This article focuses on the concept of diversity in educational decision making. It is noted that the differences that distinguish the needs, interests and abilities are identified by educators. It lists misconceptions resulting from not attending to within-group diversity, and states that a "loss of self" for individual members of…

Multiliteracies theory redefines what it means to be a literate, learned person by transferring the focus from a shared knowledge of Standard English to the ability to engage in creative cultural critique. Multiliteracies theory has implications for how educators identify and teach students gifted in language arts. This article describes how…

Nearly 70 years ago, The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, better known as the GI Bill of Rights (GI standing for "Government Issue"), altered the social and economic terrain of American society. The Bill's basic tenets provided unemployment pay, home loans, and education and training for returning World War II veterans.…

In this column, the author uses the analogy of baseball to describe the lives of gifted children as a vehicle to think about similarities and differences. The author states that he has experienced how educators often gloss over the powerful and all-inclusive living conditions of high-ability students from financially impoverished backgrounds. In…

Cartoon interpretation and production are teaching strategies that can assist students in a deeper understanding of concepts and practice of higher level thinking skills while motivating them through humor. This article presents an extended example of graduate students in an introductory course in gifted education creating humorous cartoons to…

In this article, the author takes a critical look at what counts as literacy for preadolescent and adolescent talented boys. Arguably, there exists a population of boys who demonstrate strong verbal abilities, as measured by standardized verbal assessments and classroom performance, yet indicate a lack of enthusiasm when encountering print-based…

This article calls for a new paradigm of professionalism in the field of gifted education. The definition of professionalism varies, and yet the need for a common vision of professionalism in the field is necessary to strengthen gifted education in the future. The authors delineate a framework for sustaining professionalism within the field and…

Gifted and talented (GT) learners in most classroom settings endure unchallenging curriculum, a slow pace of instruction, and a state of ignorance by many of their general education teachers. The authors wanted to know how in-service teachers, preservice teacher candidates, and preservice education students viewed GT learners. The authors also…

Alternative routes to teacher preparation that have been advocated by reformers have ramifications for gifted education. Issues such as recruitment, assignment, support, and mentoring also have been discussed with regard to educating teachers of the gifted. The article illustrates how general and gifted education share common concerns and pathways…

Educators need to know the professional standards in their field to maintain high levels of professional competence. This article focuses on four sets of teacher preparation standards in gifted education. They address initial and advanced preparation of educators who teach students with gifts and talents. Initial preparation standards include the…

Teachers, including teachers of children and young people who are gifted and talented, care about educational issues; and, consequently, they need to advocate for issues impacting their students. Strategies for advocating are described--strategies for advocating with colleagues at the school level, in the community for district-wide issues, and at…

In the quest for solutions to make school as rigorous and relevant as possible, one particularly vibrant source of information is often omitted: the opinions of our students. Yet, by posing specific questions about curriculum, classroom climate, and teacher competencies and attitudes, a rich database of usable suggestions emerges. The author of…

Instructional strategies have always been underestimated for their role in enhancing gifted student learning. The use of deliberate questions is a critical strategy for getting gifted students to learn about their world in more complex and in-depth ways. It provides multiple pathways for challenging the gifted through their content learning. It…

A "flash mob" is defined by Wikipedia as "a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and pointless act for a brief time, then disperse." Fueled by social media and Smartphones, flash mobs have been used, primarily, as entertaining diversions by addicted techies with (apparently) tons of time on their hands.…

Gifted education consistently comes under scrutiny and criticism regarding the persistent and pervasive underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic students in gifted education. Their underrepresentation is one of the most significant problems facing schools, along with the achievement gap and special education overrepresentation. It cannot be…