As a means of addressing observed inadequacies in school curricula, the Catholic Special Education and Guidance Service, Brisbane Catholic Education Office in 1980 established a partial withdrawal centre for counsellor-selected gifted children. The Learning Enrichment Centre (L.E.C.) aimed to - 1) meet the needs of enrolled gifted students by - a) providing appropriate learning experiences; and b) providing an administrative arrangement (partial withdrawal) which afforded them the opportunity to interact with like minds; 2) meet the needs of the system by - a) developing and evaluating units of work for gifted students; b) conducting workshops, seminars and in-service days for teachers. In 1984 the L.E.C. curriculum was designed and implemented in accordance with Maker's model of curriculum modification for gifted students (Maker, 1982). This model outlines a set of principles which Maker claims, recognize the characteristics and needs of gifted students and guide the development of a qualitatively different curriculum. In making decisions about design and implementation of Maker's curriculum modifications, factors related to the setting, the teachers and the students were considered. The overall purpose of the Study was to assist teachers in making rational decisions about future L.E.C. provision. In particular the Study was to collect information on the worth of the program - its relative strengths and weaknesses - and the influence on the curriculum of the administrative arrangement. The program was evaluated by ascertaining levels of satisfaction typically expressed by the students. Of secondary concern was whether the organisational arrangement of partial withdrawal had inhibited or enhanced the program's intentions. It was acknowledged that unfavourable attitudes of parents, classroom teachers or peers could conceivably alter students' receptivity of the program. In Term 4, two parallel questionnaires, one addressing the L.E.C., the other the regular classroom, were administered to the students. By comparing responses on matching items, levels of satisfaction with the L.E.C. curriculum were determined. Selected items on the L.E.C. instrument were further to reveal how students felt about the administrative provision and whether classroom teachers and peers were perceived to be supportive. Subsequent to program completion, a questionnaire was mailed to parents bo ascertain their support for the program by asking them how their child's emotional behaviour had changed as a result of LEC attendance. Also they were to indicate whether they preferred that enrichment occur in the regular classroom or partial withdrawal setting. To confirm the students' impressions of classroom teacher support and interest, parents were requested to comment on their understanding of it. Student responses indicated that they found their LEC experiences to be particularly interesting and enjoyable, and the LEC teachers to be kind, helpful, friendly and fair. These perceptions differed significantly from their perceptions of school. Elements of the Maker model which were consistently most valued by the group were the Process modifications, 'Freedom of Choice' and 'Higher Levels of Thinking'. Parents proved to be supportive of the LEC program. Although some would have preferred classroom enrichment to partial withdrawal, they felt that schools could not currently provide it. It was the students' viewpoint that interactions with peers and classroom teachers were not adversely affected by their LEC participation. Classroom teachers were seen to be generally supportive and interested - a perception incidentally not shared by parents and LEC teachers. Perceived positive attitudes towards their LEC involvement most likely enhanced student satisfaction with the program. The evaluation unequivocally indicated that the LEC program based on Maker's model appealed to the students. Though withdrawal from class possibly contributed to program satisfaction, the level of satisfaction was very high and could not be attributed solely to hidden curriculum efects (the organisational arrangement). The Study concluded that use of the Maker model as a guide for developing LEC curricula should continue but that parent and classroom teacher attitudes towards the administrative arrangement should be regularly monitored as they appeared to have the potential to enhance or reduce students' receptivity of the program. As a result of Study, various procedures for the conduct of future evaluations were recommended.

Serious inequities in our K-12 public education system, particularly in regard to the quality of education in predominately Black inner-city schools, are well-documented in the literature (Freeman, 1998; Ross, 1998). Moreover, there is general agreement that the most effective means of ameliorating that situation is through well-thought-out after-school programs and partnership initiatives (Beck, 1993; Gardner et al., 2001). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the programmatic interventions of a youth enrichment program for inner-city Black youth currently in place at the Overtown Youth Center (OYC) in Miami, Florida, in order to: (a) discern those factors that support its claim that it is making a difference in students’ lives, (b) explore how any such factors are implemented, and (c) determine whether its interventions have served to equalize the playing field for these youth. Two primary methods of data collection were used for this study. The first was participant observation conducted over the course of two years through a partnership initiative established and led by this author. The second was through in-depth interviews of the Center’s founder, staff, and students. Secondary methods used were the recording of informal conversations and the analysis of written documents. Analysis of the data yielded four features of the Center that are indispensible to the students’ growth. The center provides the youth with (a) physical and psychological safety, (b) supportive relationships, (c) exposure to cultural and educational opportunities, and (d) assistance in building self-esteem. The most significant finding of the study was that OYC has been successful at making a difference in students’ lives and at increasing their aspirations to attend college. By addressing the full spectrum of their needs, the Center has given them many of the necessary tools with which to compete and thereby helped equalize their opportunities to succeed in school and in life. The study also noted a number of challenges for the Center to examine. The main issues that need to be addressed more seriously are staff turnover, staff indifference, nepotism, inconsistent student attendance, and insufficient focus on racial issues and African-American-centered education. Meeting those challenges would engender even greater positive outcomes.

<div>Scholars in the field of gifted education have identified that summer enrichment programs can have academic and socioemotional benefits for adolescents with gifts and talents. Although some studies have pointed to the intercultural benefits of such programs, few have focused directly on the intercultural benefits multicultural enrichment programs can provide.</div><div>This mixed-methods study had three purposes: (1) to identify and adapt an instrument capable of measuring cultural responsiveness in adolescents with gifts and talents, (2) to examine if adolescents with gifts and talents change in cultural responsiveness over the course of a multicultural, residential summer enrichment program, and (3) to explore effective pedagogical strategies for teaching multicultural groups of adolescents with gifts and talents.</div><div>The Miville-Guzman Universality Scale-Short (Fuertes et al., 2000) was selected as the instrument of focus. The instrument was piloted, and the data analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis. Cognitive interviews with participants were also used to revise the items. A combination of canonical function analysis and qualitative responses were used to analyze participants’ (n=308) growth in cultural responsiveness over the course of the summer enrichment program. Finally, interviews with teachers and open-response answers from students were used to find the most effective pedagogical strategies for educating multicultural students.</div><div>Findings include a revised M-GUDS-S instrument for adolescents with gifts and talents (AM-GUDS-S), evidence that multicultural enrichment programs can have a positive effect on student intercultural relations with profiles for how those relations develop over a two-week period, and a series of pedagogical strategies that can be used by educators to facilitate learning for groups of domestically, internationally, and linguistically diverse students.</div>

This study evaluated three HCOP projects to determine, describe, and assess their overall effectiveness and identify successful strategies used by these projects to reach their specific objectives. Demographic and scholastic data were collected about 393 HCOP participants at the three HCOP projects in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia during the years 1990-1999. Detailed information about the activities used to incorporate the HCOP legislative purposes into the programs was also collected. Sixty-seven percent of HCOP participants were Caucasian and 78% were female. Scholastic data was limited to data from the EKU and ETSU HCOP programs. The average high school GPA score for HCOP participants in this study was 3.34 on a 4.0 scale. The average ACT score was 20.6. When compared with institutional data, HCOP students had a higher GPA than the regular first-year college students at the specific institutions. The average ACT scores were similar for the HCOP and regular students taking into account the standard error of measurement. Ninety-three percent HCOP participants enrolled in college and 77% of them majored in a health profession programs. Fifty-eight percent of the HCOP participants graduated from a program of study and of those who graduated, 87% were from a health profession program. Eighty-seven percent of the HCOP participants were employed in a health profession. HCOP projects were required to conduct activities that addressed two or more legislative purposes. These legislative purposes were recruitment, preliminary education, facilitating entry, retention and dissemination of financial aid information. The activities of each project were summarized and the impact was discussed. Students who participated in HCOP programs were likely to enroll and graduate from a health related major and become employed in a health profession. The researcher recommended the need for (a) individualized retention strategies to prevent or minimize attrition rates among participants, (b) the development of a uniform participant profile that would allow for accurate comparisons across institutions, (c) HCOP grantees to be more supportive of evaluative studies and, (d) dissemination of research findings on HCOP programs and their impact.

No description available.

In the majority of schools gifted learners are given the same quantity and quality of academic work as their non-gifted classmates. In some cases gifted learners are left to look after themselves when they are done with class work or worse still, asked to teach their non-gifted classmates. Some educationists advocate for a differentiated curriculum between gifted and non-gifted learners. This study sought to establish the impact of enrichment programs to gifted Science learners. Forty gifted learners were identified and drawn equally into one of the two groups — experimental or control. These learners wrote a pre-test after which the twenty learners in the experimental group received enrichment. The forty learners then wrote the same post-test to assess their understanding of the concepts learnt. The cycle was repeated but with a different topic. Learners’ marks were compared and it emerged all twenty learners in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group. Gifted learners should therefore be given enrichment as it deepens, broadens, and sharpens their understanding of concepts. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

In the majority of schools gifted learners are given the same quantity and quality of academic work as their non-gifted classmates. In some cases gifted learners are left to look after themselves when they are done with class work or worse still, asked to teach their non-gifted classmates. Some educationists advocate for a differentiated curriculum between gifted and non-gifted learners. This study sought to establish the impact of enrichment programs to gifted Science learners. Forty gifted learners were identified and drawn equally into one of the two groups — experimental or control. These learners wrote a pre-test after which the twenty learners in the experimental group received enrichment. The forty learners then wrote the same post-test to assess their understanding of the concepts learnt. The cycle was repeated but with a different topic. Learners’ marks were compared and it emerged all twenty learners in the experimental group performed better than those in the control group. Gifted learners should therefore be given enrichment as it deepens, broadens, and sharpens their understanding of concepts. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)