Talent searches are discussed in this journal theme issue, with two feature articles and several recurring columns. "Talent Search: A Driving Force in Gifted Education," by Paula Olszewski-Kubilius, defines what a talent search is, how the Talent Search was developed by Dr. Julian Stanley at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, the…

Colleges and universities face the major problem of how to make a university education meaningful in a global society. It is the thesis of this book that study abroad is one of the most powerful tools available for internationalizing the U.S. higher education curriculum. After an Introduction giving a general overview of the book, the study begins…

The United States educational system is not meeting the increasing demand for highly skilled workers required in the international marketplace. While local, state, and federal governments spend $221 billion on public elementary and secondary education, only a small percentage of the nation's students have adequate reasoning and problem-solving…

There is a need to expand the notion of acceptable thinking practices to include nontraditional thinking and wonder. Such an approach can help students learn to deal with ambiguity. The unique design of ambiguous thought evokes wonder, discovery, interrelationships, and new connections. Ambiguous thinking refrains from making unequivocal…

This document combines the findings of two projects for the purpose of making some overall observations about the state of religious youth work in the United States. The first project was a review of the literature on such programs. Research on the topic is rare, while a vast body of indirectly related research spans many disciplines and empirical…

A common problem in an "experiential class" is the lack of attention devoted to group closure at the end of the course. Toward the end of the semester, students working in small groups in organizational behavior classes often experience anxiety over losing the support and identity that they enjoyed as members of a small learning group. A final…

This Digest discusses approaches to group learning in the language classroom, presenting some principles that are common to any group learning approach, whether it be cooperative learning, student team learning, group investigation, or collaborative learning. The Digest also discusses the Collaborative Learning Model (Reid et al., 1989) which…

Competitive intercollegiate debate programs have long been premised on the unique educational opportunity the activity affords its participants. The central problem with National Debate Tournament (NDT) rounds is that policy advocacy too frequently occurs, reducing questions asked to one of whether advantages outweigh disadvantages. While issues…

No matter where gifted and talented students obtain their education, they need an appropriately differentiated curriculum designed to address their individual characteristics, needs, abilities, and interests. A program that builds on these characteristics may be viewed as qualitatively (rather than quantitatively) different from the basic…

This document provides a framework and reference for counselors, and identifies skills and experiences needed by students as a part of attending school and becoming successful. The first chapter discusses the emergence of developmental guidance and counseling. School guidance and counseling are defined, and the formative years are discussed. Four…

A study was done of adult students at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in 1991 to gather information on the characteristics of this population. A survey instrument defined the non-traditional student or adult learner as any student over the age of 24 attending MTSU. A total of 1,200 surveys were sent to full-time students, and 300…

Problem solving, decision making, and constructing knowledge are skills students need to become active and responsible citizens. However, many students are not receiving these essential skills from their education. Minority students in particular, despite improved academic performance, still perform well below national averages. Restructuring…

This paper notes that gifted education has been dominated by psychology and proposes, in contrast, to de-psychologize the concept of "giftedness-at-risk" with an alternative model which sees ontological giftedness, becoming the best one can be, as not the property of an elite few but a permanent positive human possibility for all.…

School restructuring continues to be a common approach to improving education. Despite restructuring's continued and growing support, there is little research to support its effectiveness. The theoretical contrast exposed in school restructuring is between bureaucratic and organic organizational forms. A study assessed the effect of restructuring…

Although portfolio evaluation is the key issue with which the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, currently struggles, the department has yet to develop a reliable quantitative method of assessing the portfolios. The department found itself ill-prepared to have the state immediately thrust it into new…