Two implicit metaphors can be seen as having dominated the study of the gifted--the savings bank and the investment bank. In the savings-bank metaphor, people have differential levels of IQ or general intelligence, which is viewed as determining whether they are gifted. Their cognitive ability is their metaphorical "money in the bank."…

This article discusses concepts related to character strengths and positive youth development and how these ideas can be applied to improve outcomes among gifted young people. A theory with roots in public health, The Theory of Triadic Influence (TTI), is discussed with examples applied to gifted populations. Practitioners and researchers from…

Myside bias, a form of confirmation bias, is a major impediment to scientific thinking. It results in scientists, potential scientists, and consumers of science drawing conclusions that do not follow from data but rather that follow from prior scientific, ideological beliefs. Gifted people are at least as susceptible to these biases as are other…

The dialogues, debates, and even arguments resulting from misunderstanding, misinterpretation, and mishandling of programs and people associated with the term "giftedness" are longstanding. Despite many years of efforts to assuage concerns of equity and need--many of which are legitimized by research evidence, the terminology continues…

The authors introduce readers to quantitative text analysis and its potential for analyzing text-based nonreactive measures as a means of broadening the evidential basis within research on giftedness and talent. After defining quantitative text analysis and describing how it can augment survey studies for analyses at individual and cultural…

Toxic giftedness is giftedness that is used for negative and even harmful ends. The field of giftedness has not been quick to recognize the importance to society of toxic giftedness, and its responsibility to combat it. This article defines the concept of toxic giftedness. Then it discusses two manifestations of toxic giftedness: gifted toxic…

This column is devoted to the top ten issues that parents face in educating their gifted children in school settings. VanTassel-Baska describes how parents in partnering with others can collaborate with their child's teacher, the school, and administrators. The author encourages parents to advocate for advanced curriculum, a variety of high school…

Giftedness is usually conceived of in trait-like terms. But it often is expressed in the world in state-like terms--in response to challenging but often unpredictable situations where it is unclear who will rise to the challenges or even how we could know in advance who would be able to address the challenges at hand. Whereas traits tend to be…

This article explores higher education's role in supporting gifted students and how these institutions might collaborate with high schools. Multidimensional roles that universities can play include helping gifted students transition from high school through individual support from faculty such as mentorships to offering specialized opportunities…

Using examples of gifted students in specialized programs, the author discusses the phenomenon called "code switching." Code switching is the name given to the process of alternating between one linguistic code and another. The author learned early on that most gifted students feel different from their nongifted peers, mostly about being…

This short piece from the Forum archive introduces Caroline Benn's detailed critique of 'The myth of giftedness'. Her starting point is the need to define and then demand comprehensive education as a basic educational right, set alongside a mapping of the modern giftedness movement in the 1960s and 1970s.

Research shows that the percentage of Culturally and Linguistically Different (CLD) students identified for participation in gifted education programs does not correlate with the percentage of minority students in the classroom. Black and Brown students are underserved and underrepresented in gifted programs and Advanced Placement classes, when…

To determine if a person is gifted or not, the government sets the criteria of identification since giftedness is an abstract concept. However, the standard has always been decided and affected by the attitudes of the education authority and the allocation of resources. The opportunities for some potential learners to participate in gifted…

We propose that wisdom should be considered in understanding, identifying, and developing skills of thought translated into action in gifted children and adults. First, we review some of the history of the gifted field and conclude that ideas about understanding, identification, and instruction are largely obsolete and based on assumptions that…

The focus of the field of giftedness is on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on identifying who is gifted, the field should identify how people will deploy their gifts and educate students to deploy their gifts in ways that will make the world a better place. In this article, I present at least a partial taxonomy of how gifts can be deployed…