The perceptions of 175 gifted education teachers and 147 middle-school teachers concerning gifted education needs were compared. Gifted educators disagreed with proponents of cooperative learning concerning student needs and disagreed with middle-school educators on the value of ability grouping and the social consequences of being labeled gifted.…

Schools can utilize community resources and the family to nurture the student with exceptional talent. Programs such as the Student Leadership Development Program in Dade County, Florida, identify community resources, facilitate the engagement of these resources with students, and integrate these extended educational experiences into the total…

The Diet Cola Test was designed as a process assessment of science aptitude in intermediate grade students. Investigations of the instrument's reliability and validity indicated that data did not support use of the instrument for identifying individual students' aptitude. However, results suggested the test's appropriateness for evaluating…

This study assessed the social adjustment of female early college entrants using standard measures of adjustment and two comparison groups (traditional college students and boarding school students). Early entrants evidenced higher social conformity and solitary activity than boarding students. They evidenced social adjustment similar to college…

Observations of interactions of mixed-ability groups revealed three persistent challenges (inclusiveness, enacting the ideal, and monitoring growth) in which gifted students can develop and exercise leadership skills. Specific student strategies are proposed for each challenge. The role of teachers in developing leadership skills of gifted…

Features of programs that successfully blended the middle school (MS) model or cooperative learning (CL) model with gifted education were assessed. Site visits were made to five MS sites and five CL sites at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Studies showed that gifted students' needs can be met within these programs, with appropriate…

A summer course completed by 30 secondary students with high ability provided team-based, hands-on experience in the invention and design process. The group experiences are examined using three case studies. Implications of the course are analyzed with respect to group problem-solving by students with academic talents. (SW)

Experiences of giftedness were studied through written responses to a phenomenological inquiry with seventh (n=40), eighth (n=41), and ninth (n=4) graders. Responses were qualitatively reduced to representative items, and students then performed card sorts of items. Analysis of students' sorts suggest positive and negative elements of the…

The value of the social context present in some specialized education environments to promote the optimal development of children who are gifted and talented is discussed. Issues and variables that might be considered when conducting research on social context in specialized environments are also considered. (SW)

This article urges educators of the gifted and talented to become knowledgeable about educational reform efforts at the local, state, and national levels. Specific initiatives pertinent to gifted education include ungraded primary schools; performance-based assessment of student progress; use of student portfolios; and rigorous, revamped…

Educators in gifted education should be involved in the School Reform Movement because of the need of gifted learners for positive changes in education and because of the potential of the field to contribute to improved education for all students. Philosophical contributions, instructional contributions, and pedagogical contributions of gifted…

This paper investigated the relationship between (1) perceived responsibility for intellectual achievement, and (2) objective tests measuring convergent and divergent thinking and subjective teacher ratings and classmates' nominations, in 1,033 gifted children (age 9). The results indicate that internal control is a mediating variable in the…

Five traits common to gifted children that result in social and emotional vulnerability are described, including divergent thinking ability, excitability, sensitivity, perceptiveness, and entelechy. Specific issues that parents must face to enable their children to reach their full potential are explored. (Author/JDD)

Academically talented high school students (n=239) evaluated a three-week individualized, flexibly paced precalculus summer course as more challenging than their ensuing school placement course. Results support the use of such courses, followed by appropriate placement, as a means of meeting the special academic needs of talented students. (DB)

Investigated correlates of academic achievement, including self-concept, extracurricular activities, family environment, and gender. Findings indicated that, although self-concept and academic achievement were associated for gifted seventh and eighth graders (n=33), the two variables were not associated for academically weak students (n=33). For…