Graduate Education

Gifted Education and Teacher Education

A review of the writings of key researchers in gifted education in the early 20th century reveals a focus on operationalizing intelligence and creativity, analyzing the individual's life path, and studying the family context. Educational provisions emphasized faster-paced programs. Specialized schools (e.g., St. Louis, Cleveland, and New York City) were structured around an acceleration or enrichment approach. Studies of creativity in adults were applied to understanding and nurturing creative thinking in children. Investigations into achievement motivation and vocational success were applied to gifted samples. Despite these advances establishing a research foundation and the legitimacy of giftedness as a field of study, there was virtually no crossover to teacher preparation. Teachers were often assigned by seniority to work with highly able students rather than on completing specialized preparation, despite a growing body of descriptive studies indicating that teachers who completed at least one graduate course in understanding giftedness displayed much more positive attitudes, sensitivity, and skills relative to identifying and teaching gifted students.

Public Policy

The watershed event of the 20th century regarding gifted education policy was the publication of the [Page 402]U.S. Office of Education's comprehensive report on the status of gifted education, in part a follow-up on the effects of specialized mathematics and science programs of the post-Sputnik era (circa 1957). The Marland Report (Sidney P. Marland was the U.S. Commissioner of Education) was presented to Congress in 1972. Its reception resulted in the establishment of the national Office of the Gifted and Talented, the first federal definition of giftedness, and the formation of the National/State Leadership Training Institute on the Gifted and the Talented (LTI). The latter entity traveled the country, working with grassroots groups to establish state policies and comprehensive plans for identification and programming. The LTI provided direct staff development as well as collaborating with education agencies to create and implement training in giftedness for practicing teachers. A smattering of universities across the country also worked with the LTI to develop graduate education for teachers, counselors, and administrators, focusing on identifying, teaching, and programming for gifted/talented/creative students.

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