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

Gifted and Talented Education Specialist (State Director)
Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota

Wendy A. Behrens is the Gifted and Talented Education Specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education, and is an author and consultant. Behrens has focused her professional life 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 policies that support gifted and advanced learners. 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.

With a strong commitment to professional learning, Behrens created the popular, annual Hormel Gifted and Talented Education Symposium, as well as the Gifted and Talented series for coordinators and specialists. Each of the two Jacob K. Javits grants she has directed has been grounded in evidenced-based practices, and has resulted in the creation of professional learning modules of lasting value.

Behrens is a recipient of the National Association for Gifted Children President’s Award, and is a past-president of the Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted. She currently serves as the President of CEC-TAG, The Association for the Gifted. She is as an adviser for the Bridges Graduate School of Cognitive Diversity in Education, and for The Grayson School. In addition, she serves on editorial boards for Gifted Child Today and Teaching for High Potential.

Behrens has authored and co-authored books and chapters on a variety of topics including 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).

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