Professional athletes and entertainers are often identified as the source of emulation for young males, especially Black males. With far less romanticized career representations than those in the athletic arena, many Black families foster, knowingly and unknowingly, a polarized path to elusive goals of a professional athletic career. Explicitly…

This article aims to describe how schools should structure the development of academic talent at all levels of the K-12 educational system. Adopting as its theoretical framework the "Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent," the author proposes (a) a formal definition of academic talent development (ATD) inspired by the principles…

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)

The Lawrence Township (Indianapolis, Indiana) school district has shifted from a traditional approach to programming for gifted and talented students to a talent development approach, creating a K-12 Talent Recognition and Development Program (TRAD). The program focuses on four talent areas: academic, visual/performing arts, technical/vocational,…

After a discussion of the creativity often found in those outside the mainstream, this article describes the five stages of the Laureate learning cycle model of talent development: romance, inquiry, involvement, expansion, and insight. The importance of individual ownership of the learning process is emphasized. (DB)

This article reviews the literature on high school athletics and the dynamics of athlete-coach relationships, describes the methodology of an ethnographic study of the culture of an inner-city high school swim team, and examines the characteristics and impact of one coach as he encouraged high academic achievement and talent development in his…