A Review of Gifted and Talented Education in the United States

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 557-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachana Bhatt

Gifted and talented education programs provide children who have been identified as having high ability in some intellectual or creative characteristic with a supplemental curriculum to their traditional coursework. Despite the popularity of these programs, the literature lacks a comprehensive review of gifted education in the United States. This policy brief aims to fill this void by providing national and state-level statistics on participation rates, funding appropriations, and policies on gifted education. Since many of the operational details of these programs are determined by local education agencies, data on a nationally representative sample of schools are then used to provide information on gifted curricula, instructor training and experience, and the selection process for admission. Finally, a review of the research on gifted education is provided. This research highlights that gifted programs vary widely and that further research on this topic can provide valuable information to policy makers and educators.

1979 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Zettel

The purpose of this article is to identify some of the more significant educational as well as political changes that have taken place during the past half decade with regard to the education of gifted and talented children. In essence, the manuscript attempts to assess much of this change by examining, and where appropriate, comparing, two recently completed nationwide investigations of gifted and talented education. The first study was conducted by former Commissioner of Education, Sidney Marland, in 1971 for the United States Congress. The second was performed by The Council for Exceptional Children in 1977. Among the individual policy-related topics discussed in the article are: present statutory definitions of gifted and talented children; state identification and screening procedures; the number of gifted and talented children reported served; state and federal appropriations for these children; the number of state level personnel assigned to work in gifted and talented education; and the in-service and preservice preparation of educational personnel interested or working in this particular field. By presenting a number of the findings and conclusions of the aforementioned studies, the article provides the reader with an overall perspective as to present nature of gifted and talented education throughout the United States.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Kettler ◽  
Yasmin Laird

English Language Learners (ELL) are the fastest growing population in United States public education and are likely underrepresented in gifted education. This study analyzed a nationally representative sample of the largest school districts (n=311) in the United States accounting for approximately 35% of the total public school enrollment of K12 education. Five pre-registered hypotheses were tested to explore the nature of ELL underrepresentation in gifted education. Eighty-six percent of the schools had ELL relative difference in composition index (RDCI) scores in the large underrepresentation category (< -60), and the pattern of underrepresentation was consistent in all four census regions of the U.S. Underrepresentation in schools with state policy mandates to identify gifted students was no different that ELL underrepresentation in non-mandated policy states. Variables of gifted program inclusiveness (r = .07) and prevalence of ELL student populations (r = .05) were not associated with variation in ELL underrepresentation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlie B. Fischer ◽  
Nedghie Adrien ◽  
Jeremiah J. Silguero ◽  
Julianne J. Hopper ◽  
Abir I. Chowdhury ◽  
...  

AbstractMask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In the United States, policies on mask wearing have varied from state to state over the course of the pandemic. Even as more and more government leaders encourage or even mandate mask wearing, many citizens still resist the notion. Our research examines mask wearing policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates. We used state-level data on mask wearing policy for the general public and on proportion of residents who stated they always wear masks in public. For all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC), these data were abstracted by month for April ⍰ September 2020 to measure their impact on COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month (May ⍰ October 2020). Monthly COVID-19 case rates (number of cases per capita over two weeks) >200 per 100,000 residents were considered high. Fourteen of the 15 states with no mask wearing policy for the general public through September reported a high COVID-19 rate. Of the 8 states with at least 75% mask adherence, none reported a high COVID-19 rate. States with the lowest levels of mask adherence were most likely to have high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month, independent of mask policy or demographic factors. Mean COVID-19 rates for states with at least 75% mask adherence in the preceding month was 109.26 per 100,000 compared to 249.99 per 100,000 for those with less adherence. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. This association between high mask adherence and reduced COVID-19 rates should influence policy makers and public health officials to focus on ways to improve mask adherence across the population in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.


Author(s):  
Judith Bazler ◽  
Letitia Graybill ◽  
Meta Van Sickle

Giftedness is not present only in childhood. It persists for a lifetime. However, even though most colleges/universities provide special needs services for appropriate students, most if not all college faculty might not believe it necessary to provide any accommodations for gifted/talented students either at undergraduate or at the graduate level. In order to accommodate one or more gifted/talented students in a class, faculty need to rethink their pedagogy and assessment strategies. At the college/university level accommodations are usually absent because faculty do not perceive a need to do so in their courses. In courses for pre-service teachers, some instructors provide practices in courses including how to teach gifted and talented students in basic education settings for K-12 grades. This chapter presents a brief overview of gifted and talented education in the United States focusing more specifically on gifted and talented at the university (or adult) level.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui G. Cheng ◽  
James C. Anthony

Background. State-level ‘age 21’ drinking laws conform generally with the United States National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 (US), and are thought to protect young people from adverse drinking experiences such as heavy episodic drinking (HED, sometimes called ‘binge drinking’). We shed light on this hypothesis while estimating the age-specific risk of transitioning from 1st full drink to 1st HED among 12-to-23-year-old newly incident drinkers, with challenge to a “gender gap” hypothesis and male excess described in HED prevalence reports.Methods. The study population consisted of non-institutionalized civilians in the United States, with nine independently drawn nationally representative samples of more than 40,000 12-to-23-year-olds (2006–2014). Standardized audio computer-assisted self-interviews identified 43,000 newly incident drinkers (all with 1st HED evaluated within 12 months of drinking onset). Estimated age-specific HED risk soon after first full drink is evaluated for males and females.Results. Among 12-to-23-year-old newly incident drinkers, an estimated 20–30% of females and 35–45% of males experienced their 1st HED within 12 months after drinking onset. Before mid-adolescence, there is no male excess in such HED risk. Those who postponed drinking to age 21 are not spared (27% for ‘postponer’ females; 95% CI [24–30]; 42% for ‘postponer’ males; 95% CI [38–45]). An estimated 10–18% females and 10–28% males experienced their 1st HED in the same month of their 1st drink; peak HED risk estimates are 18% for ‘postponer’ females (95% CI [15–21]) and 28% for ‘postponer’ males (95% CI [24–31]).Conclusions. In the US, one in three young new drinkers transition into HED within 12 months after first drink. Those who postpone the 1st full drink until age 21 are not protected. Furthermore, ‘postponers’ have substantial risk for very rapid transition to HED. A male excess in this transition to HED is not observed until after age 14.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. e0249891
Author(s):  
Charlie B. Fischer ◽  
Nedghie Adrien ◽  
Jeremiah J. Silguero ◽  
Julianne J. Hopper ◽  
Abir I. Chowdhury ◽  
...  

Mask wearing has been advocated by public health officials as a way to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In the United States, policies on mask wearing have varied from state to state over the course of the pandemic. Even as more and more states encourage or even mandate mask wearing, many citizens still resist the notion. Our research examines mask wearing policy and adherence in association with COVID-19 case rates. We used state-level data on mask wearing policy for the general public and on proportion of residents who stated they always wear masks in public. For all 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC), these data were abstracted by month for April ─ September 2020 to measure their impact on COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month (May ─ October 2020). Monthly COVID-19 case rates (number of cases per capita over two weeks) >200 per 100,000 residents were considered high. Fourteen of the 15 states with no mask wearing policy for the general public through September reported a high COVID-19 rate. Of the 8 states with at least 75% mask adherence, none reported a high COVID-19 rate. States with the lowest levels of mask adherence were most likely to have high COVID-19 rates in the subsequent month, independent of mask policy or demographic factors. Mean COVID-19 rates for states with at least 75% mask adherence in the preceding month was 109.26 per 100,000 compared to 249.99 per 100,000 for those with less adherence. Our analysis suggests high adherence to mask wearing could be a key factor in reducing the spread of COVID-19. This association between high mask adherence and reduced COVID-19 rates should influence policy makers and public health officials to focus on ways to improve mask adherence across the population in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Moreland-Russell ◽  
Colleen Barbero ◽  
Stephanie Andersen ◽  
Nora Geary ◽  
Elizabeth A. Dodson ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Judith Ann Bazler ◽  
Letitia Graybill ◽  
Meta Lee Van Sickle

Giftedness is not present only in childhood. It persists for a lifetime. However, even though most colleges/universities provide special needs services for appropriate students, most if not all college faculty might not believe it necessary to provide any accommodations for gifted/talented students either at undergraduate or at the graduate level. In order to accommodate one or more gifted/talented students in a class, faculty need to rethink their pedagogy and assessment strategies. At the college/university level accommodations are usually absent because faculty do not perceive a need to do so in their courses. In courses for pre-service teachers, some instructors provide practices in courses including how to teach gifted and talented students in basic education settings for K-12 grades. This chapter presents a brief overview of gifted and talented education in the United States focusing more specifically on gifted and talented at the university (or adult) level.


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