Both parents and students bring their own styles into the college selection process. Counselors who are aware of the characteristics of these styles can best help students when selecting appropriate schools. This article discusses parental approaches to choosing a college. To assure good decisions, educators need to take a more active, systematic…

Student motivation is highly influenced by the general context in which the student lives, ranging from the norms and influences of the culture at large to the experiences within the family. For students who have high interest and passion on a selected task, motivation seems to be a very internal process. Without effort, the student persists in…

For many bright students, school is a painful experience. Consequently, many parents simply decide to shop around for the high schools which will be the "best fit" to enable their students to experience happiness, to thrive, and to achieve their postgraduate dreams. For many other families in today's society, the need for new jobs and relocation…

This article examines the effects of labeling students "gifted." Educators are urged to spend less time on identification and more on providing services, conduct ongoing needs assessments, allow students to self-select areas of independent study, and educate stakeholders so the label is not perceived as the access to services. (CR)

This article lists common pitfalls in parents' gifted advocacy attempts: believing exceptionality is synonymous with entitlement; responding to stated boredom without determining the meaning; waiting for a crisis before advocating; pushing for a response before agreeing on the issue; and advocating from their own issues. Strategies for developing…

This article describes key steps parents can take to develop an achievement orientation in gifted children: heal the gifted child within the parent; give consistent messages; develop early independence; utilize encouragement; develop multiple self-definitions; set challenging but realistic goals; and model persistence. (Author/CR)

This article discusses the need for gifted students who have disabilities to have a strong support group to assist them with several key emotional issues that may impede their academic achievement, including: anger, fear of failure, a strong need to control, low self-esteem, an sometimes, even fear of success. (CR)

Using young women with eating disorders as examples, this article examines how misdirected critical thinking can become very non-productive. The negative side of the characteristics of critical thinkers (precise, reflective, analytical, and reasonable) are described in these adolescents, and key steps to addressing misdirected thinking are…

This article considers both the intrapersonal and interpersonal issues that have historically caused difficulty for groups of gifted students, including self-knowledge and self-acceptance, irrational beliefs, need for independence, heightened sensitivity, frustration tolerance, unbalanced value, and tolerating others. Interventions are provided…

This article discusses how parents and educators can best help highly creative students when they need emotional support. Strategies include: encouraging creation of products, using creative visualization strategies, using role playing situations, providing support groups experiences, and using direct instruction to explain what may be going on…

Discussion of the affective development of gifted students who are underachieving considers external stresses including a feeling of invisibility and mixed messages from the environment, internal stresses such as self-image, unrealistic self-expectations, and the possible co-existence of a learning disability. (DB)

This article describes the way one Colorado comprehensive high school attempts to meet the needs of highly gifted students, noting features such as the principal's awareness of and commitment to gifted and talented students, staff development of counselors and teachers, and academic and affective support for students. (DB)

This brief article on emotional development of gifted students identifies key intrapersonal and interpersonal skills including self-awareness; the ability to regulate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; self-acceptance; the ability to desire and demonstrate basic social skills; the ability to respond to the needs of others; and the ability to…