The booklet reviews the history of special efforts to educate gifted children, notes characteristics of giftedness, and describes current efforts to provide special help for gifted students. Various subgroups of the gifted (including creative children, gifted women, and those talented in leadership) are mentioned. Trends in education of the gifted are noted from 1865 to the present. Among the special gifted programs considered are the Study of Mathematically Precocious Youth, the Calasanctius School (Buffalo, NY), and the Executive High School Internship of America. Methods for dealing with the gifted underachiever and culturally different gifted child are also discussed. Future trends in the area of gifted education are examined as they relate to the issues involving a concept of giftedness as a genetic trait, definition of giftedness, lack of systematic and suitable curriculum material, and intervention with the gifted underachiever. (SB)