A History Of American Gifted Education

A History of American Gifted Education provides the first comprehensive history of the field of gifted education, which is essential to recognizing its contribution to the overall American educational landscape. The text relies heavily on primary documents and artifacts as well as essential secondary documents such as the disparate historical texts and relevant biographies that already exist. This book commences its investigation of American gifted education with the founding of the field of psychology and subsequently gifted education at the early part of the 20th century and concludes just over a century later with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001.

"Through individual profiles, more than 50 influential people in the field of gifted education share their perceptions and insights of where gifted education has been and where it is going. Each profile provides contact information, professional background, significant contributions to and publications in the field, those people who have influenced their careers, perceptions of critical events in gifted education, and opinions on future changes necessary to sustain the field. Along with an historical overview in the form of a timeline, Profiles of Influence contains narrative summaries of both the critical events identified and needed changes suggested in the individual profiles. In addition, profiles of the major organizations and associations supporting gifted education are included."--Back cover.

This report on the educational needs of American gifted and talented students identifies indicators of an educational crisis, describes the current status of education for these students, and presents recommendations to meet the educational needs of these students. Indicators demonstrating the need for change include the relatively poor performance by American students on international tests and the small number of students performing at the highest levels on National Assessment of Educational Progress tests. Recent studies have shown that gifted and talented elementary school students have mastered 35-40% of the curriculum in five basic subjects before they begin the school year; most regular classroom teachers make few, if any, provisions for talented students; highest achieving students study less than an hour a day; and only 2 cents out of every $100 spent on K-12 education supports special opportunities for talented students. A review describes how gifted and talented students are currently identified, the number of students served, the kind of support available, the kind of education most gifted and talented students receive, and characteristics of effective programs for these students. Seven recommendations are offered: (1) set challenging curricular standards; (2) establish high-level learning opportunities; (3) ensure access to early childhood education; (4) increase learning opportunities for disadvantaged and minority children with outstanding talents; (5) broaden the definition of gifted (a broadened definition based on the federal Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act is offered); (6) encourage appropriate teacher training and technical assistance; and (7) match world performance. (Contains 43 references.) (DB)

Gifted education is in a period of transition unlike any it has experienced in this generation. Thinkers within the field and without are questioning the practice of gifted education, the theoretical foundations on which this practice rests, and even the value and legitimacy of the concept of giftedness. This fresh and provocative volume contains essays by leading thinkers on gifted education and by writers outside the field who have examined it critically. Each author examines, reconsiders, and challenges the assumptions and beliefs underlying the theory and practice of gifted education, providing a "roadmap" to guide both current considerations of and future planning for gifted education programs.

A Century of Contributions to Gifted Education traces the conceptual history of the field of gifted education. Bookended by Sir Francis Galton’s Hereditary Genius published in 1869, and Sidney Marland’s report to the United States Congress in 1972, each chapter represents the life and work of a key figure in the development of the field. While the historical record of gifted education has previously been limited, A Century of Contributions to Gifted Education explores the lives of individuals who made fundamental contributions in the areas of eminence, intelligence, creativity, advocacy, policy, and curriculum. Drawing heavily on archival research and primary source documentation, expert contributors highlight the major philosophical, theoretical, and pedagogical developments in gifted education over the course of a century, providing both lively biography and scholarly analysis.

A gifted education Legacy Award winner, Best Practices in Gifted Education provides concise, up-to-date, research-based advice to educators, administrators, and parents of gifted and talented youth. The 29 practices included in this volume are the result of an extensive examination of educational research on what works with talented youth. The interest in culturally diverse and low-income learners, the means to identify talents, and the need for curriculum that appropriately challenges high-ability youth constitute just a few of the 29 practices. Each practice is organized into a chapter containing two sections: What We Know and What We Can Do. The first section briefly describes the practice and summarizes the research. The second section suggests what course of action a parent, teacher, or administrator might take at home, in the classroom, or at school. The book is a must-have for those who want a guide that makes a connection between research and practical action in gifted education. A service publication of the National Association for Gifted Children (Washington, DC). This designation indicates that this book has been jointly developed with NAGC and that this book passes the highest standards of scholarship, research, and practice.

Seeking a more comprehensive vision for gifted education, this book offers a modern vision of programs and services for gifted and talented students. Beyond Gifted Education: Designing and Implementing Advanced Academic Programs provides the first comprehensive look at designing and implementing advanced academic student programs. Written by four leading experts in the field, Beyond Gifted Education reviews the current range of traditional gifted education practices and policies. Then, the book offers the concerned gifted program coordinator or school administrator a more expansive approach to educating gifted learners. The authors lead readers through the process of identifying needs, responding with programming, and then finding students who are well-suited for and would benefit from advanced academic programming. Detailed examples walk the reader through real-world scenarios and programs common to the gifted coordinator on topics such as cluster grouping, acceleration, and increasing diversity. Throughout the book, connections are made to Common Core State Standards, Response to Intervention, and a wealth of outside research in order to support ideas.

The purpose of this historical study was to examine the conceptual history of gifted education, the emergence of acceleration programs and to seek an understanding of the current perceptions of gifted education by using the lens of the past. A systematic review of the literature, presented by major proponents in the field of giftedness, suggests that minimal attention has been given to the foundational years of these concepts. Expressed to the reader in a prose narrative, the study employed a combination of historical and descriptive research that formed conclusions, which drew the data together into a fashioning of written history (Barzun & Graff, 1985). Four research objectives were the focus: (1) to conduct an historical investigation, using both chronicle and explanatory perspectives, of gifted education and the American educational system, (2) to identify pioneers, theoretical foundations and critical influences on gifted education, (3) to explore the educational options for gifted learners and (4) to summarize the legislative impact on gifted education. This study addressed the historical perspectives and foundation of the gifted child movement in this country; the delineation of the important pioneers in the field, and program flexibility in the education of talented students. Findings revealed the significance of defining giftedness, the importance of acceleration as the promise for the gifted, and the benefits to high school students as a result of better collaboration between secondary institutions and colleges. A review of the literature determined that gifted education remains a very contentious issue, both educationally and politically. This debate, which speaks to education being designed to serve the needs of society, as opposed to addressing the needs of the individual student continues today. The curriculum reforms offered to students of high intellect were initially met with great praise. It was thought that by raising the bar for the brightest students, the bar would be equally raised for all students. This resulted in an increase in student participation in acceleration programs. However, the programs are not without criticism. Therefore, the cycle progresses with praise and criticism, but one thing is clear; despite dramatic growth, there is still a great need for more research. (Contains 3 tables and 6 appendices.) [Ed.D. Dissertation, Bowie State University].

The field of gifted education is characterized by a perplexing array of perspectives concerning such fundamental issues as definition, identification, curriculum, social and emotional development, and underserved populations. Fundamentals of Gifted Education provides a coherent framework for planning effective programs, providing appropriate educational services, and evaluating programs for the gifted. Parts are organized around fundamental issues confronting the field and follow a common structure: an introductory chapter that provides an overview of the theme of that part as well as guiding points and questions for the reader followed by representative point-of-view chapters written by leading experts that provide varied perspectives on the topic at hand.

This volume covers significant highlights in the history of gifted education, addressing significant contributors to the field, important political and policy concerns, and programs and practices of note. The book’s scope is holistic, using Ayn Rand’s concept of “men [and women] of the mind” to frame giftedness as a quality of individuals that extends beyond the academic or “schoolhouse” setting and into a range of aspects of the lived human experience of gifted individuals.