While equality of eduation is an important value, the overriding quest for equity has jeopardized the pursuit of excellence in public schools. Without advanced or enriched programs, gifted students may fall short of their potential or lose interest in school. Since curricula have been "dumbed down" to help weaker students, gifted students perceive…

The "Colorado Children's Budget" presents and analyzes investments and spending trends during the past five state fiscal years on services that benefit children. The "Children's Budget" focuses mainly on state investment and spending, with some analysis of federal investments and spending to provide broader context of state…

This article describes the components of a scholar identity and sets forth two propositions: (1) Black and Hispanic males are more likely to achieve academically when they have a scholar identity; and (2) Black and Hispanic males are more likely to be viewed as gifted if they achieve at higher levels. Both of these propositions have clear…

Research has established that gifted children often develop deep sensitivities to world issues and injustices at an early age (Piechowski, 1997; Silverman, 1993). Once provided with information, they become more intensely interested in and concerned with current environmental problems (Clark, 1992; Cullingford, 1996). Although ecology is usually…

Seeking information about preconceived notions of the educational needs of children who are gifted, we asked 285 undergraduates in prerequisite classes for teacher education to complete questionnaires. Topics addressed included the need for special services for children who are gifted, perceptions of forms of service delivery in elementary…

Evaluation of the personality functioning of 90 adolescents with intelligence quotients greater than 135 found the incidence of psychopathology in the sample to be comparable to that in the normative population. Children with intelligence quotients greater than 150 had no greater levels of psychopathology than those with intelligence quotients…

Talented students (n=520) in grades three through five were given the Quantitative, Reading Comprehension, and Verbal sections of the Lower Level of the Secondary School Admission Test (developed for fifth through seventh graders). Students' scores covered nearly the entire possible range indicating that the SSAT-L effectively differentiated among…

Combining standards with a differentiated curriculum for highly able learners accomplishes two goals: it provides rich, rigorous curricula for these students and meets state standards. This process can have a ripple effect by improving curricula for the entire school and by benefiting all students' learning. (MLH)

The District conducts a "cross-sectional" analysis of student dropouts annually; it examines dropout rates among students enrolled in various grades at one point in time. A "longitudinal" analysis, also conducted annually, tracks a group of students in the same grade or cohort over a period of several years. Each method…

In British Columbia, Canada, two population-based databases have been linked at the level of the individual child: the "Early Development Instrument", a Kindergarten school readiness measure; and the "Foundation Skills Assessment", a Grade Four academic assessment. Utilising these linked data, we explored the early school…

This study reports on an analysis of the standardization sample of a rating scale designed to assist in identification of gifted students. The Gifted Rating Scales-Preschool/Kindergarten Form (GRS-P) is based on a multidimensional model of giftedness designed for preschool and kindergarten students. Results provide support for: the internal…

The present study sought to examine the perceptions of giftedness and identification procedures held by experienced teachers of gifted minority students. Twenty-seven 4th-grade teachers of gifted students in an urban school system with a high representation of minority and economically disadvantaged students were surveyed. Results indicated that…

Examines two career decision-making patterns: (1) a pattern of indecision, displayed by students who possess a multiplicity of intense interests and high aptitudes; and (2) a pattern called "early emergence" in which gifted students decide on a career preference at an early age and make early commitments to it. (CT)

Discusses how career educators can help gifted students in three areas of conflict: (1) making a single career choice despite multipotentiality; (2) making long-range career plans before having necessary emotional maturity; and (3) reconciling personal career goals and societal expectations. (CT)

Administration of the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (fourth edition) to 60 elementary school students (in grades four, five, and six) resulted in means consistent with their gifted status. Factor analyses, including LISREL confirmatory analysis, offered only partial support to the Binet model. (TJH)