Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) outreach for students must function as more than a collection of enrichment events; it must operate as a coherent talent-development pipeline that strengthens identity, deepens disciplinary understanding, and connects students to sustained mentorship and opportunity. Building on a system-of-systems analysis of outreach stakeholders, and place-based evidence demonstrating gains in interest and self-efficacy among middle-school students, this column presents an outreach framework tailored toward increasing STEM impact. The framework centers on inquiry-rich learning; culturally relevant, community-anchored curriculum; structured near-peer mentorship; teacher professional development; and family navigation supports. We further illustrate how a service-academy–HBCU partnership expands regional capacity through co-developed modules, train-the-trainer cycles, and mobile workshops. Finally, we describe how programs can institutionalize logistics and evaluation to measure both learning and linkage (movement to the next opportunity). Together, these elements create a scalable model that transforms early interest into durable pathways to advanced STEM study and careers.
The connection between culture and creativity is a more novel, an always existing concept. Although research and literature affirms this, less is known about how individuals’ implicit beliefs towards racial and ethnic subgroups influence their perceptions of creativity. This conceptual and praxis manuscript reviews key findings and recommendations from two interconnected empirical studies that examined the relationship between individual’s racial implicit bias, also referred to as a participant’s automatic association, toward Black and/or White individuals and their desirability of creative characteristics in students, particularly those of color. Findings indicated a significant correlation: educators with lower levels of implicit bias demonstrated higher valuations of creativity, both intrapersonally and in their desirability of student creative behaviors. From these finding emerged a new pedagogical identity introduced in this manuscript as the C³ educator: one who is critically conscious, culturally responsive, and teaches for creativity. The manuscript concludes with two recommendations for schools and districts to cultivate this identity within educators in every educational setting.
The rampant penalization of Black children through punitive school discipline approaches has served to stunt the growth of millions of Black students in PK-12 schools across the United States. This column seeks to assist educators in shifting away from labeling and treating Black children as disciplinary problems and toward nurturing and cultivating the giftedness that resides in every Black child.
While most people tend to live their lives operating upon a plane of normal functioning that is relatively healthy and adaptive, there are times when many need support to maintain that level of functioning. Among the approximately 15,000 high school students from across the US participating in the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), nearly 20% reported engaging in some form of suicidal behavior, from ideation to attempting suicide. Professionals and caregivers need to be aware of the trajectory that can lead to these behaviors. The authors present their Spiral Model, which illustrates the downward progression from a Plane of Normal Functioning (PNF) through five descending levels of increasing danger to the survival of the individual. They describe potential risk and protective factors among students with gifts and talents and critical points for intervention.
Gifted and talented students are among the most academically prepared young people in the United States, yet they enter a higher education landscape defined by soaring tuition costs, stagnant grant aid, and a student loan crisis that now exceeds $1.84 trillion in outstanding federal and private debt. This column, directed at parents of gifted children approaching college age, argues that exceptional academic ability neither insulates students from predatory borrowing practices nor guarantees financial security after graduation. Drawing on the author’s book, The Student Debt Crisis: America’s Moral Urgency ( Watson, 2025 ), and on current federal data, the column urges families to reframe the college choice conversation around financial stewardship, to interrogate institutional prestige as a proxy for future earnings, and to become fluent in the mechanics of financial aid before a single enrollment deposit is made. A framework of four strategic questions is offered to guide families in navigating the intersection of giftedness, college-going, and debt.
This article highlights a comparison of mathematical creativity and mathematical giftedness, two often conflated yet distinct, constructs. The purpose is to provide clarity so that scholars in the fields of mathematical creativity and mathematical giftedness have a discussion in which similarities and differences between the two constructs exist. In identifying similarities and delineating differences, researchers will be at an advantage in targeting their efforts towards (a) mathematical creativity, (b) mathematical giftedness, or (c) the intersection of mathematical creativity and giftedness. Additionally, delineating similarities and differences may help psychometric experts in developing accurate instrumentation. An ancillary objective is parsing the two terms, mitigating the effect of them being used interchangeably in subsequent publications, research, and discussions when they should not be used in reference to distinct constructs. Similarities and differences are discussed based on the literature. One admonition suggests that the two psychological constructs are notably fuzzy.
Researchers who represented a university center on gifted education engaged in a Research Practice Partnership (RPP) with a local non-profit organization that supported families of color in a large city in the northwestern region of the United States. The purpose of this partnership was two-fold: to investigate families’ children’s participation in advanced learning opportunities in their schools and communities and to design enrichment classes that matched families’ perceived needs of their children and eliminate the barriers that hindered their participation in academically advanced or enriched programs. In this researcher, we highlight common challenges families of color faced when trying to engage in advanced learning opportunities and their suggestions for designing advanced learning and enrichment classes and services that meet their children’s needs.
Online learning plays a significant role in supporting students during their academic endeavours at high school. More specifically, online resources and applications can be used to engage and motivate gifted students to achieve their goals and further work is needed to understand gifted boys’ perspectives of online learning at school. This is especially so for gifted boys who may be at greater risk of underachieving and disengaging at school. This exploratory study interviewed four gifted boys (14–15 years old) attending one independent high school in Australia, to investigate how they used online learning in their classrooms. The boys were interviewed in pairs using a semi-structured approach that prompted them to share their perspectives and experiences of online learning and discuss the types of online activities and applications they used in their classrooms. Overall, the boys highlighted the importance of not disregarding traditional teaching methods but integrating both online learning activities and traditional face-to-face activities in a balanced way that sustained their motivation, provided opportunities to work with challenging problems, and would support characteristics of gifted learners. The boys also shared that building trust between teacher and student was essential to ensure their engagement. Practical recommendations for teachers are also discussed.
Despite the recognized complexity of “multi-exceptional” students, not enough is known about their varied needs or those of the adults who support them. This case study explores the lived experiences of a parent raising four multi-exceptional children, highlighting the interplay of giftedness, disability, and neurodiversity. Findings are presented through illustrated comics featuring the parent’s own words, making the research accessible to both academic and non-academic audiences. Each comic is accompanied by detailed narrative data drawn from the participant’s stories, describing advocacy, problem-solving, and emotional labor. Suggestions for action for educators, parents, policymakers, and other stakeholders are integrated with supporting research. This comprehensive narrative traces the participant’s changing experience across 30 years of parenting, illustrating both the challenges and patterns of raising multi-exceptional children and emphasizing the growth of parental expertise, persistence, and resilience.
In Austria, early childhood educator training programs generally lack a strong emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education and talent development. This study investigates the extent to which Austrian early childhood educators are prepared to integrate STEM concepts into their pedagogical practices and support giftedness in young children. The research examines the alignment between educators’ training and the goals outlined in the Austrian National Education Framework Plan, as well as the General Competencies for Early Childhood Educators. Through semi-structured interviews with early childhood educators, the study identifies significant gaps in training related to STEM education, particularly in the practical application of STEM concepts and the promotion of giftedness. Despite a strong theoretical foundation in STEM subjects, participants reported insufficient practical experience and a lack of training in gifted education. Structural barriers, including resource shortages and personnel constraints, further hindered the integration of STEM activities in early childhood education centers. Moreover, while many educators expressed enthusiasm for STEM and talent development, they were often unaware of professional development opportunities in these areas. The findings underscore the need for a more integrated approach to STEM and talent promotion in early childhood educator training, aligning curricula with the Austrian National Education Framework Plan and the General Competencies. By addressing these gaps, it is possible to better equip educators to foster STEM-related skills and identify and nurture giftedness in young children.
Using the 5E inquiry model to plan learning experiences in literacy and mathematics provides opportunities for centering students’ thinking and reasoning and engaging students in the productive struggle. This shift in pedagogical approach necessitates planning with student inquiry in mind. As the teacher’s role shifts from provider of information to facilitator of students’ learning experiences, students demonstrate their learning progress through the five phases of this inquiry-based approach, Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. Throughout the phases of a 5E inquiry lesson, there are multiple opportunities for students to apply, share, and discuss their thinking. Gauging student progress in each phase allows teachers to plan follow-up experiences that provide additional challenge and continued opportunities for growth.
This column reviews research related to acceleration. The author discusses myths about acceleration, truths about the use of acceleration, and strategies for acceleration in classrooms. Policy recommendations are provided for responsible school decision making. Based on 100 years of evidence, the author concludes that acceleration opportunities for gifted students throughout the schooling process is a basic right and a necessity to an appropriate education for them, a key tenet for inclusion in school district mission statements.
Parental self-efficacy may serve as a protective factor against parental stress among parents of intellectually gifted/ADHD children. In this study, we aimed to describe perceived parental self-efficacy, along with its developmental and influential factors, within this population. Using a qualitative exploratory design, 11 parents ( M age = 42.4 years; SD = 4.9; 5 mothers) of intellectually gifted/ADHD children ( M age = 12 years; SD = 2.4; 6 boys) participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis allowed us to structure the data into three axes: (1) general parenting experiences with intellectually gifted/ADHD children, highlighting both challenges and positive aspects; (2) perceived ups and downs of parental self-efficacy, including elements that contributed to a sense of efficacy and those associated with a perceived lack thereof; and (3) perceived factors related to the parent, child, and environment influencing parental self-efficacy. These findings suggest that parents may benefit from additional support, and future research might explore the potential of structured group-based interventions to foster parental self-efficacy in this population.
The present study aims to examine the levels of implementation of the engineering design process across different stages for gifted students, their views and experiences regarding these stages, the level of the products they create at the end of the process according to evaluation criteria and the teacher’s observations on the different stages of the process. A case study, one of the qualitative research methods, was implemented. The study was conducted with 14 middle school students attending the sixth grade. In this context, 14 hours of activities were carried out with the students over 7 weeks. The research results revealed that gifted students mostly achieved the targeted level in using the engineering design process. However, it was found that the groups formed for problem-solving had lower average scores in the prototype-making and testing stages of the engineering design process compared to other stages. This study has demonstrated the effectiveness of activities based on the engineering design process in creating fruitful educational environments for gifted students.
The selection and use of high quality tests for specific purposes are important roles for gifted educators. The author provides information about different areas that educators should examine in determining if an assessment is valid for its use. Validity areas that are discussed include content-description validity, criterion-prediction validity, and construct-identification validity. Each of these types of validity provides important information about the test and its usefulness.
The author describes the importance of writing as a means of communication to understand and apply meaning in any language. Gifted students are often ready to learn the skills for advanced writing that are linked to the study of substantive issues and themes. They also need to learn the qualities that make a writer and how to understand themselves as writers. The author concludes that writing provides innumerable advantages: as an enabler to clear thinking, as a way to retain and improve one’s understanding of self and others, and even as a career path.
Honors classes in secondary schools are designed to provide advanced learning opportunities for both identified gifted students and high-potential students. They also serve as a bridge to AP/IB classes or other advanced coursework. Beyond preparing students for future courses, honors classes can play a role in talent development by supporting students in engaging in disciplinary thinking and progressing towards expertise in specific domains. Distinguishing between honors and standards courses is essential for district leaders, curriculum specialists, and teachers to design differentiated advanced learning experiences. Without a structured framework, the rigor and expectations for honors courses may vary significantly, limiting the effectiveness and value of honors classes. This article introduces the 4C Honors framework that includes advanced content, complexity, critical and creative reasoning, and context/transfer with student inquiry driving all components. The article includes considerations for intentional program design, implementation, and evaluation of secondary honors courses.
University-based talent searches, in which students take a challenging, above-level test, have provided rigorous outside-of-school opportunities to academically talented students for decades. Talented young students take a test that was developed for older students, and the test results help educators discover the level of challenge the student needs and develop opportunities to meet those needs. The process of above-level testing and interpretation of the results has been well-established over the past 50 years in university-based talent searches. What has been learned from these programs can be applied in schools to challenge students year-round, rather than for only a short period of time in outside-of-school programs.
Program evaluation can seem like a daunting task, but it is an important charge to undertake. This article is designed to provide gifted coordinators, teachers, and anyone else who wants to complete a program evaluation with guidance on how to work through a program evaluation by establishing the importance of program evaluation (e.g., Callahan, 2017 ), detailing important background knowledge, starting the first steps of process, collecting and evaluating data, and sharing the information.
In an interview, Tracy Cross shares his most important insights about students with gifts and talents (SWGT). Important topics about SWGT include conceptions of giftedness, social and emotional needs, a school-based model of talent development, the stigma of giftedness, and suicide.
