United States Policy Development in Gifted Education: A Patchwork Quilt

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of the policy picture of gifted education in the United States. Although a critical issue, policy in gifted education remains a patchwork quilt of legislative and administrative rules and regulations, mostly at the state level. Although a federal definition exists with an accompanying modest funding package, the No Child Left Behind Act, focused on raising achievement for low-performing students, has driven out gifted education as a priority for federal attention. All 50 states cite some form of legislation for gifted and talented learners , but there is a variance of policies that causes national reform in gifted education to be less cohesive, comprehensive, and inclusive than it needs to be. Because of the lack of a federal mandate, specific policies and funding mechanisms are typically left to the ad-vocacy efforts of interested stakeholders in individual states.