Policy and Practice: A Twenty Year Retrospective on Gifted Education in the Australian State of New South Wales

Abstract

If schools are looking to make opportunities real for gifted and talented students, implementation of policy needs to be prioritised and made routine on a system-wide and a school-wide basis. This paper analyses implementation initiatives as they have occurred over the time span of twenty years from the inception of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training policy for gifted education through the first revision and now through the second revision. It considers the correspondence of policy recommendations with actual school provisions. Such information is of assistance in further policy (re)formulation and in further implementation.

Intellectual giftedness: Economic, political, cultural, and psychological considerations

“…As has been stated before (Gallagher, 2008), to be effective, a system of gifted education should capitalize on the strongest characteristics and infrastructure of the system of general education within which it exists. This consideration is especially important because, when disconnected from the general educational system, many programs for gifted education around the world are hampered by the cyclical nature of their funding, the instability of the priorities and objectives prescribed to them, and, correspondingly, the difficulty of sustaining a program for a long time (Forster, 2005).…”

The Psychopedagogical Dimension Of Promoting Talents - An Observative Study

“…The European educational policies, including the Romanian case, have not enough specifications on teacher training for gifted and talented education, despite the research evidence on its high significance to the talented students' success in school and later, in their professional careers. Forster discusses the evidence that supports effective implementation of gifted and talented policy and provisions coming from both administrative and practitioner levels, where training and support for teachers is a vital aspect for effectively meeting the needs of gifted and talented students (Forster, 2005).…”

Exploring the Relationship Between Principal, Policy, and Gifted Program Scope and Quality

“…Although there has been research into gifted education policy related to curriculum and school reform (Baker & Friedman-Nimz, 2004; Hill-Anderson, 2008; Knight, 2006; Paul, 2010; VanTassel-Baska, 2000) overseas, there have been few studies conducted in Australia. A review of policy and practice in New South Wales (NSW; Forster, 2005) suggested that conditions for successful implementation of gifted education policy are similar to those overseas. These conditions pertain to the local capacity (expertise of teachers and quality of curriculum) and will (attitudes, motivation, and beliefs of stakeholders) that exist in the community surrounding a local school (Forster, 2005; Swanson, 2007).…”

“…A review of policy and practice in New South Wales (NSW; Forster, 2005) suggested that conditions for successful implementation of gifted education policy are similar to those overseas. These conditions pertain to the local capacity (expertise of teachers and quality of curriculum) and will (attitudes, motivation, and beliefs of stakeholders) that exist in the community surrounding a local school (Forster, 2005; Swanson, 2007).…”

“…The NSW revised gifted and talented policy (DET, 2004) was developed based on an extensive body of literature that has shown that successfully implemented gifted programs require a definition, philosophy and criteria, goals and objectives, differentiated curricula, professional learning for staff and parents, a budget, and an evaluation process to ensure program accountability, validity, measurable outcomes, and a common understanding of the aforementioned items by all stakeholders (Adams, 2006; Brown, Avery, VanTassel-Baska, Worley, & Stambaugh, 2006; Cooper, 2000; Forster, 2005; McGarvey, Marriott, Morgan, & Abbott, 1997). Gifted program provisions in schools are commonly described in terms of scope and quality.…”