ITAG Fall 2026: Two-Day Conference + 2 Graduate Credits Opportunity!

ITAG 2-Day Fall Conference October 26–27, 2026
Sheraton West Des Moines (1800 50th St, West Des Moines, IA 50266)

The theme of this year’s conference is "Firmly Planted, Always Growing." The keynote and featured speaker will be Dr. Catherine Little. Dr. Little is a leader in the field of gifted education and currently serves as the president of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). As a professor in giftedness, creativity, and talent development at the University of Connecticut, her extensive research focuses on professional learning, curriculum differentiation for advanced learners, and classroom questioning practices.

Earn 2 Graduate Credits Offered through Drake University’s School of Education!
Attendees of the ITAG Fall 2026 Conference are eligible to earn 2 graduate credits through Drake University.

Note: If you are earning a Talented & Gifted endorsement through Drake University, this course fulfills requirements for the programming or psychology strand.

Conference Registration Fees:

• The early-bird rate for the two-day conference is $375.
• After 09/28/26, the rate increases to $400.
• Register for the ITAG Fall 2026 Conference at Iowa Talented and Gifted - Home Page

Drake University’s 2 Graduate Credit Hours: $378.75
This cost is separate from the event fee. You must be registered for the conference before obtaining graduate credit. If you have not yet registered, please visit the conference section for event fees and to register.

Online Course Details:

Start Date: Monday, August 3, 2026

Registration Closes: 10/29/2026 at 11:59 PM

Note: Refunds are offered up to 5 business days before the event minus a $50 processing fee. No refunds will be offered after the start of the event.

Coursework Due: Friday, December 4, 2026

Instructor: Todd Hodgkinson, Ph.D., Drake University School of Education

Don't miss out on an opportunity to deepen your learning and earn graduate-level credit while attending Iowa’s leading gifted education conference. Students enrolled in this course will deepen their understanding about gifted education theory and practice by attending the annual conference of the Iowa Talented and Gifted Association (ITAG). Students will be asked to attend the ITAG conference and to reflect on both the content presented and on their interactions with fellow attendees/speakers. Students will also be required to complete additional readings (on topics/issues related to gifted education) and two learning projects.

Learning Outcomes

1) Students will attend both days of the 2026 Iowa Talented and Gifted (ITAG) conference and take detailed notes on their experiences.

2) Students will complete a series of instructor selected readings on a variety of talented and gifted related topics.

3) Students will compose an eight-to-ten-page (double-spaced) paper in which they reflect their experiences at the ITAG conference and on the additional course readings.

4) Students will select and read a book-length text authored by the ITAG conference keynote speaker and then complete two self-selected learning projects (series of three lessons, unit plan, professional development presentation slide deck, etc.) based on the ideas presented in that text.

Required Texts:

Additional course readings will be provided on the Blackboard Learning Management course site.

Students will also be asked to self-select and read ONE of the following texts by the conference keynote speakers.