One component of the Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Act was provision for research on a national scale. In response, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) was created to design and implement a research portfolio. Based on emphasis in the Javits Act on underrepresented populations, on issues of identification and programming, and on priorities of an initial NRC/GT needs assessment, we elected to concentrate on summarizing the NRC/GT research reflecting identification practices, the status of current curricular and instructional strategies and practices, the development of challenging curricula, and the effectiveness of various professional development strategies as potential catalysts for change. The history underlying the development of the Javits Act and the organization and operation of the NRC/GT are described in the article titled "Laying the Base for the Future: One Cornerstone of the Javits Act" in this special issue of the "Journal of Advanced Academics" (JOAA).