ABSTRACT
Specialized schools often are developed to attract students who have particular gifts and talents. These students and their families expect teachers who are prepared to differentiate the curriculum to match their students’ interests and to accelerate the content in areas of talent. National content and gifted education standards provide a foundation for developing a specialized school environment that addresses each gifted student’s strengths and needs. These standards are readily available to use in improving and advancing gifted education programs in specialized school settings. Standards in gifted education are part of a wider network of professional preparation, programming, and content standards that influence the education of teachers and all students. Gifted education essentially has two sets of standards: teacher preparation standards and gifted education programming standards. With the absence of a federal mandate for gifted education, national standards in gifted education help define important program components and distinct knowledge and skills needed by teachers in gifted education.
