We examine recent research across countries and cultures in regard to the issues related to the formation of gifted and talented education perspectives, policies, and practices. Many modern cultures and subcultures have developed formal and informal definitions of what it means to be gifted and talented, and when we compare the perceptions,…

The old myth about the ability and variability of potential in children is a comforting myth, for those who are uneasy with the degree of inequality they see and would rather seek to justify it than confront it. The myth of inherent potential helps some explain to themselves why they are privileged. Extend the myth to believe in inherited ability…

This article presents the author's critique on "Differentiating Low Performance of the Gifted Learner: Achieving, Underachieving, and Selective Consuming Students". The authors of the article titled "Differentiating Low Performance of the Gifted Learner: Achieving, Underachieving, and Selective Consuming Students" investigated…

The purpose of this study was to examine leadership practices that lead to improving academic achievement for African American males. Specifically, this study examined cultural insensitivity and its impact on educating African American male students in reading. The study utilized several techniques to determine what practices educators used to…

The General Educational Development (GED) credential is issued on the basis of an eight hour subject-based test. The test claims to establish equivalence between dropouts and traditional high school graduates, opening the door to college and positions in the labor market. In 2008 alone, almost 500,000 dropouts passed the test, amounting to 12% of…

Scholastic Aptitude Test, called SAT, has an immense influence in Chinese education. Most Chinese students choose to attend tutoring programs outside of the school curriculum to help them prepare. This study explores the tutoring programs both in China and the United States to assess variables that affect the quality of their preparation.…

In January, W. H. Brady Scholar Charles Murray stepped back from current education debates about reauthorization of the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act and education funding in the president's budget to ask more fundamental questions about the goals that should shape American education in the future. This "On the Issues" is adapted from…

This study explores how social identity is formed in the United States of America. In particular, it examines the social, economic and educational problems experienced by under achieving Black American children and issues of social inequality along with their implications for social justice. Against the background of matters of group identity and…

Cross-cultural differences in creative thinking were assessed for 51 American and 54 Japanese college students. The American students showed significantly higher scores on the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT) figural test than the Japanese students. No gender differences were found in either culture. TTCT performance did not correlate…

Whenever international assessments of student achievement are conducted, in which tests of subject matter knowledge are given to students around the world, the United States scores poorly. In this issue of "The Claremont Letter," the author identifies three mistakes American educators make that undermine student learning, and suggests…

Problems of differentiation and uniformity of educational provisions are products of the era of emphasis on equality of educational opportunity. Three typical national solutions are dealt with in this paper: the American comprehensive model, the Western European elitist model, and the Eastern European model of a unitary school. (Author)

The following data for 50 states of the United States were analyzed: Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) verbal, mathematics, and total scores; percentage of high school graduates taking the SAT; percentage of nonminority students; pupil teacher ratio; teacher salary; pupil expenditure; state expenditures for education; average income; and employment…

Urban high school students want their schools to provide academic courses and extracurricular activities that challenge and interest them. Too often, however, these students chafe against "a system that shuts them off rather than recognizing and developing their potential," writes Cushman. In her conversations with 65 students across the…

Coping skills and work motivation were investigated as predictors of academic achievement in Japan, West Germany, and Austin, Texas. Data were gathered from a sample of 3,600 ten and fourteen-year olds. Aptitude was measured by the Raven Progressive Matrices; achievement was measured by standardized tests in reading and mathematics, and by grade…