This article concentrates on identifying program goals as an initial, and essential, aspect of developing a program for the retention of minority students in higher education. Focus groups and in-depth interviews that were conducted to identify goals for such a program at a major research university are described. (SLD)

This article discusses the need for competitions and contests in schools to develop and enhance talents in academics, fine and performing arts, leadership, and service learning. An academic contest school assessment checklist is included. Information on several national contests for children and youth is presented. (CR)

This interview with Calvin Butts III, a gifted pastor of a Baptist church in Harlem that houses the largest Protestant congregation in the United States, investigates his experiences and his views on developing academically gifted African American students, drawing talented people into the ministry, and identifying young talent. (CR)

In this study, critical events in the career development of 26 Finnish Academy professors describe the trajectories of their achievement and success. Primary themes included mentors, academic years abroad, strong interest in the domain, and luck. Also described are transformative themes. Personal stories illustrate the individualistic nature of…

Reviews the traditional educational practices provided to gifted children in the Chinese heritage and in colonial Hong Kong. States that gifted education should be reconsidered as encompassing both education for the gifted and talent development to enable students equal opportunities in pursuing excellence. (CMK)

Robert J. Sternberg, director of the Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise, reviews current concerns regarding giftedness and reflects on his work. He laments the use of programs whose efficacy has not been shown and stresses the need to identify giftedness in all its forms. (CR)

Reviews the history of education for the gifted and talented. Defines giftedness as multifaceted including general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative and productive thinking, leadership ability, visual and performing arts, and psychomotor ability. Suggests that using better methods to identify gifted students points to a…

Leadership development to meet the need for excellence in teachers and youth is explored. Two examples are given: an award-winning teacher education program for bringing high ability students into teacher education, and a residential summer program designed to identify and develop leadership giftedness in middle school and high school youth.…

To serve all gifted students, we must broaden identification methods, develop more and varied types of programs, and provide comprehensive teacher training. (Author/TE)

Reviews five books on talk in the classroom; teaching with humor and play; how children talk, write, dance, draw, and sing their understanding of the world; talented teenagers; and life histories of women teachers working for social change. (BAC)

This study of 12 older women who achieved eminence in their respective fields after the age of 50 involved development of a model of talent realization that included the following factors: abilities, personality traits, environmental factors, and the perceived social importance of their talent, merged into a combined belief in self and a desire to…

Gardner discusses an eighth form of intelligence which involves the ability to recognize important distinctions in the natural world. He also expresses ideas about apprenticeships and museums, and current policy on assessment and evaluation. (SW)

The value of certain nonschool experiences is demonstrated in the University of California-Berkeley's summer Academic Talent Development Program (ATDP), which supplements school experiences by inviting adolescents into academic communities. The paper describes ATDP, arguing for a less school-centered vocabulary that will enrich the available…

This interview with a gifted adult, Curt Dempster, the artistic director of the Ensemble Studio Theater, New York City, explores his career development, his suggestions for identifying artistic talent in children, his ideas about intensive training programs for talented children, and his concerns about the role of arts in contemporary culture. (DB)

Reviews how educational reforms and changes in political viewpoints have influenced gifted education in Britain, ways in which the National Curriculum support the educational experiences of all children, and teachers' perceptions of the role of the National Curriculum in both identifying and providing for gifted students. (CR)