As gifted educators, we must create spaces that welcome and empower our students to contribute to our diverse communities and elevate their voices and opportunities. Through culturally responsive and sustainable teaching practices, we can develop cultural awareness and holistically embrace our gifted children--how they think, feel, and learn. We…

Educators have the responsibility to meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of every child in their care, including students who are gifted or high-achieving from diverse backgrounds. For gifted students to thrive in the differentiated classroom, teachers can consider the ways in which they establish and promote positive affective,…

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…

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…

The author focuses on positive psychology as an important approach to supporting the psychological well-being of students with gifts and talents. Research has identified protective factors that can counteract risk factors for suicidal behavior. These protective factors may be found within the individual, the family, peers, the school, the…

This article examines the implementation of an innovative English language arts curriculum from the William and Mary Center for Gifted Education (CFGE) using the perspectives of teachers and its impact on students. The school/university collaborative project between Paradise Valley Unified School District and CFGE is discussed in the hope of…

What does it mean for teachers to understand their students? For those of who teach gifted and talented students, teachers strive to understand how they think differently than their age-peers typically do. These teachers develop curriculum that fosters what is unique about their thinking. But to understand students fully, they need also to…

Using the Frame of Reference lens developed by Marsh, this article explains how elementary-age gifted boys construct their self-perceptions as learners by comparing their academic abilities with those of their peers. Understanding giftedness defined as a social construct, this article discusses an ethnographic study that examines gifted boys'…

This article explores some of the common causes and solutions to perfectionism in gifted children. We highlight practical implications from studies examining perfectionism in gifted students, including how implicit theories of intelligence (e.g., mindset) relate to perfectionism. Specific strategies are shared to guide gifted children toward a…

This article discusses bullying among the author's gifted sixth graders within their general education classes, in situations where the gifted were both victim and bully. There are few studies of the gifted child as bully. Using depth psychology, visual arts, and writing, the students constructed the bully and victim using torn paper and writing…

Including opportunities for students to conduct independent investigations is a mainstay of gifted education programs and services. When carefully designed and skillfully facilitated, students' interest-based, independent study experiences result in increased intrinsic motivation, growth in 21st-century critical and creativity skills, greater…

In this article the author reports on a continued effort to evaluate programs for the gifted that includes examining the curriculum that is used, the ways it is implemented in classrooms, and the outcome data that districts have collected about its effectiveness. The author adds that the heart of program evaluation really lies with how effectively…

Gifted adolescents may identify as "gamers" who create avatars to navigate video games and cell phone apps. Avatars provide a unique venue through which gifted teens can explore the issues of self and identity in a critical time of their development. The purpose of this article is to (a) provide an overview of what avatars are, (b)…

Today's gifted students are in a unique position. Many come from traditionally advantaged backgrounds. However, the societal tide is shifting, and gifted learners should be at the forefront of change. Exposure to and comprehensive analysis of literature by diverse authors will help prepare students for the world they stand to inherit and will open…