G.A.T.E.

Program
Gifted and Talented Education

Bianca Seger
EDU 202
What is
G.A.T.E?
 What is G.A.T.E.?
Gifted education, also referred to as Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) or Talented and
Gifted (TAG), refers to the broad set of practices, pedagogy and theories used when teaching
students who have been identified as “gifted” or “talented.”

● There is no universal definition of what a gifted and/or talented student is.

○ Most definitions select the students who are the most skilled or talented in a given
area, e.g., the students with the most skill or talent in music, language, logical
reasoning, or mathematics.

G.A.T.E. is practiced around the country in various forms and with different starting
grades/ages, but the typical focus behind G.A.T.E. tends to be accelerated learning
3,200,000
Students in Gifted Programs
across the United States
Characteristic
Questioning Style
Learning Speed & Application of
Concepts
Emotional Outlook
Level of Interest
Language Ability
Smart Gifted
Ask questions that have Ask questions about
answers abstract ideas,
concepts, and theories
Jump from step 2 to 10
Learn step-by-step (showing work in math;
tutoring)
Experience heightened,
Get past an upsetting
incident fairly easily
sometimes
all-consuming emotions
Show intense curiosity
Ask questions and are about nearly everything
curious about many and immerse
things themselves in areas of
interest
Extensive and advanced
Learn new vocabulary
vocabulary and
easily and choose words
understand nuances,
typical for their age
wordplay, and puns
 https://youtu.be/37meAwQqPsE

GIFTED (2017)

In this scene, Mary Addler reveals her

prodigious mathematical abilities to her
teacher in front of her class.
History of
G.A.T.E
 A Brief Early History
Gifted and talented education is not a new idea.

● Plato advocated providing specialized education for

intellectually gifted young men and women/
● In Tang Dynasty China (580-618 CE) child prodigies
summoned to the imperial court for specialized education.
● Throughout the Renaissance, those who exhibited creative
talent in art, architecture, and literature were supported by
both the government and private patronage.

G.A.T.E. Programs and Studies have popped up multiple times

In regards to education throughout history.

 Leta Hollingworth
● American psychologist, educator, and feminist.
Hollingworth also made contributions in psychology of
women; clinical psychology; and educational
psychology.
○ She is best known for her work with gifted children
● Coined the term ‘gifted’ for children.
● Recognized that their needs were not being met by the
school systems.
● She was the first to study children with intelligence
quotients (IQ) above 180
● Researched proper methods to educate gifted children
and advocated for multiple criteria in identifying the
gifted.
● Published over 30 studies on the gifted and pioneered
research and development in naturalistic settings.
○ She also developed child-center therapy and
trained Carl Rogers

The USSR launch of Sputnik
led to a focus on gifted
children in the U.S. Education
system.
The National Defense
Education Act (NDEA)
passed in 1958.
$1 billion of funding in
science, math, and tech in
public schooling.
Educators pushed to identify
gifted children.
History - Cont.
Study showing how effective
education was meeting
gifted children’s needs.
The Marland Report
presented a general
definition of giftedness, and
COLD MARLAND urged districts to adopt it.
WAR REPORT
The report also allowed
students to show high
functioning on talents and
skills not measurable by an
intelligence test.
 Modern Day
And the Status
of G.A.T.E.
A Nation at Risk
● 18 month long study published in 1983.

● Students in the United States were no longer

receiving superior education, and in fact, could
not compete with students from other
developed countries in many academic
exercises.

● Recommended an increase in services to gifted

education programs, citing curriculum
enrichment or acceleration specifically.
○ The US federal government was also
urged to create standards for the
identification and servicing of gifted
students.
 No Child Left Behind
Does not address the needs of gifted children.
Forcing schools and teachers to spend their time
with low-achieving students

As claimed by journalist outlets gifted services

have been recently eroding as a result of the
new legislation.

‘
 “The unmistakable message to
teachers -- and to students -- is
that it makes no difference
whether a child barely meets the
proficiency standard or far
exceeds it..”
-Susan Goodkin, 2005
 Citations & References
1. United States. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform.
2. Goodkin, S. (2005, December 27). Leave No Gifted Child Behind. The Washington Post.
Retrieved November 22, 2021, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/26/AR200512260055
3.html.
3. "Fund Urged To Aid Brightest Pupils. Prof. Hollingworth Says Step Would Provide the Needed
Leaders to the Future". New York Times. November 12, 1938
4. Silverman, L.K. (1992). Leta Stetter Hollingworth: Champion of the psychology of women and
gifted children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 20-27.
5. Toppo, Greg (October 3, 2007). "Sputnik heralded space race, focus on learning". USA Today
6. Marland, S. P., Jr. (1972). Education of the gifted and talented: Report to the Congress of
the United States by the U.S. Commissioner of Education and background papers submitted
to the U.S. Office of Education, 2 vols. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
(Government Documents Y4.L 11/2: G36)
7. National Association for Gifted Children "Jacob Javits Gifted and Talented Students
Education Act". Archived from the original on 2007-12-12. Nagc.org.
8. Gifted education in the U.S. Gifted Education in the U.S. | National Association for Gifted
Children. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2021, from
https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/gifted-education-us.
9. Gate: Gifted and talented education program: Gate frequently asked questions. EUSD. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 22, 2021, from https://eusd.org/gate/faq/.