In this column the author explores the middle school nexus of asynchronicity, Maslow's hierarchy of needs and bullying as they apply to gifted students in secondary schools, with an emphasis on the middle school student. The premise is typically referred to as "achievement vs. affiliation," (Ford, 2004; Neihart, 2006, 2008) and concerns the…

When the author started homeschooling, she would listen jealously as other parents discussed curriculum for reading and math, two subjects that her daughter never needed any instruction in as a young child. She was eager to try out curriculum, but her visual spatial daughter was not quite ready for learning on paper. She found out that searching…

This article introduces "Resiliency Training," a program designed to support early university entrants as they take on the challenges and adventures of their sophomore and junior year at the University of Washington (UW). As the Academic Counselor and Counseling Services Coordinator for the Robinson Center, watching the students engage with the…

Educators in Roland Park Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore recognize the essential role that the arts play in education. This K-8 urban public school, which serves a highly diverse population, focuses on academic excellence and high standards for students and faculty. They believe that teaching "in and through the arts" helps to achieve those…

Over the past eight years, the author has had the pleasure of facilitating discussion groups with gifted middle and high school students. These groups focus on affective concerns, giving students the opportunity to talk about issues they have in common and how life looks and feels through the lens of giftedness. The best school situation for…

The author's 12-year-old 8th grader took the bulk of his courses at their local high school. To maintain contact with his age peers, he was bused to the middle school two days a week to eat lunch with his friends, practice in the school band, and take gym and health classes. This was part of a succession of unique acceleration strategies created…

In "Bird by Bird", Anne Lamott compares writing to a tea ceremony: "That thing you had to force yourself to do--the actual act of writing, turns out to be the best part. It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own…

"Fast Track" is a pseudonym for an accelerated, advanced language arts program for verbally gifted and high potential students in grades 6-8. The critical thinking model used for "Fast Track" was gleaned from Coalition of Essential Schools founder Ted Sizer's Habits of Mind: significance, evidence, connections, perspective, and supposition, as…

Because college admission has become much more competitive, parents and students need to know that excellent grades and test scores may not be enough to gain placement, especially in highly selective schools. Keep in mind that there are more than 25,000 class valedictorians every year, most with nearly perfect standardized test scores. Also, the…

Through a longitudinal study focused on identification policy that is inclusive of underrepresented gifted students (Van Tassel-Baska & Feng, 2003; Van Tassel-Baska, Feng, & deBrux, under review; Van Tassel-Baska, Feng, & Evans, in press; Van Tassel-Baska, Johnson, & Avery, 2002), a team of researchers developed case studies of special needs…

Gifted students are often underserved because they do not have access to highly challenging curriculum. In October, 2002, Project LOGgED ON (www.scrolldown.com/loggedon/) at University of Virginia received federal funding from the Jacob Javits Act to tackle this issue. Those who were part of the LOGgED ON project developed advanced science…

In Canadian Rockies Public Schools (CRPS), educators are committed to meeting the needs of all students. While much of the attention and resources go to the students with special needs who have difficulty learning, the group of students identified as talented and gifted is largely left to the classroom teacher to accommodate. Lawrence Grassi…

Effective advocacy is built on relationships, so communication must be ongoing and begin long before there are any problems. Waiting for a crisis to arise is an ineffective way to ensure that the best decisions will be made. When parents need to talk about their child's needs or they want to influence a pending decision, it will be easier if they…

School....parents....friends--these are the main elements of life for all children. Whether identified as gifted or not, children look for support and strength through the people and places with whom and where they spend each day. When one of these essential ingredients to a well-lived life is lacking, all manner of issues can arise: (1) boredom;…

This article features the University School at The University of Tulsa, which was established in 1982 as a private, full-school program for gifted students from age 3 through 8th grade. The mission of the University School is to serve as a local and national model of excellence in gifted education. The goal is for students to maximize their…