This theme issue of a Texas journal on gifted education focuses on future challenges and options. "A Thoughtful Look at the Concept of Talent Development" (Francoys Gagne) discusses definitions of giftedness and talent and describes a differentiated model of giftedness and talent that includes five aptitude domains: intellectual, creative,…

Data on the development of intelligence and the concept of giftedness are interpreted for use in the classroom and are applied to the development of strategies to optimize learning. The Integrative Education Model is introduced, with its purpose of empowering the learner physically, emotionally, cognitively, and intuitively. The teacher's role is…

Two influential theories of intellectual development are reviewed and analyzed: the psychometric framework, based on the factorial composition of intelligence, and the Piagetian model, based on assimilation and accomodation through four stages of intellectual development. A third concept is the componential theory of intelligence, based on…

The six articles of this theme issue relate the history of empirical research in education to its sociohistorical background, examining the proposition that the rise of empirical research in education was linked to complex factors such as the rise of positivism in the 19th century or the institutional growth of an educational market. (SLD)

Seven chapters focus in giftedness in education and the role of creativity. A second major issue is the recognition that not all groups are equally well served by provisions for the gifted. The emphasis is on intellectual giftedness, reflecting the focus of most school systems. (SLD)