Reva Friedman-Nimz

State Policies and Equal Opportunity: The Example of Gifted Education

This study explores the relationship between state policies, including state mandates and state aid allocations, and the distribution of educational opportunities. Specifically, we analyze the availability of and participation rates in programs for gifted and talented students using data from the Common Core of Data 1993–94 and the Schools and Staffing Survey 1993–94. Analyses herein suggest that program mandates and funding may be effective tools for increasing the distribution of opportunities for gifted children. However, models of both aid distribution and opportunity distribution indicate a tendency of states more significantly involved in gifted education, as indicated by mandates and funding, to promote regressive distributions of opportunities (greater availability in schools with fewer low-income students) through regressive distributions of aid (higher levels of aid to districts with fewer children in poverty). More specific case analyses, however, reveal that some states like Virginia may be taking steps to promote more neutral distributions of opportunities through more progressive allocations of state aid.

Myth 6: Cosmetic Use of Multiple Selection Criteria

Twenty-five years ago, armed with the courage of my convictions and a respectable collection of empirical evidence, I articulated what I considered to be a compelling argument against the cosmetic use of multiple selection criteria as a guiding principle for identifying children and youth with high potential. To assess the current status of this myth, I enthusiastically embarked on a review of the past quarter century of research, pertinent standards established by the field’s key professional organizations, state statues and policies, and a national sampling (albeit decidedly nonrandom) of district-level documents I uncovered through Web-based sleuthing. My conclusion is summed up in the aphorism “the more things change, the more they remain the same.”

Examining Our Foundations: Implications for Gifted Education Research.

Robert Albert examined key conceptual shifts in the pertinent professional literature language over the first part of the 20th century in his 1969 American Psychologist article, “Genius: Present‐Day Status of the Concept and Its Implications for the Study of Creativity and Giftedness. “ His findings indicated profound changes in pertinent terminology in the professional knowledge base after 1945 from an emphasis on concepts such as genius, eminence, fame, and distinction to giftedness, talent, and creativity. The goal of the current project was to investigate empirically changes in conceptions of exceptional ability and performance, as reflected in the professional literature published since 1969. Over 28,000 articles were culled from three data bases: Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO and Exceptional Children Educational Resources (ECER). Conceptual themes and types of research were analyzed for a sample of the articles, drawn from the midpoint year of each decade. Significant results include: an increase in the number of articles relating to creativity; a rise in the number of practice‐oriented articles; and a small but steady increase in the number of articles employing qualitative research methods. Articles were also analyzed for evidence of a “paradigm shift” also discussed in the literature; however, the paradigm shift was not significantly reflected in practice. Implications are addressed relative to the conceptual trends in the literature and qualities of the knowledge base.

Personality Qualities That Help or Hinder Gifted and Talented Individuals

It is well documented that non-intellective qualities play an important role in realizing extraordinary potential. However, there is considerable murkiness in identifying, operationalizing, and studying these variables in the context of giftedness. For instance, in some research personality variables are treated as stable traits; in other investigations, the same variables are explored as more fluid tendencies. We review research on key personality qualities such as self-perception, self-evaluation, motivation, attribution, and intrapersonal intelligence. Drawing on over 25 years of research, we review salient work at the University of Kansas and elsewhere. We explore issues related to modes of inquiry and suggest directions for research on personality variables as they are manifested in the context of development.

Is a federal mandate the answer? If so, what was the question?

This article questions whether advocacy efforts in gifted education have been misguided over the years by overemphasis on achieving a federal mandate. We begin by reviewing common legal arguments for attaining special legal rights for gifted children. Next, using a Creative Problem Solving framework, we reframe the mess as “the general state of availability of gifted and talented programs,” and review a growing body of literature that indicates that opportunities vary widely according to geographic and economic conditions and largely as a function of local autonomy over gifted education programming decisions. From these data, we arrive at a new problem statement: “In what ways might we develop policies to create more equitable and adequate distribution of opportunities for gifted children?” Our focus is on the importance of state financial solutions to existing inequities.

Determinants of the Availability of Opportunities for Gifted Children: Evidence from NELS '88.

The goal of this study is to present a brief, statistically rigorous assessment of the determinants of the availability of gifted and talented programming both across and within states. Of particular interest is whether gifted and talented program opportunities are randomly distributed across students by their socioeconomic status and race across the states. It is also important, however, to understand how variables like geographic location and school size may contribute to the availability of opportunities. We find that across states, higher socioeconomic status students who attend larger schools are more likely to have access to gifted and talented programming and students attending larger schools more likely to have access to comprehensive programming. We also find substantial variance across states in the relationship between student socioeconomic status and the availability of gifted programming.

From Bits and Bytes to C++ and Web Sites: What Is Computer Talent Made of?.

IN TODAY’S SOCIETY, one doesn’t have to look far to find examples of extraordinary computer technology ability. Steve Jobs started Apple at age 21; Bill Gates was only 20 when he created Microsoft. As the world of computer technology continues to change and to grow, it is becoming more obvious that some students demonstrate an exceptional ability for learning and understanding the workings of computers. The focus of this pilot study was to explore possible patterns of formative experiences, cognitive abilities, and personality characteristics that could be labeled as “computer technology talent.” Nine members of a high school computer programming club participated in a technology-based project with the researchers. As part of the project evaluation, each student took part in a semistructured interview with one of the researchers. Questions encompassed perceptions and evaluations of the project, as well as explorations of dimensions of computer technology talent. Findings included discernable patterns and recurring themes in these students’ lives, which were reflected in their histories with computing, family support, and key educational experiences.