From two internationally recognized experts in the field of gifted education comes this timely exploration of how best to nurture a child’s unique gifts, and set them on a path to a happily productive life — in school and beyond.

What is intelligence? Is it really a have or have not proposition, as we’ve been led to believe? Are some children just destined to fall behind? Dona Matthews and Joanne Foster answer those questions with a resounding “No!” In Beyond Intelligence, they demonstrate that every child has the ability to succeed — with the right support and guidance.

But how can parents provide that support? Matthews and Foster proceed from the assumption that knowledge is power, offering parents an information-packed guide to identifying a child’s ability, fostering creativity, and bolstering effort and persistence. Using case studies and anecdotes from their personal and professional experience, they explore different ways of learning; the links between creativity and intelligence; and how to best to provide emotional and social supports. They offer critical advice on how to work co-operatively with schools and educators, and address how to embrace failures as learning opportunities.

Drawing on the latest research in brain development and education theory, Beyond Intelligence is a must-read for today’s parents and educators.

Dona Matthews has a Master of Education and a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, where she was also executive director of the Millennium Dialogue on Early Child Development. She has taught at the University of British Columbia, Ryerson University, Brock University, and was associate professor at Hunter College, City University of New York, where she was the founding director of the Center for Gifted Studies and Education. Her previous books include The Development of Giftedness and Talent across the Life Span. She now lives in Toronto, where she contributes to Creativity Post and Parents Space, and writes a blog.

Dona Matthews' profile page

Joanne Foster, EdD is a parent, teacher, gifted education specialist, university instructor, educational consultant, and award-winning author who has worked in the field of gifted education for more than thirty years. She gives presentations to educators and parent organizations in local, national, and international forums, and serves on several advisory committees concerning children’s education and optimal development. She is co-author (with Dona Matthews) of Being Smart about Gifted Education (2009), and Beyond Intelligence: Secrets for Raising Happily Productive Kids (2014). Dr. Foster is also the author of Not Now, Maybe Later: Helping Children Overcome Procrastination (2015). She wrote “ABCs of Being Smart,” a series of feature articles for Parenting for High Potential magazine, and her column “Fostering Kids’ Success” appears at The Creativity Post online.

Joanne Foster's profile page

Matthews and Foster ably translate educational and psychological theory into practical and appropriate recommendations for what parents should say and do in interacting with their child, and especially in interacting with the child’s teachers and school(s), in order to foster conditions for optimal learning, growth, and development of self-efficacy.

Roeper Review

In this insightful and optimistic guide, Matthews and Foster (coauthors of Being Smart about Gifted Education) explore the premise that all children have the potential to be creative, self-reliant, and innovative thinkers…Parents everywhere will be edified and empowered by this inspiring book.

Publishers Weekly