The paper argues that educators of the gifted have overlooked important evidence on the power of special environments because of our habit of considering cognitive outcomes and an outsider view of evidence as the standard for judging the benefits of special environments. The author proposes that social context be used as a construct to help…

Although a general understanding of the phenomenon of giftedness is evident in the literature, missing is a body of information on the thoughts and actions of gifted persons in those situations that we suspect influence the emergence of extraordinary accomplishment. In this article I propose a change in direction for the study of the advanced…

In a previous issue of this journal, four present and former editors of the most prestigious journals provide their judgment on the current field of gifted education (Ambrose, VanTassel-Baska, Coleman, & Cross, 2010). They believe that the field is insular, fractured, porous, and contested, and they provide many examples to illustrate their…

I am honored by the articulate comments of the respondents to the questions raised in the lead paper, "Two Wrongs Do Not Make a Right: Sacrificing the Needs of Gifted Students Does Not Solve Society's Unsolved Problems." These five colleagues have proved themselves to be sensitive to the multiple issues and constituencies involved and highly…

In this interview, Eliot Feld, a ballet dancer who has choreographed more than 100 ballets for every major company in the United States and around the world, discusses his passion for dance, dance training, mentors, balancing academics and performance at the High School of Performing Arts, and establishing Ballet Tech. (CR)

This article reviews the research suggesting gifted girls are motivationally disadvantaged as well as research on the task, social, and motivational conditions that may explain these differences. A feminist critique of the gender differences research suggests some research strategies that can address and redress some of the problems in research…

This essay critically examines the features and assumptions of needs-based claims to justify special services for the gifted and argues that they rest on unstated theories and unavowed moral values, define a paternalistic relationship between teachers and gifted students, and suggest that gifted students deserve things that other students do not.…

An interview with Hugo Fiorato, the conductor of the New York City Ballet, recounts his musical education, special problems of conducting for a ballet company, the training of orchestra members and conductors, and mentorship. (DB)

This article explores the moral-ethical implications of the mechanistic world view and related issues such as technological determinism, social Darwinism, and androcentrism. It finds that educational approaches reinforced by the mechanistic world view include positivistic approaches to curriculum, instruction, and research. Recommendations for…

This paper offers a theory of optimal motivation for talent development. Optimal motivation is described as a "flow" experience. A generalized expectancy value theory is used to analyze three ideal conditions to optimize flow experiences: optimal challenge, undivided interest, and optimal arousal. Further analysis shows how each is composed of two…

Discussion of the issues of under representation of diverse students, especially African Americans, in programs for gifted students and of underachievement of minority students suggests a solution to both issues is for schools to create culturally responsive classrooms. The article describes the needs of diverse students and offers several…

This interview with Martin Seligman, a past-president of the American Psychological Association and the author of seminal works in the areas of both learned helplessness and optimism, discusses his interest in positive psychology and giftedness, fostering creative genius, his childhood and move from philosophy to psychology, and future plans.…

Discusses postmodern curriculum theory in the education of the gifted and talented. Identifies five overarching themes: presence, origin, unity, denial of transcendence, and constitutive otherness. Five issues subsumed under these themes include issues of discourse, the body, the canon, gender, and power/class. (Author)

Using a postpositivistic method of inquiry, this study examined themes that emerged in the language of Latino, African-American, Native-American, immigrant Asian, and low-income Anglo individuals as they nominated individuals for a hypothetical gifted program. Reflected values differed from group to group and differed considerably from those…

After exposing some opposing principles in gifted education, this article proposes approaching giftedness as an identity issue, drawing examples from the field of lesbian and gay studies, which has a long tradition of dialog with identity issues. The proposed identity approach suggests the need to admit the constructed nature of giftedness,…