The creativity is expressed in all individuals, but it manifests itself in different proportions and it may be carried out at different levels. Development levels of this attribute depend on the teacher's mediation in the process of learning. Creativity can be a challenge for most teachers, since they are unaware of its importance and unwittingly…

This study sought to understand the experiences of a cohort of students who entered a strengths-based private school for twice-exceptional students during middle school and successfully completed graduation requirements. Using a case study design, the researchers analyzed data collected from student and teacher interviews, parent focus groups,…

This paper proposes the development of an enhanced sense of social responsibility in the use of talents and the creation of programmes and services that focus on the promotion of these traits among a wider student population. Selection of students for these offerings should not mirror the rigid identification of academically or intellectually…

American schools often fail to provide opportunities for students at the highest levels of ability to test their ceilings of performance in a given talent area. Gifted education provides an essential voice addressing the importance of recognizing and developing "apex talent" and genuine "excellence" in American education.…

This introduction to a special section of articles on talent development in gifted education presents the Purdue Pyramid, a model of talent development with acceptance as a human being on the base, a variety of educational experiences ascending the pyramid, and self-understanding and commitment to self-development at the top. (DB)

This book provides information on 80 international, national, and regional academic competitions available to gifted students. An overview of characteristics of good competitions and ways to evaluate them is given. Competition and its impact on gifted and talented students are evaluated, and criteria are given for selecting and implementing…

This conference presentation interprets the historic-cultural meaning of giftedness-as-potential. In this view, giftedness is seen as a gold mine, and good education results in the mining of the precious golden essence that is buried deep within individual students. The historic roots of this metaphor can be traced back to Plato's plan in "The…

This interview with Oleg Davydenko, a geneticist in Belarus who also runs a club for adolescents interested in genetics, addresses his work, the origins of the club, self-selection by students, characteristics of the best student members, the club's financial support, his own development as a youth, and the role of contests like the Olympiads. (DB)

Seven responses to a U.S. Department of Education report assessing programs and services for talented and gifted children are presented by Charles F. Desmond, James R. Delisle, Gail E. Hanninen, Anthony Miserandino, Stephanie Tolan, John F. Feldhusen, and James J. Gallagher. (JDD)

Talent searches are discussed in this journal theme issue, with two feature articles and several recurring columns. "Talent Search: A Driving Force in Gifted Education," by Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, defines what a talent search is, how the Talent Search was developed by Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, the…

IDENTIFICATION OF MENTALLY GIFTED STUDENTS WAS BASED ON A SCORE OF 130 OR ABOVE ON THE REVISED STANFORD-BINET SCALE, A SCORE AT OR ABOVE THE 98TH PERCENTILE ON A GROUP TEST OF MENTAL ABILITY AND ON A STANDARDIZED TEST OF READING OR MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT, AND THE JUDGMENTS OF TEACHERS, PSYCHOLOGISTS, AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS. GIFTED CHILDREN…

This article presents results of several studies examining differing perceptions of influential factors on gifted children's development. Parents, teachers, and gifted children were asked what factors, behaviors, and attitudes they saw as contributing to "giftedness." Implications for instruction and assessment are explored. (Author/PB)

This article discusses the need for competitions and contests in schools to develop and enhance talents in academics, fine and performing arts, leadership, and service learning. An academic contest school assessment checklist is included. Information on several national contests for children and youth is presented. (CR)

Career guidance for high-school youth who are gifted is discussed. Strategies for providing educational opportunities for students who need greater challenge are outlined. These include extracurricular activities, advanced placement courses, advanced research and discussion seminars, foreign language and cultural education, and vocational and…

These five issues of the serial "Communicator" published during 1993 discuss various aspects of gifted education, focusing, respectively, on mathematics and science, middle school gifted, parenting the gifted, talent development, and high school gifted. Articles include: "Our Most Important Investment for the Future: The Education of Our Youth"…