Skip to main content
NAGC25 Main banner

Wendy A. Behrens, MA Ed (she/her/hers)

Gifted and Talented Education Consultant/State Director
Minnesota Department of Education
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States

Wendy Behrens is the Gifted and Talented Education Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education, an author and consultant. Behrens focuses on creating equitable systems of support for gifted and talented learners. She presents frequently on the identification of underserved populations, acceleration, comprehensive service design, and policy. During her tenure at the state, legislation and funding for gifted and talented education has been enacted to mandate procedures for identification of students, and acceleration to better align curricula with students’ needs. Funding for gifted education has remained stable and restricted. Behrens has received the NAGC President’s Award, is past-president of the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted. She is the current President of CEC-TAG. She is an adviser for Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education, and for The Grayson School. She also serves on the editorial board for Gifted Child Today. Behrens has authored and co-authored books and chapters on acceleration, twice exceptionality, underserved populations, culturally-responsive instruction and policies that support gifted learners. Her most recent publications include Understanding Twice-Exceptional Learners: Connecting Research to Practice (Prufrock Press, 2021), and Culturally Responsive Teaching in Gifted Education: Building Cultural Competence and Serving Diverse Student Populations (Prufrock Press, 2021).

Disclosure information not submitted.

Presentation(s):

Email Wendy