Excellence in education of gifted children is the focus of this journal theme issue. Two articles are featured: (1) "Making Connections for the At-Risk Gifted Child" by Mary Kay Finholt and Kathy Peckron, describing an exemplary support system developed for at-risk gifted students in the Rockwood School District in Missouri, which provides attention to the child's gifts and interests, is structured so that the student is directed towards controlling his/her own progress and decisions, involves and supports the parents, and provides an advocate for the student; and (2) "Positive Aspects of Full-Time Programming" by Mary F. Toll, which provides a rationale for full-time programs for gifted students, based on their success in Florida, and points out that gifted students require programming commensurate with their abilities, need to be challenged, need to understand their giftedness, and need to be understood by others. John Feldhusen contributes a rejoinder to Rick Ronvik's earlier article on re-examining the foundations of giftedness. In it he discusses conceptions of the term "talent" and contends that matching youth with curriculum and instruction negates the need for either acceleration or enrichment. Regular columns discuss the written language, helping children trust themselves, instructional perspectives, literature resources, emotional development, discrimination against excellence, and asynchronous development. (JDD)