In the absence of any one single internationally accepted definition of giftedness, New Zealand has officially opted to advise schools to develop their own definitions. How wise is this for a policy? Can we come closer to a definition that is sound in terms of research and that also reflects what is uniquely and essentially New Zealand? This paper…

This article discusses "Choice and Challenge" as a tool for school improvement and as a "practicable pedagogy" that attempts to embody the principles of "learning without limits," rejecting ability grouping and labelling. As considered here, "Choice and Challenge" emerges specifically from practice at the…

Recommends institutionalizing curriculum policy initiatives for gifted learners at state and local levels that are compatible with new state standards and assessments and also consider flexibility, differentiation, and articulation in planning and implementation. Support structures such as grouping and teacher education must also be incorporated.…

Mastery learning is both a philosophy about student learning and a set of instructional implementation techniques. This volume presents 10 case studies of instructional programs identified as mastery learning or outcome-based education. The programs are organized according to whole-class mastery, flexible grouping, flexible grouping/continuous…

The U.S. Civil Rights Commission has undertaken the Equal Educational Opportunity Project to develop a series of six reports focusing on the opportunities available to students in American public elementary and secondary education. This first volume in the series evaluates and analyzes the history, performance, regulations, policies, and…