History of Gifted Education in the U.S.

By stewsmom

  • First Efforts

    William Torrey-Harris of St. Louis institutes the first efforts to educate gifted students in public schools.

  • Hereditary Genius published

    Francis Galton's work indicated that intelligence is passed through successive generations.

  • First Gifted School

    Worcester, Massachusetts

  • Binet-Simon Tests

    The notion of mental age revolutionizes the science of testing by capturing intelligence in a single numerical outcome.

  • Terman publishes the Stanford-Binet

    Terman was the "father" of the gifted education movement

  • Stedman's Gifted "Opportunity" Room

  • Terman Longitudinal Study begins

  • Hollingworth Publishes Textbook

    Gifted Child: Their Nature and Nurture is considered the first textbook on gifted education.

  • National Association of Gifted Children Founded

    Ann Isaacs was the leader at the time.

  • Sputnik

    American schooling comes under scrutiny, but the efforts are short-lived.

  • The Marland Report

    The first formal definition of giftedness is issued by the federal government.

  • Office of Gifted and Talented Given Official Status

  • A Nation At Risk

    This document reported that America's best and brightest students were failing to compete with their international counterparts. Appropriate policies, practices, standards, and curriculum were suggested.

  • Jacob Javits Act

    This was part of the Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

  • National Reserach Centers on G/T Established

    UConn, UVA, Yale, Northwestern, and later, UGA

  • National Excellence: The Case for Developing America's Talent

  • No Child Left Behind

  • A Nation Deceived Published

  • Georgia Submits Waiver for AYP under NCLB