Since independence in 1965, education and sport have been instrumental in Singapore's nation building, with a rapid rise in education and economic status. This article examines the roles of physical education and school sport in the local context and makes comparison with global themes ("instrumentality" and "marginality"). It…

"Natural acceleration" happens through an internal fire that burns to learn and may transcend school boundaries. Based on their passionate interests and connections with a domain, children who hunger for domain understandings outside school curricula require different types of acceleration, motivated by these interests. The lifeworks,…

What roles do teachers play in the development of talent and in the attitude of students toward school? Research indicates that teacher enthusiasm, feedback, and content knowledge are keys to student motivation, learning, and engagement. Research also reveals the importance of positive and supportive student/teacher relationships. In previous work…

This article provides a summary of efforts and projects related to the provision of gifted students and talent development in Swiss schools and with partners in the German speaking Central Europe. In the first part, relevant activities about teacher education in Switzerland based on a cooperative arrangement with the University of Connecticut will…

Though there have been quite a number of research studies focusing on how Singaporean families promote literacy and instill values of academic excellence inside the home, little has been written about how families nurture the gifts of teenagers talented in the arts in the Singaporean context. This article highlights how the family influences the…

In many countries, the training of researchers who will be internationally competitive has become a primary objective, leading to extensive discussion of the curricula, educational content, and methods that may ensure a high level of student achievement. In this global climate, only the most excellent students have the potential to engage…

This report takes a comprehensive look at achievement for low-income promising learners--past, present, and future. At its core, it challenges the nation to move beyond its near-singular focus of achieving minimum performance for all students, to identifying and developing the talent of all students who are capable of high achievement, including…

This study surveyed 1,234 empirical studies on giftedness, gifted education, and creativity during 1998-2010 (April), using PsycINFO database and targeted journals as main sources, with respect to main topics these studies focused on, methods they used for investigation, and the conceptual spaces they traversed. Four main research topics emerged…

A successful program needs a team approach which encourages teachers to undertake professional initiatives to enhance student growth. Such initiatives include: Type III's; workshops; Lunch with an Expert; an Expert in the Classroom; field trips; before, during and after school enrichment clusters; mentorships; assembly programs; speakers; starting…

Examining evaluation theory in cultural context is an important component of evaluating theory; however, it is not the ultimate goal. The foundational element in good evaluation is validity, and appreciating the cultural location of evaluation theory is an important building block in the argument supporting multicultural validity. Multicultural…

Spatial and creative abilities are important for innovations in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, but talents are rarely developed from these abilities by schools, including among gifted children and adolescents who have a high potential to become STEM innovators. This article provides an overview of each ability and makes…

This volume addresses the most current perspectives and issues related to giftedness and is written by leaders in the field. An excellent resource for special educators, administrators, mental health clinicians, school counselors, and psychologists, this volume addresses the different educational issues that impact this population. The area of…

The field of higher education attracts many talented, ambitious professionals who are inspired to work in this sector because of opportunities to support the academic, personal, and professional development of students. It is an irony that more attention is not paid to the professional and leadership development of administrative talent in…

The purpose of this study was to develop best practice standards for hiring public school teachers. This standard was developed from the available literature on recruiting, screening, selecting, and hiring high-quality teachers. The targeted and actual hiring processes of a case study district were compared to this teacher hiring standard.…

Systemic goals for gifted programs can take many forms. The authors place most program goals into a dichotomy--those that address the present academic needs of gifted students in schools and those designed to prepare future eminent path breakers and innovators. To clarify our arguments, we first define eminence and then offer examples from…