Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says

Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says is the definitive reference book for those searching for a summary and evaluation of the literature on giftedness and gifted education. The book presents almost 50 summaries of important topics in the field, providing relevant research and a guide to how the research applies to gifted education. Sample topics addressed include alternative assessment, counseling, early childhood, highly gifted students, homeschooling, parenting, and policy and advocacy. Each chapter adopts a rigorous, empirically grounded approach to inform the reader's understanding of the research in gifted education. Despite a century of research on giftedness, the enthusiasm and rhetoric surrounding various programs, models, and approaches often exceed the level of available support—or even contradict the available evidence. This book provides an objective assessment of the status of available knowledge in each area, offers guidance in the application of the research, and suggests areas of needed research.

About the Author :
Jonathan A. Plucker, Ph.D., is professor of educational psychology and cognitive science at Indiana University, where he also directs the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy. After receiving his doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Virginia, he taught for 5 years at the University of Maine before moving to Indiana University. He is a past-chair of the Research and Evaluation Division of the National Association for Gifted Children, and he currently serves as president for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts division of the American Psychological Association. Plucker has published more than 100 articles, chapters, and book reviews, and he has served on the editorial boards ofGifted Child Quarterly, Roeper Review, Creativity Research Journal,Journal of Creative Behavior, Journal of Research on Science Teaching, andPsychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. He has received numerous awards for his research on giftedness, talent, and creativity, including the NAGC Early Scholar Award, the NAGC Paul Torrance Award, and the APA Division 10 Berlyne Award. Carolyn M. Callahan, Ph.D., professor in the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia, also is associate director of the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. She teaches courses in the area of education of the gifted, and is executive director of the Summer Enrichment Program. Dr. Callahan has authored more than 130 articles, 25 book chapters and monographs in gifted education focusing on creativity, the identification of gifted students, program evaluation, and the issues faced by gifted females. Dr. Callahan has received recognition as Outstanding Faculty Member in the Commonwealth of Virginia and was awarded the Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children. She is a past-president of The Association for the Gifted and the National Association for Gifted Children. She also sits on the editorial boards ofGifted Child Quarterly, Journal for the Education of the Gifted, andRoeper Review.