This article discusses the importance of conducting an initial needs assessment as part of gifted program development. The paper describes data collection concerning the general student body, gifted population, school district personnel, school and school district, physical setting, economic factors, community, and national and state gifted…

Clear and comprehensive criteria for developing and evaluating gifted programs are needed. These criteria would define selection of program students and program characteristics. Programs should involve all potentially able students and should be innovative, intellectually stimulating, comprehensive, enthusiastic, and divergent. (MSE)

This paper describes two Department of Education reports on gifted education--1972's Marland Report and 1993's "National Excellence: A Case for Developing America's Talent." It relates report findings to findings from a survey of states' policies. The paper calls for states to design programs that nurture talent potential of all students…