ABSTRACT
The first set of legislative measures that impacted talent building was the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, more widely known as the G. I. Bill, which seems an unlikely inclusion in the history of gifted education. Ted Sherman's narrative is reiterated by servicemen and women, with the first wave of G.I. Bill graduates earning 432,058 bachelor's degrees in 1950. The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 was passed with support from President H. S. Truman in direct response to the focus on science research and training. The National Science Foundation faces a great challenge to advance basic scientific research policy. Prior to the passage of National Defense Education Act (NDEA), traditional constructs and views of intelligence and giftedness had begun to shift. The NDEA strengthened interest in gifted education, and this was evidenced at the 1960 White House Conference, which focused on "opportunities for children and youth to realize their full potential for a creative life of freedom and dignity".
