ABSTRACT
The resource consultation and collaboration approach to gifted education programming is characterized by the redefined role of the gifted education teacher as one who serves gifted learners as part of the total school staff responsible for providing alternative or differentiated educational experiences to those students who need them most. As a service delivery model, consultation and collaboration can be efficient and cost-effective. A hierarchical model of collaboration makes the best use of specialized staff, which further reduces the cost of implementation. Traditionally, gifted education teachers or specialists serve a separate if not segregated role in general education when a more integrated role is more beneficial to all learners. The possibility of change for educators in general education is another noteworthy aspect of resource consultation. Gifted education specialists usually spend nearly all of their instructional time with target students in direct services in pull-out lessons with some time also devoted to identification and program administration initiatives.
