Seperate program for gifted and talented students (History of Research Paper

Seperate program for gifted and talented students (History of Education) - Research Paper Example with extra support so that they can achieve what they are capable of achieving instead of being restricted by the same curriculum delivered to the whole body of students. A number of factors can affect the ability of gifted and talented students to achieve, even if they are provided with additional stimulating material, and these include their physical (health) and emotional (psychological) states, degree of interest, the relationship with their teacher, and their learning environment. Nonetheless, we shall consider two reasons supporting separate programs for gifted and talented students as well as two reasons for not supporting such programs. The main argument for supporting them is that by not doing so, there are missed opportunities for the students themselves and also the society in which they could have made useful contributions. Research by the National Commission on Excellence in Education highlighted that over half of gifted school students in the U.S. fail to meet their tested ability with comparable achievement (NCEE, 1983). Although this is an old assessment, the situation is not much different nowadays. The present No child left behind policy for example does not cater to gifted students. Thus, many gifted children are not being given the opportunity to exploit their talents. They are simply not being sufficiently challenged (Pulliam & Patten, 2006, p.185). Even the 2011 education budget has been described as a missed opportunity by the Council for Exceptional Children and the Education Act does not directly address the unique learning needs of gifted students (Shinn, 2009). Another reason for supporting gifte d students is that due to their untapped potential and being in asynchronous development, they tend to be more vulnerable (CDI, 2010). Being asynchronous means that their intellectual capacities could be developing at a greater rate than their physical and emotional capacities. Therefore, it is important to help gifted students lest their