Education

• Ph.D., Educational Psychology – Gifted Education, University of Connecticut
• Ed.S., Educational Psychology – Gifted Education, University of Connecticut
• M.A., Educational Psychology – Gifted Education, University of Connecticut
• B.S., History, University of Southern Maine

Expertise

Social and emotional development of gifted students, gifted culturally diverse students, counseling issues facing gifted males 

Teaching

EDEX 540 – Nature and Needs of the Gifted and Talented

EDEX 740 – Cognitive and Affective Aspects of the Gifted and Talented

EDEX 742 – Educational Procedures for the Gifted and Talented

EDEX 894 – Doctoral Seminar in Special Education – Gifted and Talented

Background

Thomas P. Hébert, Ph.D. is a professor of gifted and talented education at the University of South Carolina. Previous to his 28 years in higher education, training graduate students and educators in gifted education, he had more than a decade of K-12 classroom experience with gifted students. Before arriving at South Carolina, he was on the faculty of the University of Alabama and the University of Georgia, conducted research for the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT), and served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). 

Hébert’s scholarship has been recognized. In 2000, he received the NAGC Early Scholar Award. In 2008, he was the inaugural recipient of the Mary M. Frasier Equity and Excellence Award from the Georgia Association for Gifted Children for his research contributions on diverse students and received the Neag School of Education Outstanding Alumnus Research Award from the University of Connecticut. He was honored as the recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award from the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut and the South Carolina Consortium for Gifted Education honored him with the 2014 Outstanding Professional Leadership Award. He received the 2019 Distinguished Scholar Award from NAGC.

His research interests include the social and emotional development of gifted children and adolescents, underachievement, high-achieving students from low-income backgrounds, culturally diverse gifted students, and problems faced by gifted young men. Recognized for his scholarship, he has been invited to provide seminars nationally and internationally in Italy, Taiwan, Paraguay, Peru, Mexico, Colombia, Ghana, and Hong Kong. 

Published Books

Hébert, T. P. (2022). Guiding gifted students with engaging books: A teacher’s guide to social-emotional learning through reading and reflection. Routledge.

Hébert, T. P. (2020). Understanding the social and emotional lives of gifted students (2^nd ed.) Prufrock Academic Press.

Hébert, T. P. (2018). Talented young men overcoming tough times: An exploration of resilience. Prufrock Academic Press.

Hébert, T. P. (2011). Understanding the social and emotional lives of gifted students. Prufrock Academic Press.