An appropriate education is one that identifies students' educational needs and then provides a curriculum that addresses those needs (Benbow & Stanley, 1996). All students, even those identified as gifted, deserve a personalized education. However, many educators outside gifted education believe that "giftedness" is a fancy label and that gifted…

Saturday enrichment programs are viable options for gifted children who are not served in the public schools. Because such programs are not dependent on schools or state departments for funding, or for initiation, Saturday programs can be successfully operated by parent and other advocacy groups. Guidelines for considering such programs focus on…

The paper describes the major needs of gifted rural students and suggests ways parents can use nonschool as well as school resources to help meet those needs. Students need guidance to deal with their differentness, to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and to make plans for the future. Parents are advised to gather information and create a…

Intended for parents of gifted and talented children as well as for teachers and administrators, the handbook provides an overview of gifted education while describing one district's program model. The district's philosophy, goals and objectives, and definition of giftedness are set forth, followed by a list of learning and behavioral…

The guide presents six papers designed to help people become effective advocates for gifted and talented children. In "Effective Advocacy: Understanding the Process and Avoiding the Pitfalls," P. Mitchell considers such obstacles as using an adversarial rather than a persuasive approach and being impatient. She charts a procedure for more…

The experience of the University of Southern Mississippi in sponsoring "The Parenting the Gifted Children Conference" is described. Discussed are needs assessment, conference format, selection of speakers, budget, public relations, conference evaluation, and physical facilities. Included are a sample evaluation form, a conference…

This reprinted 1979 article presents 11 steps in establishing a course for parents of gifted children and offers suggestions on operationalizing the course plan. A model 10-week course is described that covers the overall scope of gifted education, including identification procedures, characteristics, parenting techniques, programs, curricular…

Despite problems encountered by the characteristics of rural education districts, successful and appropriate programs to teach gifted students can thrive by utilization of nontraditional techniques for student identification and by delivery of services through acceleration, technology, advanced placement classes, mentors, community resources, and…

This digest explores the concept of mentoring with gifted students and offers guidelines on its implementation. The literature on mentoring is reviewed, noting the maturing effect of mentor relationships and the particular value of mentors for disadvantaged students and for females. Among six guidelines offered are: decide what (not whom) the…

This digest offers guidelines for group advocacy efforts on behalf of gifted education. Four potential pitfalls are identified: using an adversarial rather than a persuasive approach; assuming that people in administrative and political positions are not too bright or not very knowledgeable--or both; being impatient; and ineffectively coping with…

Intended for counselors, parents, and teachers, the handbook covers academic, affective, and career/life planning counseling needs at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. An introductory section addresses goals of gifted and talented education and program elements. A section is provided for each educational level with subsections…

Intended for use by educators and parents, the workbook is intended to help in the development or expansion of programs for the gifted and talented as required by the California Education Code's AB 1040, effective from 1980 to 1985. After introductory material, the first section provides a detailed interpretive analysis of AB 1040 noting the…

This guide sets out the requirements and expectations for the development and delivery of programs for students with special needs in Alberta, Canada. First, it describes legislation (especially the School Act of 1988) and policy related to educating students with special needs. Next it specifies established requirements and expectations in the…

This book is a guide to educating and nurturing children with mathematical talent. Chapter 1 presents and refutes 12 myths about mathematically talented students, especially the idea that it is best not to deviate from regular programming. The second chapter is a guide for parents in their efforts to advocate for their child in the regular school…

This book developed as an outgrowth of a two-year study of 300 children discovered during preschool or kindergarten to be advanced in their mathematical thinking. Among other findings, the study revealed that the children tended to remain advanced in math over the two-year period, that their spatial reasoning related more closely to their math…