College academy in Massachusetts, a summer program for academically talented youngsters in grades four through eight was designed by parents of a bright child. The academy offers nontraditional, intellectually challenging courses that unite brains and hands (e.g., typing, cartooning), as well as courses such as mime and drama and computer…

Describes a pilot program at Briar Glen School in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, in which academically gifted fifth grade students are introduced to microcomputers, taught basic programing skills, and allowed to develop computer programs in BASIC after they have mastered some fundamental computer skills. (JL)

Evaluated a career development intervention for gifted fifth-grade girls, designed to discourage the myth that women must choose between family and career. Results indicated program effectively changed students' attitudes toward personal role options, home, and family responsibilities. Suggests group counseling was an effective format. (JAC)

The Advanced Placement Program evolved from the School and College Study of Admission with Advanced Standing. Its progenitors sought to encourage and reward able and ambitious students, to focus on subject matter, to bring school and college teachers together, and to eliminate the lock-step in education. (Author/MLW)

Part 3 of a series on developing learning stations for gifted and talented students, the article discusses the various mental processes and components that evoke individual growth and flavor in the gifted child's life and act as foundation stones for future creative productivity. For Parts 1 and 2, see EJ 206 375 and EJ 211 095. (Author/DLS)

Fifty-one very bright adolescents participated in a productive-thinking program and a challenging course in either creative writing or the social sciences. The program produced significant gains in verbal intelligence scores. The productive-thinking program also significantly raised scores on measures of creativity. (Author/GDC)

An innovative program that allows advanced high school seniors to take college courses is described. Definitions of early admissions, early decision, and concurrent enrollment are provided. Major issues and questions that should be considered, and aspects of the system that should be evaluated, are listed. (MLW)

A study of 15 gifted high school freshman investigated changes in learning style after a year of schooling in a technology-rich environment dedicated to constructivist learning. Although the results were inconclusive, learning styles were influenced by exposure to technology: computers affected the exploration and presentation of content and…

Explores macropolitical aspects of state-mandated inclusion and the micropolitical barriers a newly appointed female superintendent faced when promulgating educational equity in a hostile environment. Parents of special-education and gifted children joined forces to campaign against inclusion, questioning schools' effectiveness at providing an…

The social self-concepts of four gifted high school students attending a rigorous residential program were examined before and after participation in a social skills workshop patterned after the Culcross and Jenkins-Friedman (1988) model. Contrary to expectation, the subjects did not demonstrate an increase in their social self-concepts.…

A two-year study randomly assigned children (K-grade 2) with advanced mathematical skills (n=276) to two groups, an intervention group reflecting a constructivist approach or a control. Boys gained more than girls on quantitative and visual-spatial measures in the control, whereas the intervention group made greater gains in quantitative measures…

This study found no differences in content acquisition (as measured by a standardized test) of 167 gifted 10th graders in American Studies classes who received either a problem-based learning approach or traditional instruction. Results did not support the common assumption that curriculum fostering higher order thinking skills inevitably results…

This article describes an early morning program for gifted high school students in which, over breakfast, students participated in a poetry workshop as well as more conventional writing lessons. Samples of students' work in response to writing prompts are provided, and the role of the club in helping at-risk students cope with stress and…

An approach to assessment is described in which elementary children's motivation to learn and perceptions of ability and social acceptance are measured, in addition to the more traditional ability and achievement measures. Case studies of 4 gifted children (ages 7-10) are presented to investigate how individual differences in self-perception and…

This article traces recent developments in a national strategy for the education of highly able pupils in England, focusing on the government's Excellence in Cities school improvement program. The program seeks to ensure that gifted and talented pupils are identified and provided with opportunities to fulfill their potential. (Contains…