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…

Within the discipline of special education is academically gifted education, and this distinct area is not typically required as a topic of focus in traditional teacher preparation programs for regular education teachers. Therefore, it is essential that current research is conducted and published that provides educators, both general and special,…

"Accelerated Leadership Development" captures and communicates the lessons learned from successful fast-track leadership programmes in the private and public sector, and provides a model which schools can follow and customize as they plan their own leadership development strategies. As large numbers of headteachers and other senior staff…

This monograph presents extensive abstracts of 49 papers on developmental approaches to identifying exceptional ability. Sample topics include: the gifted population in prison; identification of gifted rural children; use of the Stanford-Binet for identification; student characteristics and placement into special programs for the highly gifted;…

A critical analysis of 13 validation studies of the use of peer nomination forms to identify gifted students indicates methodological weaknesses. A four-step plan for research on the psychometric qualities of peer nomination forms is proposed. (Author/DB)

Evidence is presented for the reliability and validity of the Talent Identification Instrument, an observation process in music and dance in which multiple judges rate students throughout a multisession audition. Strong agreement among raters and adequate stability estimates were found. Factor analysis and construct validity procedures provided…

The Clark's Drawing Abilities Test was administered to 177 secondary-level students and found to effectively identify gifted/talented visual arts students. Students draw a house, a person running, friends playing, and a fantasy drawing, and these drawings are scored on sensory, formal, expressive, and technical properties. (JDD)

Discusses research related to identifying early predictors of school success or intelligence. Reports on a study that suggested correlations exist between how babies process information (visual attentiveness) in the first six months of life and the child's performance on intelligence tests in school. (ML)

The paper describes methods of identifying giftedness, instruments for assessing creativity, and the need for a single measure of many different kinds of talent. Development of the Khatena-Morse Multitalent Perception Inventory, which identifies talent in the areas of art, music, leadership, and creativity, is discussed. (JDD)

This literature review found little information on the marital status of parents of gifted children and widespread perceptions that most gifted children live in intact, middle to upper-middle class families. The need for data on possible under-nomination of children of divorce in programs for the gifted and on the validity of current…

Strategies are discussed that provide a theoretically sound, valid, and practical framework for evaluating the processes used in identifying gifted/talented students. The strategies stress assessing the relevance of instruments used, their reliability and validity, their limitations, and using a variety of evaluation techniques. (JDD)

This article summarizes Renzulli's Revolving Door Identification Model, an approach to the identification of gifted and talented students. It then investigates reasons for its popularity, addresses criticisms leveled against the model, and assesses its validity and utility for identifying and serving gifted students. (Author/JDD)

In this monograph, I discuss the current and historic under-representation of economically disadvantaged students, students of color, students from ethnic minorities, and students with limited English proficiency in programs for gifted students. I examine the likely causes of the under-representation of these students, drawing on research and…

A culture-specific approach to identifying artistic talent in African-American students is presented, called Tactuality. Tactuality identifies four characteristics: emotional intensity, flexibility and open-endedness, holistic perception, and tactile sensitivity. A pilot test with 63 fourth graders resulted in statistical problems with validation.…

This paper reviews research findings and research needs in the area of identification of gifted students from disadvantaged and culturally diverse groups. The Frasier Talent Assessment Profile system is presented as a way to utilize data from test and nontest sources to identify these children. (JDD)