A study gathered quantitative and qualitative data on the cognitive and affective outcomes for gifted students (grades 3-6) in full- and part-time programs from three classrooms in each of two neighboring school districts, one urban and one rural. While the belief emerged in both districts that the full-time program served the needs of gifted students to a greater degree, the findings indicate that community pressure, the absence of program philosophy, and inadequate teacher performance appraisal systems affected the operation of both full- and part-time program models, and may affect programs in larger districts to a greater degree. In the rural district, where a teacher-written philosophy guided the program and only three teachers cooperated to deliver both models, teachers expressed greater satisfaction with the programs and their abilities to be effective. Students also expressed a greater understanding of program goals and less frustration or pressure. In the urban district, the part-time program suffered from lack of permanent room location, teachers unfamiliar with the regular curriculum, a gradually eroding status, and fragmentation resulting from no full-time supervisor. The absence of a program philosophy defining the nature and needs of gifted students produced anxiety and pressure for teachers and students alike in the full-time program. (VW)