Education reform in the United States has shifted from all students reaching proficiency to all students progressing academically regardless of their ability levels. Response to Intervention (RtI) is a three-tiered delivery model for students with exceptional needs not being met in the general classroom setting. The components of universal screening, continuous progress monitoring, implementation of interventions with fidelity, and decision making are currently implemented in many public schools throughout the nation. Implications for Gifted and Talented (GT) services are positive as the tiered structure of RtI is revised and incorporated into state policies to serve high ability students. Instead of solely focusing on behavior and remediation in academic areas, alternative methods are being developed to service students who exhibit high academic and creative abilities. The successes of RtI, its widespread implementation, and the lack of research regarding proposed GT/RtI models, revealed the need for research examining the RtI model in relation to gifted education. Through qualitative research methods, the study was conducted in a Western Kentucky school district using a descriptive research design. Data was collected, analyzed, and evaluated to gain insight into the viability of the GT/RtI model: identification of gifted students through universal screenings, decision making regarding placement of gifted students, and service options implemented to challenge and meet the intellectual, academic, and creative needs of gifted learners.

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This research aims to examine current practices in gifted and talented educator professional learning, as well as teacher attitudes, beliefs, and experiences towards gifted education in order to explore opportunities to further develop and improve professional learning structures. Through a qualitative methodology following the constructivist-interpretivist paradigm, this research utilizes a phenomenological interview design in which data from educator interviews are examined through thematic analysis. To support and further extrapolate on the feedback from the interviews, this research also includes a document analysis of the published descriptions of 30-hour educator training required for those providing GT services in the state of Texas. The thematic analysis of interviews identified three major themes and two minor themes after engaging in a deep analysis of the interview transcriptions. These major themes are the (1) utility of professional learning, (2) shared control of learning, and (3) understanding the whole student. Minor themes are (i) long-term career growth and (ii) role of professional support networks and connections. Results of the document analysis illustrate that the most frequent descriptions are associated with the abilities participants will take from the learning. Within this descriptive code, most of the language focused on learner competence, while few of the descriptions included references to self-efficacy, which is integral to adult learning and motivation. Implications and further areas for study provide guidance on future work in developing effective professional learning coursework.

This study investigates the impact of various ‘gifted and talented’ initiatives, brought in by successive governments in the UK since 1999. The research employs the Case Study method in an inner-city London primary school. Data gathered from semi-structured interviews with teachers, teaching assistants, pupils, parents and senior managers was analysed, using a thematic method. Documents including the School Development Plan, Ofsted reports and internal policies were also analysed, as well as lesson observations. A literature review encompassing both the history of ‘gifted and talented’ policy development and research on identifying and providing for ‘gifted and talented’ pupils revealed a notable lack of empirical research evidence as a basis for the policies. The emphasis on identifying ‘gifted and talented’ pupils in the policies, with less guidance about provision, possibly led practitioners to unfruitful and inaccurate directions. The research was contextualised by a review of the role of the Local Authority, in which the school was located, in implementing ‘gifted and talented’ policies. The importance of this diminishing role was confirmed. The challenge now is how to disseminate future initiatives, with no clear way to communicate with school leaders. The subsequent Case Study identified the strengths of the policies as raising awareness of the needs of this group of pupils, as well as finding a need for more professional development for teachers, which is unlikely to be met, since the policy was disbanded in 2011. Other findings showed that, whilst teachers have become more accepting of ‘gifted and talented’ policy, the lack of guidance about provision led to them using self-theories and professional experience to ensure ‘gifted and talented’ pupils have opportunities for challenge, with mixed success. More information, based on evidence-based research, needs to be made available to teachers to ensure they can provide effectively for this group of learners.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The purpose of the study is to determine what selected school districts throughout the state of Texas are doing to meet the Texas Gifted and Talented mandate at the high school level, grades 9-12. The study is also to help determine if more guidelines from the state are needed, or if schools are able to meet student needs and mandate requirements as they currently exist.

This study extends the limited, existing research on Sunnydale Public School’s (SPS’s) SOAR program. For clarity, SOAR is a talent development (TD) program that aims to not only enhance students’ reasoning and problem-solving abilities but also to remedy the racial/ethnic disproportionality of SPS's gifted and talented program. More specifically, I used interpretive, qualitative methods for this investigation to understand participants’ perceptions of SOAR, in hopes of adding to the talent development knowledge base and informing SOAR policy and practice. Ultimately, participant views converged on several topics (i.e. racial and ethnic disproportionality, brain malleability, multiple intelligences, etc.) and diverged on others (i.e. SOAR’s value). Taking interview and focus group data, SPS documents, past researchers’ findings, my own experiences, and existing literature into account, I arrived at and offer several commendations and recommendations that might benefit SPS’s SOAR program and might be considered alongside other research by districts of similar contexts looking to adopt or improve a TD program.

This study addressed a gap in local practice where the IMPACT! and EXCEL programs for gifted students only received anecdotal evaluation. Despite the existence of established standards, programming for gifted students rarely undergoes rigorous evaluation at the local, state, or national levels. The research project consisted of a summative goal-based evaluation that reported the degree to which the school district's programming met national standards and to identify strengths and weaknesses. The researcher conducted qualitative inquiry of an intrinsic case study to evaluate the programming at a single school district under the theoretical frameworks of pragmatism, differentiated instruction, and self-efficacy. Educators answered a census style survey reporting categorical ratings on each element of the gifted standards with additional explanatory comments on open ended questions. The mode response of the categorical ratings was reported and open ended answers were analyzed using a hybrid coding method. Results showed strength in curriculum and instruction, program design, and identification items with most of these in place in the district. The affective needs and professional development categories had lower scores, with educators citing a lack of social emotional and pedagogical training specific to gifted students. The project was an evaluation report with an action plan devised to improve professional development offerings, increase educator's abilities to address social emotional learning. Historically, programming for gifted students has been considered uninspiring and ineffective and is rarely systematically evaluated and improved. Thus, the project promotes social change by reversing this gap in practice and has potential to benefit the upcoming generation of gifted learners and the local community.