Children (n=408) age 21-84 months were assessed to investigate the validity of the BRIGANCE Screens in comparison with criterion tests in identifying children who are gifted and talented. Results found that using the BRIGANCE screens in combination with teacher/examiner ratings produced high rates of sensitivity in identifying gifted children. (CR)

This article examines evidence both for and against early specialization in the development of sports expertise and presents the early diversification approach as another path leading to elite levels of performance. It discusses sports dropout and questions the link between early sports specialization and exceptional sports performance. (Contains…

This interview with Annemarie Roeper, the co-founder of the Roeper School and the "Roeper Review," highlights her views on gifted education, the influences on her thinking, her educational background, her beliefs on the development of the self, the creation of the Roeper School, and the development of the Roeper Review. (Contains 4…

A study of 29 educational organizations in Louisiana investigated public relations needs relative to the education of gifted children. Eighteen organizations indicated they would welcome gifted education presentations at their state conferences. The need for a statewide gifted advisory council to coordinate publications, speakers, and advocacy…

In a few select high schools in the U.S., supercomputers are allowing talented students to attempt sophisticated research projects using simultaneous simulations of nature, culture, and technology not achievable by ordinary microcomputers. Schools can get their students online by entering contests and seeking grants and partnerships with…

A survey of state directors of gifted programs found that, although states have been consistently positive in their philosophical orientation toward culturally diverse and low socioeconomic gifted students, they have lagged behind in incorporating these concerns for equity and pluralism into the definitional and funding structures of their gifted…

The Sea Island School for the Arts in Beaufort County, South Carolina, is a summer program for junior-high students with special abilities/interests in music or visual arts. Students create artworks and music compositions; develop self-concepts, creative viewpoints, and communication skills; and participate in field trips, recreation, and…

Two experiments investigated the relationship between creativity and the effects of manipulations of self-image. Among conclusions on self-confidence and fixedly adult identities were that high-creative subjects (n=58) did not appear to have as fixedly adult identities as medium- and low-creative subjects. (Author/PB)

This study empirically examined the argument that a referent climate for creative productivity would be more useful than a omnibus measure of climate for assessing the creative norms in a specific work context. Results suggested that climate for creative productivity was related to criteria of effectiveness (convergent validity). (Author/PB)

Gifted students come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. A broader definition of giftedness and improved assessment methods will help remove barriers that keep poor and minority students out of programs for the gifted. (TE)

This interview with Oleg Davydenko, a geneticist in Belarus who also runs a club for adolescents interested in genetics, addresses his work, the origins of the club, self-selection by students, characteristics of the best student members, the club's financial support, his own development as a youth, and the role of contests like the Olympiads. (DB)

This paper describes programs, research, and competitions being carried out in the field of gifted and talented education in the People's Republic of China. The need to make these programs available to more students is stressed, along with other suggestions on expanding work in gifted education. (JDD)

The literature seminar format meets the needs of gifted students for intellectual challenges, complex curricular experiences, creative research and writing activities, and stimulating interactions. Three seminars conducted in the English curriculum at a special school for gifted students are described: "Dickens and the Industrial…

Elementary teachers (n=9) saw giftedness as having the common characteristic of creativity. However, in nominating students to gifted programs, teachers focused on classroom performance more than creativity. Thus, their observations more closely matched official definitions rather than their personal concepts, and they had not worked to align the…

Because leisure activities may predict adult accomplishment better than factors such as intelligence and school grades, the construct validity of the Tel-Aviv Activities Inventory, a measure of leisure activities, was evaluated with 934 junior/senior high school students. Results support the instrument's usefulness for career counseling with…