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William Torrey Harris
William Torrey Harris was the superintendent of the St. Louis schools. He made many contributions to the public school system over the course of his career. In fact, many of the changes to education intitiated by Mr. Harris are still in effect today. One such change was the effort to educate gifted students. The gifted education model that Mr. Harris introduced "allowed students to advance every five weeks based on academic performance." (Jolly, J., 2009) -
Alfred Binet
Alfred Binet, a French psychologist, developed the first intelligence test that gave a numerical value to one's intelligence. This test was originally created to identify students who were at risk of failure or who had below average intellect. The test assessed areas such as memory, problem solving skills and attention. They soon found that this assessment could also be used to identify children with above average intelligence. (Cherry, K., 2015) -
Lewis Terman
In 1916 Lewis Terman, an American psychologist, revised Binet's intelligence test to include the intelligence quotient. The intelligence quotient is a measurement of one's intelligence comparative to others in his or her age group. Mr. Termans test was considered to be most reliable as he used the largest relative sample. (Education Encyclopedia, 2015) -
Leta Stetter-Hollingsworth
Leta Stetter-Hollingsworth worked with gifted children, primarily profoundly gifted children. "She wrote the first textbook, taught the first course, and served as the first counselor of the gifted." (Silverman, L.K. 1991) In short, she advanced the gifted movement through her studies of gifted children. She helped us to better understand the unique potential and challenges of children with extraordinary intellect. -
Sputnik Launch
In 1957 the Russians launched the first satellite into outer space, Sputnik. This event was the catalyst that began the Space Race. America realized that in order to keep up with or surpass the technological advances of Russia they would be required to provide their gifted students with educational opportunities that would allow them to reach their full potential. (Benjamin, R..N, 2012) -
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act
In response to the Marland Report, the United States Senate adopted the Jacob K. Javits Act which funded research into gifted and talented education. In addition, this act seeks to ensure that children with disabilities, low socioeconomic status and english language learners are sought out, tested and identified for gifted programs. -
National Association for Gifted Children
In 2006 the NAGC published the National Gifted Education Standards. These standards are multifaceted and identify the most crucial areas in which teachers should be competent when it comes to identifying and educating gifted children. The standards cover preparation for teachers in identifying children with exceptionalities, meeting individual learning needs and continuing educational growth to become advanced professionals in the field.
