Identifying Young Einsteins
by Marie Capurro, M.Ed.

For most students, school provides an opportunity to learn. Unfortunately, this is not true for all students, particularly the gifted and talented. Although gifted and talented students have great potential to make positive contributions both as children and as adults, educators and policy-makers often fail to recognize that for genius to thrive, it must be nurtured.

It is a fact that gifted students not only think and learn differently, but also have in-depth knowledge of many subject areas. Most gifted students are years ahead of the curriculum they face in school, meaning they often are stuck sitting through class after class covering information they already know. What an awful waste of time and potential! All children in America should have access to an education appropriate to their abilities, whether they are struggling or achieving.  As it is now, we are failing our most gifted students, and the numbers prove it.

Research indicates that more than 10 percent of high school dropouts test in the gifted range. Due to the lack of a federal mandate, only 29 states require that schools identify gifted students. Fewer still mandate gifted education, and those programs are facing draconian cuts. At the federal level only $11 million was allocated to gifted education last year, while $32 million was spent promoting the new $20 bill!

Recognition of genius is the first step toward meeting the needs of our nation's brightest young people. The Davidson Institute–a nonprofit organization that supports profoundly intelligent young people and their families with free services–urges teachers and parents to be on the lookout for these common characteristics of highly intelligent young people: an extreme need for constant mental stimulation, an ability to rapidly learn and process complex information, an insatiable curiosity; endless questions and inquiries about how things work, a need to explore subjects in surprising depth; to understand the why and how, as well as the what, boredom in school, which may be expressed through impatient or disruptive behavior, an ability to focus intently on a subject of interest for long periods of time, a need for precision in thinking and expression. Answering questions with "that depends..." is a clue that the child may be very intelligent, a propensity toward underachievement, especially among adolescent girls trying to "fit in."

Identification is the first step in providing bright children with an appropriate education. Students who demonstrate these traits should be offered educational opportunities commensurate with their abilities. Assessment of both their intellectual capacity and their academic achievement also would be appropriate in many cases. Students who are not challenged can become bored and often become underachievers.

If we are truly a country that cares about its most valuable asset, we will see to it that all children are encouraged to develop their gifts and talents, whether on the ball field, on the stage or in the classroom.#

Marie Capurro, M.Ed. is Director of Programs & Services, Davidson Institute. For more information contact the Davidson Institute (www.davidson-institute.org)