This article identifies the arguments for and against the common core state standards in English language arts and mathematics. Although the standards need to be differentiated for gifted students, the author suggests that these standards may offer a way to transform education in the classroom, so that all students are able to fulfill their…

This article expands the notion of culturally responsive learning environments by including Purkey and Novak's (1996) work on invitational learning. Their typology of four types of schools is described and applied to gifted education classrooms, along with associated characteristics of each. Specific attention is focused on implications for…

When used informally, talent development refers to the deliberate cultivation of ability or giftedness in a specific domain. However, recent discussions have used talent development to refer to a particular framework for viewing giftedness and the education of gifted children. In this article, the authors will present their views on the meaning of…

The United States is considered the land of immigrants and cultural diversity, and our nation's ever changing demographics attests to this. Yearly, our nation and schools become more racially and linguistically different. In what ways, we must ask, are schools welcoming and providing for students who come from different cultural backgrounds,…

Many classrooms are comprised of students with differing abilities ranging from students with disabilities to students with gifts and talents. While these students are sharing the same space, their differing cognitive levels must be met. Therefore, curricula must be used to meet the needs of the cognitive level that is represented within the…

In this column the author discusses several major works that came out in the 50-year period from the 1920s to the 1960s, as well as real-world examples that show that differentiated curriculum works and can make a difference in the lives of gifted learners. In the 1920s, Leta Hollingworth's work advocated a specialized curriculum for gifted…

The "Marland" Report was the impetus and structure to provide a more systematic approach to building state and regional gifted programs. One of the strategies used to proliferate the spread of programming for gifted students throughout the states was the National/State Leadership Training Institute on the Gifted and Talented…

Research suggests that experts and beginners use qualitatively different writing processes when given the same text to write. Throughout their writing, experts tend to create a network of executive, structural, and content problems that they continually refine and coordinate as they bring the text to fruition. Novices, in contrast, tend to focus…

Today it seems that almost anything can be done remotely--most often electronically. Today, from shopping and banking to conducting research and taking courses, people use the Internet and other electronic media as resources and as means of completing a multitude of tasks both simple and complex. Educational institutions have long embraced the…

Online courses specifically designed for gifted students allow these students the chance to work with others who are their intellectual peers. Additionally, the teachers of these online courses for the gifted generally have greater background knowledge in current best practice for gifted students and more substantial experience working with this…

The traditional model of college is changing, and universities around the country are scrambling to adapt. More students are attending classes online, studying part time, taking courses from multiple universities, and jumping in and out of colleges. Online learning is one of the fastest growing trends in educational technology. About one third of…

Parents often adjust and monitor the effects of their efforts at punishing their children. Their approaches are wide-ranging and often idiosyncratic to the family's mores and values. Schools, on the other hand, tend to rely on policies to discipline students, often erring on the side of consistency rather than tailoring the actual punishment to…

Despite the major push for higher student outcomes in graduation, school achievement, and test scores, even when legislated (NCLB, 2001), too many students fail to persist in school, often choosing to drop out as their last resort (Bridgeland, DiIulio, & Morison, 2006). Specifically, one third of the nation's students drop out of school, even when…

Currently principals are involved with a variety of programs offered in schools, such as IDEA, English Language Learners, Title I remedial services, migrant education, and gifted and talented programs. However, there is a growing recognition that gifted students are being poorly served by most public schools. The purpose of this study was to…

As one considers the possibility of an instructional balance, it is evident that the topic of standards and creativity offers two opposite spectrums of thinking. When determining how to equalize standards and creativity, it is essential to examine each component in relation to the needs of gifted learners. In this article, the author examines how…