Gifted education head illustration

The History of Gifted Education

  • Launch of Gifted Education

    Launch of Gifted Education

    William Torrey Harris, superintendent in St.Louis, begins first efforts made in public education to educate gifted students.
  • First School for Gifted Children

    The first school for gifted children opened in Worcester, Massachusettes
  • Identifying gifted children

    Identifying gifted children

    French psychologists, Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon, create the first true intelligece test that measue both vocabulary knowledge and thinking skills to give a single numerical outcome or IQ (interlligence quotient).
  • The "Father" of Gifted Education

    The "Father" of Gifted Education

    Stanford University psycologist Lewis M. Terman revises and improves the Binet-Simon test. It also extends to adults. This changes intellignece testing forever and is called the Stanford-Binet,
  • Study of gifted children

    Lewis Terman continues the gifted child movement, looking for children with IQs of 135-140, beginning the longest running study of gifted children.
  • Gifted Child Eduactor

    Gifted Child Eduactor

    Leta Stetter Hollingworth, professor of Education at Teachers College of Colombia University, opens a Special, Opporubnity class in NYC for gifted children.
  • NAGT founded

    NAGT founded

    Under Ann Isaacs leadership, the National Association of Gifted Children is founded.
  • Sputnik launches

    Sputnik launches

    The Soviet Union launches Sputnik which makes American schooling pour money into trying to identify gifted children in math, science and technology.
  • Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Civil Rights Act of 1964

    Outlaws the discrimination of race, color, religiom, sex or national origin. Emphasizes equal opportunities in eduaction.
  • NAGC publishes standards

    NAGC publishes standards

    The NAGC publishes national gifted education standards for teacher prep programs and for all teachers in gifted education. Later to be revised in 2013.

Want to make a timeline like this?

Use Timetoast to turn dates, events, milestones, and phases into a clear visual timeline you can build and share. Timetoast is a timeline maker for work, school, research, and stories.