International Perspectives on Acceleration in Gifted Education

Julia Link Roberts is the Mahurin Professor in Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University. She also serves as the Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies and The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science. She has been the principal investigator on five Javits grants, leading projects to develop opportunities for high-potential students from underrepresented populations. She has held leadership roles in various organizations devoted to advocating for gifted education. Tyler Clark is the Assistant Director of Operations at The Center for Gifted Studies at Western Kentucky University. He is actively involved in leadership roles at the local, state, national, and international levels in gifted education advocacy organizations. He has worked with programming offered through the university for supporting gifted students as well as their educators and parents.

• 1. Introduction 2. Acceleration in the United States: There Is Still Work to Be Done 3. Acceleration in South America 4. Acceleration Practices for Gifted Learners in Hong Kong SAR China 5. Academic Acceleration in Europe 6. Acceleration in an African Place: Perspectives, Policies, and Practices 7. Reaching the Full Potential: Acceleration Practices for Australian Gifted Students

“This thoughtful and ground-breaking book is an important and timely analysis of acceleration practices for gifted and talented students across the world. It is a comprehensive examination of methods used to accelerate content for talented students in multiple countries, highlighting a wide variety of accelerative practices to challenge and engage gifted students! A must read for any scholar or educator of research-based gifted education pedagogy across the globe.”-Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis, University of Connecticut, USA“This book helps parents, educators, and psychologists understand why and how acceleration should be implemented for highly advanced students around the world. Drawing on research and practical evidence from scholars across six continents, it dispels common misconceptions about acceleration and provides effective strategies for applying it with gifted students. Without a doubt, it is a must-read! It is time for acceleration to shine and have its value recognized worldwide!”-Denise de Souza Fleith, PhD, Institute of Psychology, University of Brasilia, Past President of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children, Brazil“Acceleration is a much-debated topic that elicits emotions among various parties. This book clarifies why that may be and how acceleration can be shaped to achieve more appropriate education for gifted students.”-Eleonoor van Gerven, Director of Slim! Educatief BV and Program Manager of the Dutch National Knowlegde Center on Gifted Education, Netherlands