Acceleration

Jonathan A. Plucker and Carolyn M. Callahan. Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says. Prufrock Press, 2007.

This is a large volume, 785 pages, about the research base for 50 practices (e.g., identification, special schools, talent search programs, differentiated instruction) and/or issues (e.g. gifted girls, motivation, prodigies, professional developed) within the field of gifted education. This book is most useful for researchers and graduate students.

Michelle C. Muratori, Early Entrance to College. A Guide to Success. Prufrock Press; Waco, TX, 2007

This book is written for parents and students who are trying to decide if early entrance to college is a viable option for them. The author covers every aspect of early college entrance including its history, typical parental concerns, issues to consider before choosing early entrance, other options besides early college entrance for gifted students, how to prepare for early entrance, how to make a smooth transition to college, and what to do if early college entrance turns out not to be the right choice. Interspersed throughout are anecdotes from students and parents and a significant portion of the book is devoted to descriptions of existing early college entrance programs. This book is also a helpful guide for individuals who are in the position of counseling gifted students and their families regarding educational programs and options.

Joan Franklin Smutney, Sally Y. Walker, and Elizabeth A. Meckstroth. Acceleration for Gifted Learners, K-5.Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2007.

This book is a very practical guide to the topic of acceleration for teachers and school personnel who work with children of elementary school age. The authors share their expertise in early childhood development, gifted programming, and the social-emotional development of gifted children through the anecdotes and examples sprinkled throughout the text. The book broadens one's notions of the types of acceleration available to teachers and schools and how to effectively implement acceleration within the classroom via differentiated content, thinking strategies, products, and policy. An entire section of the book deals with the gifted child's personality and the social-emotional aspects of acceleration. This book is best for teachers and administrators but also appropriate for parents.

A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America's Brightest Students. Templeton National Report on Acceleration. Eds. Colangelo, Nicholas; Assouline, Susan; Gross, Miraca U.M., Belin-Blank Center for Gifteddcaon & Talent Development, 2004.
More than just grade skipping, “acceleration means matching the level, complexity, and pace of the curriculum with the readiness and motivation of the student.” Endorsed by the National Association for Gifted Children, this two-part report on acceleration is an impressive achievement. The report provides accurate, research-based information about acceleration to those who most need it-parents, teachers, school administrators, and public policy-makers. It draws on the expertise of many of today's top experts in gifted education, pointing out that accelerating gifted students is strongly supported by those who have studied the practice. American educators, on the other hand, commonly are reluctant to consider acceleration as an option. Attempting to bridge the divide between these two positions, the authors outline some reasons why bright students in this country are “held back,” or not allowed to move through the curriculum at a rate that is appropriate for them, including:

• Philosophy that children must be kept with their age group
  
• Belief that acceleration hurries children out of childhood
  
• Fear that acceleration hurts children socially
  
• Political concerns about equity
  

For further information, to give your own opinion on the report, or to download the entire report for free, visit www.nationdeceived.org.

The Academic Acceleration of Gifted Children, Edited by W. Thomas Southern and Eric D. Jones. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University,1991.
This is the best summary of the many accelerative strategies (e.g. grade skipping, early entrance to kindergarten, early college entrance, etc.) that exist for gifted learners and the research regarding them. This is a book for educators, administrators, and parents. It is convincing evidence of the viability of acceleration for meeting the needs of many gifted children.