This article presents the case of Geoffrey, a prolific 5-year-old writer. It examines his writing and how his intrapersonal factors and propitious environment contribute to his prodigious output. Childhood precocity is presented as an age-based comparable rather than as an adult-based predictor. A developmental theory of precocity is considered.…

This article describes Young Graduates, a program designed to enable academically gifted pupils get the best from their formal education and secure the best place available in higher education to support their career aspirations. The program provides intensive Saturday workshops followed by ongoing networking activities and contact with the…

This article describes the Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) and examines the relationship between gifted programs and total school improvement using the SEM. Goals of SEM include a school SEM specialist, a strong research base, a broadened conception of human potential, and educational experiences grounded in a high-end theory of learning.…

Discusses the need for development of female talent in China and examines the issues involved in this approach relative to trends in society. Calls for the initiating of female talent studies both as a means of revealing the laws governing the development of talented women and in creating theories to guide actions. (KO)

Describes the fierce competition and the selection process involved in gaining entrance into the Republic of Singapore's Art Elective Program. Discusses this curriculum's enriched and accelerated art program in which students gain a broader education and outlook. Activities include a live-in camp and an overseas trip for secondary students. (KO)

Seven responses to a U.S. Department of Education report assessing programs and services for talented and gifted children are presented by Charles F. Desmond, James R. Delisle, Gail E. Hanninen, Anthony Miserandino, Stephanie Tolan, John F. Feldhusen, and James J. Gallagher. (JDD)

This paper describes how secondary teachers can use the Purdue Three-Stage Model as a framework for instruction that facilitates talent development in both heterogenous and homogenous classrooms. In the first two stages, students master the core content of a discipline and practice thinking creatively and critically about the content. In the third…

A study involving an elementary classroom with 21 students found four techniques were useful for meeting the needs of high-ability students in general-education classrooms: differentiated instruction; student choice; flexible grouping; and mixing enrichment with acceleration. (Author/CR)

In this interview Diane Ravitch, former Assistant Secretary of Education and Counselor to the Secretary of Education, Lamar Alexander, discusses her current role as an education policy maker and writer, her educational experiences, her educational philosophy, and the failure of the education system to develop children's potential. (CR)

Describes an innovative model of female talent development based upon the life experiences of gifted women from a wide variety of backgrounds and talent domains. Key issues addressed by the model are the personal, professional, and cultural challenges common to gifted females and strategies for coping with them. (Author/CR)

Responds to the initial article in this issue that proposes a set of 22 sequentially structured statements on the nature and origin of human abilities, gifts, and talents. Offers an alternative psychometric, quantitative perspective that sees gifts as broad, general analytic capabilities, and talents as specific, content-bound capabilities. (CR)

A study explored the self and environmental perceptions of six talented high school students of Puerto Rican descent who were underachieving. The absence of early appropriate academic experiences thwarted students' possibilities of developing their high abilities or talents. A model explaining underachievement and suggestions for meeting students'…

This case study describes the effects of an art program in raising the self-esteem of an artistically talented fifth-grade girl who remained in the regular classroom while her academically gifted classmates left for gifted programs. Each assignment in the art program, and her response to the activity, are described. (CR)

An educator of the gifted recounts how she applied principles of gifted education and talent development such as the Enrichment Triad Model to stimulate and enrich the life of her 85-year-old father diagnosed with terminal cancer. The author notes that the need for talent development is lifelong and that stewardship of talent can transform…

This article describes the development of gifted education in Victoria, Australia. It discusses implementation of the Bright Futures Policy and Program in 1995, the special gifted programs, and the Bright Futures Professional Development Package designed to improve gifted identification, develop awareness of school-based program options, and…