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This was the start of efforts to educate gifted students in the public school system. This movement was started by William Torrey Harris, Superintendent of St. Louis public schools.
This is significant because it was the start of acknowledging that not all children learn the same. -
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History of Gifted Education
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French psychologists Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon develop a test to measure intelligence
This is significant because it was the beginning of a way for intelligence to be tested -
Lewis M. Terman, a Stanford University psychologist and whom many call the “father of the gifted child” movement, revised the Binet-Simon scale. He improves it and adapts it to test children.
This is significant because now schools have a way to see which children may be gifted and those children can get taught in a manner that they need. -
Leta S. Holligworth, the pioneer of gifted child education, begins the Special Opportunity Class in New York for gifted students.
This is significant because it was the first of many classes that was designed for gifted children to get the type of education they deserved. -
As a result of “The Space Race”, the U.S. Government allocated a substantial amount of money to finding bright and talented students who would benefit from advanced math, science, and technology programs.
This is significant because the importance of gifted education was acknowledged by our government. -
The Marland Commision develops a more universal and more inclusive definition of giftedness. The definition includes general intellectual ability, specific academic aptitude, creative or productive thinking skills, leadership ability or potential, or abil
This is significant because the guidelines are not so narrow and more children can be included. -
Dr. Howard Gardner, a psychologist and professor of neuroscience from Harvard University, develops the theory of Multiple Intelligences.
This is significant because there is now an even broader concept of giftedness and intelligence.
