funding for research and professional development in gifted education. Her work emphasizes equitable access to challenging curriculum, especially for talented students from underserved communities. She is also a former president of the National Association for Gifted Children, the former editor of Gifted Child Quarterly,  and currently serves as a U.S. delegate to the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children.

“I was actually in rural Sweden, at a conference with many rural educators, when I found out about the award,” Robinson said. “To be surrounded by others who share that rural connection to the importance of place made it all the more meaningful.”