J. Howard Johnston

Gifted and Talented Education: Part II: Programs, Curricula, and Outcomes

The debate over the identification of gifted students pales by comparison with the arguments that can arise over what to do for those students once they are identified. Regardless of the form they take, special programs for gifted and talented learners are likely to be with us for some time to come. In many states, they are institutionalized in law or state regulations which require the provision of special services and programs for gifted and talented youngsters. Even in states where no such rules exist, the demand from the public to provide special recognition for and treatment of talented students all but assures that every school district, if not every school, will have to determine what to do with their gifted and talented students. The choices of program, grouping strategy, and instructional approach constitute a formidable legion, but the choices remain clouded by conflicting claims, counterclaims, and ambiguous research findings. This paper attempts to sort out the program options available to middle level educators and, to the extent it is possible to do so, identify the effects of those interventions.