About Me

“A rising tide lifts all boats.”

A believer in promoting high expectations and developing a challenging curriculum for all students to nurture student talent and create optimum engagement, I support well-trained teachers, strong parent partnerships, and highly engaged students to ensure that gifted students, potentially gifted students, and all students thrive in school and at home each day.

I am currently finishing my fifth year as the Coordinator for Gifted Education and Talent Development in a suburban school division in southeastern Virginia. Prior to my current position, I dedicated 18 years to instructing gifted students, two years as a high school Improvement Specialist, and four years as a high school and elementary school Assistant Principal. My research areas of interest include the motivation of gifted learners, talent development, and student engagement. In addition to my K-12 work, I have taught Masters’ level gifted courses as an adjunct professor for the College of William and Mary and for Shenandoah University.

Dr. Ann H. Colorado

Career Highlights

  • Facilitated implementation of a Talent Development Program, K-2, and inclusive gifted identification practices in WJCC Public Schools.
  • Created and led dozens of professional learning sessions through leadership roles such as Coordinator for Gifted Education, Assistant Principal, and School Improvement Specialist.
  • Taught gifted classes to students in K-8 and to Master’s students as an adjunct professor at The College of William and Mary and Shenandoah University.

See my LinkedIn profile here.

Academic Background

Certificate of Completion for the School-University Research Network Principal Academy (SURN; 2016-2018), The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA

Ed.D. in the Education Policy, Planning, and Leadership Program in Gifted Education Administration; License in Educational Administration and Supervision (January 2015), The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

M.A.Ed. in Elementary Education with an Endorsement in Gifted and Talented Education; Virginia Postgraduate Professional License in Elementary Education K-8 and Gifted Education (August 1994), The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

B.A. in Psychology (June 1991), Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA.

Research Interests

  • Gifted Student Motivation
  • Talent Development
  • Student Engagement

I defended my dissertation on October 20, 2014 at The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA. The title of my study was, Math talent development of elementary school students: The relationship of gender, math motivation, and goal orientation to math achievement (Copyright # TX-8-078-912; Chair – Dr. Tracy Cross). You can read my dissertation on Scholarworks through The College of William and Mary.

Contact Ann