Additional resources for classroom use

Renzulli, Applying Gifted Education Pedagogy to Total Talent Development For All Students (pp. 80-89)

1. Renzulli, J. S. & Reis, S. M. (1997). The schoolwide enrichment model: A how-to guide for educational excellence. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

www.creativelearningpress.com

In its second edition, The Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) contains updated information about how to achieve educational excellence in today's schools. Drs. Renzulli and Reis offer practical, step-by-step advice for implementing successful SEM programs in the K-12 school setting, discuss schoolwide enrichment, and provide information about the model's school structures, organizational components, and service delivery. It also includes a collection of useful instruments, checklists, charts, taxonomies, assessment tools, forms, and planning guides that are designed to help educators find effective ways to organize, administer, maintain, and evaluate different aspects of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model.

2. Purcell, J. H., & Renzulli, J. S. (1998). Total talent portfolio: A systematic plan to identify and nurture gifts and talents. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

A component of the Schoolwide Enrichment Model, this book presents a systematic vehicle, the Total Talent Portfolio, for gathering, recording, and acting on the best information about students. Portfolios assist teachers as they analyze each student's unique talent profile and decide which types of enrichment and acceleration options will be most likely to develop each young person's talents and abilities. Sample portfolios are included as well as suggestions for developing your own.

VanTassel-Baska, Gifted Program and Services: What Are the Nonnegotiables? (pp. 90-97)

1. VanTassel-Baska, J. (2003). Planning and designing curriculum experiences for gifted students with special needs. Denver, CO: Love.

This book provides a blueprint for designing a differentiated curriculum for gifted learners at the level of lesson plans and units as well as frameworks and scope and sequence documents. The book provides important guidance on aligning gifted practice with the content standards in each subject area through providing differentiated task and product demands.

2. Center for Gifted Education Units of Study in Science, Language Arts, and Social Studies Web site

www.kendallhunt.com/giftedtalented.html

This Web site provides annotated descriptions of units of study designed for gifted learners, using the content standards as a basis for design. Each unit is aligned with relevant standards, focuses on the use of advanced topics, issues, and problems, the use of higher level thinking and problem-solving, and the use of intra- and interdisciplinary concepts. A research project is also embedded within each unit. Pre- and postassessments are provided for teachers along with rubrics and student exemplars.

Callahan, Identifying Gifted Students From Underrepresented Populations (pp. 98-104)

1. Callahan, C. M., Tomlinson, C. A., & Pizzat, P. M. (1994). Context for promise: Noteworthy practices and innovations in the identification of gifted students. Charlottesville: University of Virginia, National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.

A monograph that presents descriptions of 11 innovative strategies for identifying gifted and talented students, Contexts for Promise, includes suggestions and instruments used in identifying minority and underachieving gifted students, gifted handicapped students, and underachievers, as well as an overall analysis of what has made these practices successful.

2. Renzulli, J. S., Gentry, M., & Reis, S. M. (2003). Enrichment clusters: A practical plan for real-world, student-driven learning. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

The Enrichment Clusters model is a whole-school effort to create student-centered learning modules. The focus is on determining and responding to student interests in the creation of learning tasks that lead to the development of authentic products for real (outside of the teacher) audiences. Step-by-step processes for administering and teaching in this model are provided.

3. Tomlinson, C. A., Kaplan, S. N., Renzulli, J. S., Purcell, J., Leppien, J., & Burns, D. (2002). The parallel curriculum: A design to develop high potential and challenge in high ability learners. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

The authors offer a comprehensive strategy for modifying standards-based curriculum (core curriculum) to stretch the depth and complexity of thinking in the classroom. The book contains practical examples for planning units of instruction.

Baldwin, Identification Concerns and Promises For Gifted Students of Diverse Populations (pp. 105-114)

1. Johnsen, S. (Ed.). (2004). Identifying gifted students: A practical guide. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

This book is a good resource for teachers because it includes very practical ways in which teachers can see and understand gifted behaviors that might exist in the students they are teaching. It is relevant and can be used with a diverse population. It gives an explanation of the various terms used when referring to methods and procedures for gifted students. It also includes information on how decisions can be made regarding the placement of students using various identifying techniques.

2. Boothe, D., & Stanley, J. C. (Eds.). (2004). In the eyes of the beholder: Critical issues for diversity in gifted education. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.

This book looks at education of the gifted through the lens of several different cultures. It gives one a broader perception of how giftedness can be seen in different cultures although each is different. A section on the beliefs of and ideas of the core education community will stimulate much thought and provoke great discussion of the pros and cons of education for the gifted and the selection and development processes used with these students.

3. Fordham, S. (2001). Why can't Sonya (Kwame) fail math? In W. H. Watkins, J. H. Lewis, & V. Chou (Eds.), Race and education: The roles of history and society in educating African American students. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

This chapter gives a case study of a student who wanted to take an advanced math course but was denied an opportunity to do so until her father convinced the principal that she had a right to fail. Success of this student and her future goals are discussed. The plight and the prejudices of Black females is outlined with an extensive amount of material that justifies the premise that Black students and especially females are often denied an opportunity to try more advanced learning opportunities.

Ruban and Reis, Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students With Learning Disabilities (pp. 115-124)

1. Baum, S. M., & Owen, S. V. (2004). To be gifted and learning disabled: Strategies for helping bright students with LD, ADHD, and more. Mansfield Center, CT: Creative Learning Press.

www.creativelearningpress.com

Simply, this is the best possible resource for educators on this topic. This book provides good examples, excellent explanations, and many good teaching strategies.

2. Smart Kids with Learning Disabilities Web site

www.SmartkidswithLD.org

This Web site provides inspirational stories of adults who were smart but had learning problems, as well as teaching and parenting strategies. It has many useful hints for working more effectively with this population. The outstanding newsletter has brief helpful articles for either parents or teachers.

Ford, Moore, and Harmon, Integrating Multicultural and Gifted Education: A Curricular Framework (pp. 125-137)

1. Baldwin Young, A., & Vialle, W. (Eds.). (1999). The many faces of giftedness: Lifting the mask. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

This edited volume reflects a broad view of diversity. It focuses on diversity issues (e.g., learning disabilities, cultural differences, sensory and physical disabilities, etc.) that are common to gifted education but are rarely touched on or addressed in the research literature. This book reflects the scholarship of a group of leading scholars on the topic of gifted education. Each contributor presented content in his or her chapter that confronts traditional thinking about gifted education and diversity. This book is a great resource for preservice and inservice teachers, counselors, and principals.

2. Banks, J. A., & Banks McGee, C. A. (Eds.). (2004). Handbook of research on multicultural education (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

This edited volume comprises 49 chapters, divided into 12 sections. The editors assembled into one volume, arguably, the most comprehensive book in the market on multicultural education. A cadre of scholars and researchers from a range of disciplines (e.g., anthropology, history, sociology, psychology, education, etc.) and higher education institutions (e.g., University of Washington, Stanford University, University of Wisconsin, etc.) contributed to this edited volume. This handbook is an excellent resource for teachers, teacher educators, researchers, and educational policy makers interested in multicultural education.

3. Ford, D. Y., & Harris, J. J., III (1999). Multicultural gifted education. New York: Teachers College Press.

This book is one of the few resources in the literature that focuses both on multiculturalism and gifted education. The authors address pertinent issues concerning gifted education curriculum for diverse learners. In the book, the authors also focus their attention on educational practices that affect learning outcomes for gifted students of color. This book is a fantastic resource for teachers, counselors, and principals--those individuals who are interested in better understanding the benefits of a multicultural gifted education.

Grantham, Frasier, Roberts, and Bridges, Parent Advocacy For Culturally Diverse Gifted Students (pp. 138-147)

1. The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Parent and Community Division, and Special Populations Division Web site

www.nagc.org

NAGC is the leading national organization in gifted education that provides information, training, and other resources for parents and educators. The Parent and Community Division is concerned with the roles and responsibilities parents and other community members have in advocating for gifted students. The Special Populations Division focuses on the concerns of identification, curriculum, and evaluation of gifted students who represent minority and underrepresented groups. Each year at the annual NAGC meeting, research and practical strategies on how to advocate for gifted children from culturally diverse backgrounds is presented. Visiting the Web site and attending a conference will enhance parents' effectiveness in addressing educators of gifted students in school. Becoming a member of NAGC and your state's affiliate organization will ensure that parents are up-to-date on the research and training opportunities to advocate for culturally diverse gifted students.

2. The National Parent Teacher Association Web site

www.pta.org

This Web site is one of the most comprehensive sources to inform parent advocacy in schools. Parents of culturally diverse gifted students and teachers wanting to collaborate with them will be empowered to learn and use the standards, organizational structures, resources, and strategies to advocate for their children in school. The Web site will provide guidance on how to (a) support and speak on behalf of children and youth in the schools, in the community and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; (b) assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children; and (c) encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation. After visiting the Web site, parents will be more informed on how to advocate with teachers on behalf of culturally diverse gifted students.

3. Walker, S. Y. (2002). The survival guide for parents of gifted kids: How to understand, live with, and stick up for your gifted child. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

Parents of culturally diverse gifted students will enjoy this book for its answers to many general questions related to gifted students. In a parent-friendly style, readers will explore ways to view the meaning of giftedness, what makes gifted children special, how children are identified as gifted, and why some of them fall through the cracks during the identification process. Parents will be encouraged by practical tips for living with and raising gifted children, as well as how to advocate for gifted children's education at school and at the state level. Dr. Walker's book is a wonderful resource for parents of culturally diverse gifted students to become introduced to the field of gifted education.

Tomlinson, Quality Curriculum and Instruction For Highly Able Students (pp. 160-166)

1. Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (1998). Understanding by design. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Written for teachers, this book provides a framework for thinking about and planning curriculum for all learners that focuses on the essential understandings of a topic or discipline and promotes student understanding rather than surface coverage of curriculum. The book guides teachers in thinking about critical outcomes of curriculum and in systematic planning to ensure that students reach those outcomes.

2. VanTassel-Baska, J., & Little, C. (Eds.). (2003). Content-based curriculum for high-ability learners. Waco, TX: Prufrock.

This book presents a rationale and principles for curriculum development for high-ability learners as well as providing samples of units developed in the core subject areas for high-ability learners. In addition, it provides guidance for selecting resources and making instructional choices for these learners.

Moore, Ford, and Milner, Underachievement Among Gifted Students of Color: Implications For Educators (pp. 167-177)

1. Perry, T., Steele, C., & Hilliard, A. (2003). Young, gifted, and Black: Promoting high achievement among African American students. Boston: Beacon Press.

Written by three leading African American researchers, the writers put students' social identity at the core of the discussions around academic achievement among African American students. The book is a great resource for educators at all levels of schooling (Pre-K to graduate school); in each of the three chapters, the authors outline practical strategies and methods of enhancing and improving academic achievement among African American students. By critically analyzing the causes of academic achievement gaps, the authors push readers to (re)consider some of the causes of academic underachievement, and they consider some possible solutions to address the gaps, particularly among African American students. This book is a must-read for those interested in improving the learning experiences of African American students, and consequently, these students' academic potential and their achievement at all levels of formal schooling.

2. National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented Web Site

www.gifted.uconn.edu/nrcgt.html

This Web site is a good resource for teachers concerned about the gifted and talented with a variety of information for a large range of students. Included on this site are links to online resources, practical books, as well as research articles available for downloading. Practicing teachers, policymakers, as well as teacher educators, might find this site especially insightful as there is a wealth of practical strategies available--strategies that emerge from research with students and teachers alike.

3. Parent Smart Web Site

www.parentsmart.com/Curriculum/Gifted/

An excellent resource for parents who are interested in some of the fundamental issues facing gifted students, this website focuses on issues ranging from how giftedness is defined to meeting the needs of diverse students. Included on this site is information about supporting gifted students, gifted immigrant students, as well as gifted disabled students. Developed for parents and written in an accessible manner, this Web site might prove beneficial for practicing teachers, principals, and policymakers.

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