My most vivid childhood memories of learning at school were not what the teachers taught me but what I found out for myself. I remember at junior school completing a project on childhood games and feeling important when I discovered there was a museum devoted to the topic. In Year 9 in geography a project on industry led me to interview a manager…

Developing the talents of academically able students in government secondary schools in Victoria, Australia, has recently gained support through the expansion of Select Entry Accelerated Learning (SEAL) Programs. In the private sector, a similar expansion of interest in talent development has occurred through the development and implementation of…

Definitions of giftedness developed in the USA have included both creative and leadership giftedness for over 40 years, but there has been relatively little empirical study of the implementation of programming in either of these areas. Because gifted education practices in the USA may provide models for the development of these practices in other…

This report examines the performance of America's high-ability students, with an emphasis on those who come from low income backgrounds. The report examines a range of state-level interventions that are intended to foster academic talent, with the goal of identifying the policies currently in use that should be implemented more widely. Working…

Higher education expansion is not a new development in the world. Different countries have faced various contexts and factors that push the expansion to occur. Since 1996, the Taiwanese government has allowed the private sector to open new higher education institutions or be upgraded for open more access at the higher education level to correspond…

The United States is dependent on innovations in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields for the growth of its economy and improvements to quality of life, but too few students are prepared for them. To help meet the challenges in filling the STEM pipeline, teachers of gifted elementary students can nurture important talents,…

This qualitative case study explored the operational curricula of an art teacher's responsive pedagogy that focused on the differentiation aspects for artistically talented students in an elementary school in Taiwan. Findings indicate that cultivating a "Jian Zi" is the heart of the value system embedded in the art teacher's responsive…

Across the United States, there are schools whose students are significantly outperforming and out-improving those from nearby schools. In almost any geographic location in America, within a 30-minute drive there exist schools where classrooms are alive with stimulating learning, day in and day out. Not too far away from these schools are schools…

This study examined the need for civic education as a mode of talent dissemination among gifted students. Based on a comprehensive review of literature, civic education was found to be instrumental for gifted students in developing academic, psychological, and social abilities; enhancing civic awareness, responsibility, and commitment; and taking…

Previous research has linked talent development to four factors--early experience, coaching, practice, and motivation. In addition to these factors, contemporary talent experts suggest that parents play a critical role in talent development. The purpose of the present study was to uncover parents' in-time perspectives on the talent development…

Adults from deprived backgrounds face daunting barriers when it comes to the discovery of intrinsically motivating aspirations and the discovery and development of talents consistent with those aspirations. In contrast, privileged young people enjoy ideal conditions for establishing productive, purposeful life trajectories spiraling up toward…

Educators and managers that focus on individuals' strengths can see up to 40× more engagement from those individuals than those that do not. "StrengthsFinder" 2.0 builds a framework to understand and improve those strengths. This resource review will explain the history of the tool, including its origins in positive and strengths…

In this commentary, the author reviews in depth Roland S. Persson's (2012a) target article. According to him Persson (2012a) presents a convincing argument as he wove through examples and explanations. The idea of superculture connects well with the established neocolonial literature and the North-South/Centre-Periphery debate. From general to…

The talent development approach to the conceptualization of giftedness has historical precedent in the field. Examples of large-scale and longitudinal research studies from previous decades guided by the talent development approach are provided as illustrations. The implications of focusing on domain-specific talents in academics, the arts and…

We were thrilled to see an article focusing on giftedness, written by such thoughtful and well-respected researchers as Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, and Worrell (2011). The expansive scope of their synthesis is so impressive that it could serve as a crash course introduction to gifted education. In our commentary, we focus specifically on the…