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…

This update of the legislation/regulations and case law specific to pre-K-12 gifted students since a cluster of publications in 2004-2005 primarily focuses on the "gifted alone" category, with only secondary attention to twice-exceptional and other students in the "gifted plus" category. For the gifted-alone category, the…

Definitions of rurality in education research are inconsistent, making generalization across studies difficult at best. We review published research in rural education between 2005 and 2015 (n = 17) and characterize the way each defined rural. A common technique for classifying rural schools is the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)…

Gifted children who do not achieve often have problems with motivation and socioemotional adjustment and may also have learning disabilities. This article examines factors such as attachment difficulties and maternal depression as these may contribute to underachievement. The article reviews past and current practices of gifted identification and…

Raising gifted children is a challenge, a big challenge. Often a dichotomy of emotions, gifted children can shift from happy and engaging, to angry and explosive, to sullen and withdrawn--all in a matter of minutes. Their behavioral extremes can often cause frustration and confusion in the strongest of parents. But why are these seemingly adept…

Many principals across the U.S., working with regional assistance centers like the Equity Alliance, are presently engaged in exploring and improving the quality of learning opportunities for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). The need for such work has been recognized in the fields of special and gifted education. The…

In 2005, Lafayette Elementary School's enrollment and standardized test scores were declining. Although the school was known for its fine programs for special needs students and English-language learners, and its diverse population offered many special opportunities to celebrate other cultures and languages, it was not making strides toward…

The concept of giftedness is frequently challenged on the grounds that 1) it is a ragged or slippery concept, 2) it is inegalitarian, 3) it is culturally arbitrary, and 4) it fails to distinguish children with natural ability from children who are parentally pressured. I argue that all these charges are unfounded. We "can" distinguish between…

Students identified as gifted who also display one or more areas of disability remain under-identified both in special and gifted education programs. All too often school personnel do not have the resources necessary to make decisions about this unique group of students commonly called the twice-exceptional. The purpose of this article is to…

Examines definitions of "gifted" and "underachiever," identifying factors considered when assigning these terms. Reports on a study of underachieving, gifted, working-class boys that found the label "underachieving" to be falsely applied when these boys are content with their social position and life-style. (Author/AEM)

The review of the literature cites approaches for enhancing the strengths of gifted disadvantaged youth through such "creative positives" as creative problem solving, art activities, dramatics and storytelling, and creative writing. (CL)

A "Discovery Program" implemented in 1989 to help underprivileged gifted and talented students in Israel advance in their chosen fields is described. The importance of local administration and participation is stressed, as are optimal ratios of underprivileged to privileged youth for maximum benefit to all. (PB)

Giftedness identification in elementary schools is examined in a study of the effects of socioeconomic status and ethnicity on the identification process. Results showed several of the identification measures to be insensitive discriminators and somewhat biased against economically disadvantaged and minority students. (Author/DF)

The three issues of this 1997 publication on gifted and talented students focus on the themes of teaching gifted students in the regular classroom, atypical gifted students, and the 1997 annual conference of the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented. Major articles include the following: "Meeting the Needs of Gifted Learners in the…

This article presents an annotated bibliography of 8 items on gifted underachievers, 13 items on culturally different gifted students, 10 items on gifted students with disabilities, 5 items on young gifted students, and 9 items on gifted females. The bibliography lists journal articles, monographs, monograph sections, and reports. (JDD)