An analysis of a survey of assessment practices of 131 school psychologists revealed that they most often used the Wechsler Scales to identify gifted, gifted/learning disabled, and learning disabled students despite the availability of newly developed tests. A number of training needs relating to assessment were also identified. (Author/VW)

Offers data on Catholic schools' inability to win academic competitions. Examines reasons Catholic schools have not emphasized high-level training for gifted and talented students. Contends that ideas such as goal-orientation and self-actualization are appropriate for today's Catholic school. (DMM)

Drawing on longitudinal followups of Head Start children, cross-cultural data from Denmark, and studies of gifted and talented persons, this article advises parents that out-of-home care need not be harmful to their children. However, a high-pressure academic program might have long-lasting negative effects. Cites 14 references. (MLH)

The author describes his research experience in identifying potentially unique learning characteristics of gifted students. Visual imagery, mnemonics, spatial organization, and higher level verbal learning strategies are explored. Among broad conclusions reached is the perception of gifted students as active learners who spontaneously transform…

This annotated bibliography lists a wide range of print and nonprint materials for teachers, administrators, counselors, and parents of gifted children. Included are bibliographies, dictionaries, and handbooks that cover research and resources for identifying, nurturing, educating, and managing stress in gifted children and for curriculum…

Reviews three recent books on college recruitment. Concludes that these three books put to rest the notion that education and opportunity in the United States are egalitarian. The books reviewed are "Preparing for Power: America's Elite Boarding Schools" (Cookson, 1985), "Choosing Elites" (Klitgaard, 1985) and "Public Ivys: A Guide To America's…

Excerpts are presented from a teacher's diary of her first year of teaching gifted primary grade students. Principles learned over the first year include: (1) lesson planning must be flexible; (2) gifted students prefer subject matter content to brain exercises; and (3) work in the affective domain is as essential as study in the cognitive realm.…

The predictive validity of the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students (SRBCSS) in identifying gifted children among various sociocultural groups was examined. Regression analyses were computed between the SRBCSS and both the Standard Achievement Test and a standardized intelligence test. Implications for practice and…

Each of 434 West German and 446 American high school teachers nominated one student as highly gifted. All teachers completed a questionnaire in which they rated their nominees on 83 characteristics. The intercorrelations of the items were factor analyzed to yield seven German and five American factors. (LMO)

Contrasted Lewis M. Terman's letters to parents of boys (N=42) with childhood intelligence quotients (IQs) greater than 170 contrasted with those sent to parents of boys (N=42) with IQs between 135 and 159. Suggests that the social needs of many highly intelligent children can best be satisfied in peer groups consisting of children of similar…

Do proficiency tests show whether students are gifted? Are programs for the talented properly funded? Confusion among programs for gifted students indicates that guidelines should be established, including weighing the gifted label for each program and linking programs to special talents. References included. (CJH)

Education of the gifted and talented, from the perspective of Botswana's past and present national and educational development, is reviewed. There is a need to balance much needed education for gifted students (who may become the country's leaders) with the basic education needs of the majority of Botswana's citizens, many of whom lack basic…

Social skills training involving role playing, teacher praise, cuing, and coaching was applied with an isolated, gifted 11-year-old enrolled in a regular sixth grade classroom. The intervention resulted in a significant increase in the student's participation in classroom discussions. (CB)

Teachers have successfully used three Principles of Teacher Training (Curry Sato, 1984) as guidelines for identifying and solving instructional problems with gifted students. Teaching styles were changed through training, which was (1) reinforced through appropriate materials; (2) attempted to meet participants' specific needs; and (3) was…

Negative attitudes and stereotypic behaviors directed at the elderly were decreased among 49 seventh- and eighth-grade gifted students who participated in an intergenerational practicum in which student conducted reminscence interviews with elderly persons about significant events in their lives and learned about issues facing the aged. (CB)