The U.S. is largely neglecting the estimated 3 million academically gifted and talented students who represent diverse experiences, skills, ethnicity, and cultural and economic backgrounds. All of them require a responsive and challenging educational system if they are to achieve to their highest potential. According to the "State of the States" report, there is a markedly insufficient national commitment to gifted and talented children, which, if left unchecked, will ultimately leave our nation ill-prepared to field the next generation of innovators and to compete in the global economy. The federal government's support for gifted children now stands at only 2 cents of every $100 dollars it invests in K-12 education. At the state level, 26 percent of states provide no funding support to gifted education. In addition, a patchwork system of teacher training, availability of services, and the lack of reporting and accountability has real consequences for high-ability students who may not succeed without specialized and rigorous instruction. The data collected in the "State of the States" survey and highlighted here offers a snapshot of state policies and practices affecting gifted and talented learners in the 2008-2009 school year. Forty-seven (47) states responded to the survey. This paper presents key findings from the report.