The Gifted Education Policy Studies Program was designed to address two issues: the status of state and local policies on the identification of gifted students from special populations (culturally diverse, children with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged); and the impact of educational reform movements (cooperative learning and middle schools) on services for gifted students. Content analysis of documents collected from each state concerning identification of gifted students revealed that inclusive policies were present, but the record for actual inclusion of special populations was poor. Site visits to three states (Arkansas, Ohio, Texas) with inclusive practices revealed that local leaders were able to take state help in the form of demonstration projects and seed money to create broader identification procedures. Barriers to more effective policies were identified, and model legislation was developed. Concerning the impact of middle schools on gifted education, a survey of 400 teachers revealed that gifted education specialists embraced ability grouping and rejected the position that being identified as gifted created social difficulties for students, while middle schools personnel felt the opposite. A survey of educators of gifted students and educators using cooperative learning revealed differences on almost every dimension concerning the value of cooperative learning. Case studies identified features of middle schools with strong programs for gifted students and features of programs that blend cooperative learning and gifted education. (Contains 42 references.) (JDD)