Visual-spatial ability is a multifaceted component of intelligence that has predictive validity for future achievement in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. Although identification and development of STEM talent is a national priority, visual-spatial ability is rarely measured and relatively neglected in gifted…

Gifted students with spatial strengths have areas of remarkable talent but are often overlooked, underidentified, and underserved in American schools. Their preference for learning through imagistic reasoning conflicts with traditional verbal instructional techniques typically used in schools. To better serve these students who have the potential…

The importance of spatial ability for success in a variety of domains, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), is widely acknowledged. Yet, students with high spatial ability are rarely identified, as Talent Searches for academically talented students focus on identifying high mathematical and verbal abilities.…

For over 60 years, longitudinal research on tens of thousands of high ability and intellectually precocious youth has consistently revealed the importance of spatial ability for hands-on creative accomplishments and the development of expertise in science, technology, engineering, and mathematical (STEM) disciplines. Yet, individual differences in…

Considering the benefits that accrue in countries having low levels of social inequality and the harm that accompanies wide disparities in income, it is important to examine any practices or traditions that contribute to inequality. Under some circumstances, gifted education does confer advantages that are not available to all students,…

Large-scale sequential research developments for identification and measurement of giftedness have received ample attention in the West, whereas India's response to this has largely been lukewarm. The wide variation in parents' abilities to provide enriched environments to nurture their children's potential makes it imperative for India to develop…

This article presents an interview with Camilla P. Benbow, the Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development at Vanderbilt University's Peabody College, a position she has held since 1998. Benbow began her academic career at Johns Hopkins University and subsequently taught at Iowa State University, where she was named…

In this study, psychometric properties of the test of the three-mathematical minds (M3) were investigated. The M3 test was developed based on a multidimensional conception of giftedness to identify mathematically talented students. Participants included 291 middle-school students. Data analysis indicated that the M3 had a 0.73 coefficient as a…

Dropping out of school has been presented as a serious problem affecting gifted students, with some authors suggesting that 20% or more of dropouts could be gifted (e.g., Rimm, 1995; Robertson, 1991). Longitudinal data from North Carolina were used to investigate high-school dropout rates among gifted students (N = 7916) who had participated in a…

This current, longitudinal study addresses two critical issues related to underrepresented gifted: identification and programming. As a follow-up of minority and low-income students identified as gifted in middle school, the study provides insight into the potential predictive value of specific gifted attributes on later academic performance:…

Early life experiences can powerfully impact attitudes toward learning and later achievements in education. The chances for optimal development of children with special needs, including the gifted and talented, can be enhanced with identification and intervention at an early age. This paper reports on investigations into the lives of five gifted…

The text from this article, by Jim Gallaghar, is adapted from an address given to Talent Identification Program (TIP) awardees at Duke University May 17, 2004. He discusses being a survivor in public schools. The overall message he is trying to get across, is be a survivor, be a problem finder, it will energize and might find some results that…

This article argues that creativity tests are best thought of as measures of creative potential because creative achievement depends on additional factors not measured by creativity tests, such as technical skill, field knowledge, mental health, and opportunity. The need for assessment to be based on several tests is emphasized. (Contains…

This article profiles Leta Stetter Hollingworth, the founder of gifted education. It discusses her childhood, the New York Public School 165 experiment, the Speyer School experiment, and her overriding belief that since all human beings were not created intellectually equal, all children should not be equated in the same way. (Contains…

This article examines the Office for Civil Rights' (OCR) position on non-discriminatory testing, polices and practices and the role and responsibility of the OCR in securing the civil rights of culturally and linguistically diverse students in the context of gifted education. Possible discriminatory practices in gifted education are outlined.…