How Educators Can Find and Shape Exceptional Students

Research Paper: Early Mentors for Exceptional Students

The world’s future scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs often sit unnoticed in classrooms across the country. They are not always obvious prodigies, and they don’t always come from privilege. But they can be found, if we know where and how to look.

Ian Calaway’s study, Early Mentors for Exceptional Students, offers strong empirical evidence on something many educators have long suspected: mentorship matters. And not just any mentorship. What matters is the role of school-based mentors, often ordinary math teachers, who can have an extraordinary impact on the lives of gifted students, especially in mathematics.

Two Hypotheses, One Important Insight

Calaway frames the debate around two competing ideas. The first is the "expert mentor" model, which suggests that only world-class mentors can shape world-class talent. Think of Marie Curie and her daughter Irène. The second is the "proficient mentor" model, which argues that capable, motivated teachers who fall within the normal range of ability can make a real difference. Calaway’s findings clearly support the second.

By analyzing long-term data from the American Mathematics Competitions (AMC) and Math League, Calaway shows that when schools gain a mentor—typically a teacher who organizes math competitions—the number of top AMC scorers increases significantly: by 248 percent in middle schools and 110 percent in high schools. This is not about improving average outcomes. It is about finding the rare students with truly exceptional mathematical ability.

Mentors Shape Futures

The study goes further. It links student participation in these competitions, facilitated by mentors, to long-term outcomes. Students with access to a math mentor in high school are significantly more likely to attend selective universities, major in STEM fields, earn PhDs, and become scientists or researchers. In some cases, the presence of a mentor raises the probability of attending a selective university by over 40 percentage points.

Even among students already identified as exceptional, mentorship improves their chances of success. This means that mentors do not just help discover talent. They help students build on it.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

One of the most concerning findings is the number of "missing" exceptional students. Calaway estimates that more than half of the students who could score highly in the AMC are never identified simply because their schools do not offer math competitions. These students are often from rural or underserved areas.

This is not just an individual loss. It is a social one. These students represent potential breakthroughs, inventions, and companies that might never come into being.

A Scalable Solution

The strength of this research lies in its practical implications. Unlike the expert mentor model, which depends on rare talent, the proficient mentor model is scalable. Most schools already have teachers who can step into this role. The cost of running a math competition is low. What is needed is recognition, encouragement, and a little support.

What Educators Can Do

If you are a teacher or school leader, the message is simple. You do not need to be a math genius to change a student's life. Organize a math club. Run a competition. Support that quiet student who sees problems differently. You might be the one who recognizes brilliance before anyone else does.

Exceptional students are not just born. They are seen. And often, the person who sees them first is a teacher who made the effort to create a small opportunity.