The 50th anniversary of the Marland Report provides an opportunity to reflect on its impact on the field of gifted education. A critical question is how the Marland Report addressed the need for equity, especially since the Marland federal definition made no explicit mention of culturally, linguistically, or economically different gifted students.…

It is difficult to say exactly when or how ideas originate and if and why they earn acceptance, but this author believes his theories evolved because of his background as an educator and a pragmatist who believes "validating" an idea through practical implementation is as important as the idea itself. For the author, there are considerable…

A 5-year longitudinal study of the implementation of an affective curriculum in a school for gifted children, in the form of weekly development-oriented, teacher-led small-group discussions for all students in Grades 5 through 8, found that initial resistance changed to receptivity and gains over time. Analysis of Likert-type responses and brief…

The evolution of several interrelated myths reflects a combination of misinterpretation of statistics, the commendable intention of ensuring that bias and prejudice do not play roles in the provision of services to underrepresented populations of gifted students, and misapplication of programming options for gifted students. Separately, these…

Deferential differentiation occurs when the curriculum modification process defers to students' preferred ways of learning rather than relying on teachers' judgments. The preferences of 416 students identified as gifted (grades 3-8) for features of differentiated curriculum recommended for gifted students were compared with those of 230 students…

To determine whether having a program is sufficient one must first define what is meant by "program." If by program one refers to the pullout program in the elementary school, or the afterschool enrichment program in the middle school, or the Advanced Placement program in the high school, or the hockey program, then certainly having a "program" is…

Despite the potential of differentiated curricula to enhance learning, limited research exists that documents their impact on Grade 3 students of all ability levels. To determine if there was a difference in achievement between students involved in 16 weeks of predifferentiated, enriched mathematics curricula and students using their district's…

Curriculum myths rise and fall based on contemporary educational and societal contexts. Twenty-five years after the first discussion about the myth of a single curriculum for the gifted, the myth is still prevalent. Its viability as a myth is a consequence of the current educational climate rather than empirical evidence that is gathered and used…

The project is based on a general systems approach. Developmental stage theory is employed as a starting point, and the developmental "minitasks" which act as stair risers from one developmental level to another are carried through with the use of Bloom's cognitive taxonomy. (Author/DLS)

Three levels of staff development were provided to 300 elementary teachers to train them in curriculum compacting for high ability students. Teachers eliminated about half of the content for targeted students. Teachers receiving the most intensive training created higher quality compactor forms for students and used more replacement strategies and…

Illustrates how Harry Passow's views on curriculum and talent development are similar to those of Howard Gardner and how both theorists' views were used to develop a student-centered curriculum planning model. Describes how the model creates a stimulating learning environment to nurture students' talents. (Author/CR)

A Javits grant implemented statewide in Kentucky used innovative curriculum and team teaching to identify and serve middle school gifted students. Project components included interdisciplinary curriculum development, staff development, expanded provision of services, alternative methods for identifying middle school gifted students, and parent…

In this interview with Dr. A. Harry Passow conducted in April 1991, he addresses the development of the Talented Youth Project, the need for both equity and excellence in education, ability grouping, and the need to train regular education teachers to create quality education programs for all students. (CR)

This article includes information about the development of a rubric originally designed to assess the quality of curricular units that are submitted annually to the National Association for Gifted Children Curriculum Division's Curriculum Competition. Information about four different, but related, uses for the rubric is provided. (Contains…

The Multiple Menu Model is a practical set of planning guides that can assist developers of curriculum for gifted students to combine content with instructional strategies. Planning menus in the areas of knowledge, instructional objectives, student activities, instructional strategies, instructional sequences, and artistic modification and a…