ABSTRACT
THE NEED TO PROBLEMATIZE Why do we exist as a field? Many, I believe, would say that the reason is to advocate for the creation and perpetuation of gifted programs, so that certain students can be identified as gifted and placed into these programs and be exposed to a differentiated curriculum. I propose that this represents a confusion of means with ends. It is the proper education of gifted students, not the creation or preservation of gifted programs, that is, or should be, our field’s ultimate goal. If we view our purpose as a field as advocating for and working toward appropriate education for capable students, which is consistent with the larger goal of providing every student with an appropriate education, it becomes clear that creating and operating gifted programs is a means-only one means, and conceivably not the best means-toward achieving the larger goal.
