"Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says" is the definitive reference book for those searching for a summary and evaluation of the literature on giftedness and gifted education. The book presents almost 50 summaries of important topics in the field, providing relevant research and a guide to how the research applies to gifted education. Sample topics addressed include alternative assessment, counseling, early childhood, highly gifted students, homeschooling, parenting, and policy and advocacy. Each chapter adopts a rigorous, empirically grounded approach to inform the reader's understanding of the research in gifted education. Despite a century of research on giftedness, the enthusiasm and rhetoric surrounding various programs, models, and approaches often exceed the level of available support--or even contradict the available evidence. This book provides an objective assessment of the status of available knowledge in each area, offers guidance in the application of the research, and suggests areas of needed research. This book contains fifty chapters: (1) Academic Competitions (Stuart N. Omdal and M.R.E. Richards); (2) ADHD (M. Layne Kalbfleisch and Meredith Banasiak); (3) Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs (Holly Hertberg-Davis and Carolyn M. Callahan); (4) Alternative Assessment (Tonya R. Moon); (5) Cognitive Characteristics of the Gifted (Pau-San Hoh); (6) Cognitive Development (Felicia A. Dixon); (7) College Programming (Anne N. Rinn); (8) Conceptions of Giftedness (Erin Morris Miller); (9) Counseling (Jean Sunder Peterson); (10) Creativity Enhancement (Ronald A. Beghetto); (11) Critical Thinking (Brenda Linn and Bruce M. Shore); (12) Differentiated Instruction (Carol Ann Tomlinson); (13) Early Childhood (Nancy M. Robinson); (14) Ethnically Diverse Students (Marcia Gentry, Saiying Hu, and Adrian T. Thomas); (15) Expertise (Matthew C. Makel); (16) Gifted Girls (Margie K. Kitano); (17) Highly Gifted Children and Adolescents (Miraca U.M. Gross); (18) Homeschooling (Robert Kunzman); (19) Identification (James H. Borland); (20) Identification: The Aurora Battery (Hilary Chart, Elena L. Grigorenko, and Robert J. Sternberg); (21) Intelligences Outside the Normal Curve: Co-Cognitive Traits that Contribute to Giftedness (Joseph S. Renzulli and Rachel E. Sytsma Reed); (22) Levels of Service (Stephen T. Schroth); (23) Life Events (Trudy L. Clemons); (24) Matching Instruction and Assessment (Linda Jarvin, Tina Newman, Judi Randi, Robert J. Sternberg, and Elena L. Grigorenko); (25) Mathematics, Elementary (M. Katherine Gavin and Jill L. Adelson); (26) Mathematics, Secondary (Bharath Sriraman and Olof Bjorg Steinthorsdottir); (27) Mentoring (Carolyn M. Callahan and Robin Kyburg Dickson); (28) Motivation (Joyce M. Alexander and Angela K. Schnick); (29) Musical Talent (Joanne Haroutounian); (30) Neural Bases of Giftedness (Sharlene D. Newman); (31) Parenting (Robin M. Schader); (32) Personal Talent (Sidney M. Moon and Saiying Hu); (33) Policy and Advocacy (James J. Gallagher); (34) Prodigies (David Henry Feldman); (35) Professional Development (E. Jean Gubbins); (36) Science, Elementary (Cheryll M. Adams and Rebecca L. Pierce); (37) Science, Secondary (Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Bronwyn MacFarlane); (38) Self-Concept (Michael C. Pyryt); (39) Social Studies (Jessica A. Hockett); (40) Special Schools (Kelly E. Rapp); (41) Suicide (Tracy L. Cross); (42) Talent Search Programs (Michael S. Matthews); (43) Talented Readers (Sally M. Reis); (44) Teacher Characteristics (Ann Robinson); (45) Teacher Preparation (Alane Jordan Starko); (46) Thinking and Learning Styles (David Yun Dai); (47) Twice-Exceptional Learners (M. Layne Kalbfleisch and Carolyn M. Iguchi); (48) Underachievers (D. Betsy McCoach and Del Siegle); (49) Visual and Performing Arts (Bess B. Worley II); and (50) Writing (Joyce VanTassel-Baska and Bronwyn MacFarlane). An introduction by Jonathan A. Plucker and Carolyn M. Callahan and an index are included.