The release of the Marland Report in 1972 is often described as a watershed moment in the field of gifted education and remains a touchstone for the field today. The report presented the federal government's formal definition of giftedness and outlined the unique learning needs of gifted students and the challenges faced by these students in U.S.…

The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December 2015 is an exciting development for parents, teachers, school leaders, and others who believe U.S. schools should meet the needs of high-ability students. The ESSA revised and reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), previously known as the No Child…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has defined the past 15 years of public K-12 education. An incentive structure built around adequate yearly progress created an environment that was not aligned with gifted education. Texas, with over 11% of the total identified gifted population in the United States, state funding for gifted, and incentivized…

Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, a major objective of federal and state education policy has been to narrow K-12 achievement gaps. This position statement notes that the available data suggest that the singular focus on the most struggling learners has resulted in meaningful progress in closing minimum-competency…

Ten years ago, in 2001, the U.S. Congress enacted the "No Child Left behind Act" (NCLB). This landmark act focused on standards-based education with the goal of raising challenges and improving student achievement. Advocates for gifted children have been concerned over the law's silence regarding talented and high-achieving children. In…

Schools need to address the needs of their students with high ability. Not only does this raise achievement levels schoolwide, it also attracts students from surrounding districts and recaptures advanced learners who left the school because their needs weren't being met. One practical intervention--cluster grouping--provides an inclusive…

While resources for the gifted are not abundant, many schools do offer classes, programs, services, and/or clubs that broaden student learning beyond the curriculum. What can educators do to expand the horizons of gifted children--to open their minds to new worlds of knowledge and understanding? Programs for gifted students, particularly those…

Education has seen its share of trends and movements that either help or hinder the optimal development of the gifted child. In 2001, Congress passed No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in a concerted effort to reach children who were not meeting minimal standardized goals of achievement. Response to Intervention (RtI) is yet another approach to ensure…

This paper explores societal perceptions of a child's disability and bilingualism through the author's observations and reflections. Drawing from the observations of the child in different public schools in the United States, the author shares how the child has been viewed differently and similarly by school personnel. By reflecting on different…

This dissertation addresses the question of what implications, if any, has implementing NCLB as mandated had on gifted students in one district. The purpose of this study is to determine 1.) How has a district responded to gifted and high-achieving students within the boundaries of post-NCLB curriculum? 2.) How have teachers responded to gifted…

The author's purpose for this article is to examine the use of the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework to meet the needs of a continuum of learners, from those who most struggle to those in need of advanced educational opportunities. Through classroom observations, teacher interviews, and dialogue with the site-based Problem-Solving Team,…

Schools often administer brief intelligence tests as the first step in the identification of students who are cognitively gifted. However, brief measures are often used without consideration of underlying constructs or the psychometric properties of the measures and without regard to the links between screening decisions and educational…

Spatial and creative abilities are important for innovations in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, but talents are rarely developed from these abilities by schools, including among gifted children and adolescents who have a high potential to become STEM innovators. This article provides an overview of each ability and makes…

Differentiating the curriculum has been a challenging task for classroom teachers, but it has become even more challenging after the No Child Left Behind Act, because the emphasis in programming and funding in schools has shifted from realizing the individual potential of every student to raising all students to the same level of minimum…

The "Principles and Standards for School Mathematics" published in 2000 by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) created a vision of mathematical concepts and processes to establish core educational guidelines for instruction from grades K to 12. The overall plan does emphasize higher level thinking, problem solving, and…