Gifted and talented children have interested and intrigued people since the beginning of time. History provides us with many examples of how different societies identified and nurtured the exceptional abilities of their young people. Of course, the specific abilities targeted for special treatment varied from society to society and from one era to another. Within a multi-cultural society such as ours, there is clear evidence of the different priorities individual groups ascribe to different abilities and qualities.

Over the past sixty or so years, numerous writers and researchers have focused on how, and how well, gifted and talented children are provided for within New Zealand schools and, more recently, in our early childhood centres. The reports and reviews furnished by these people tended to paint a fairly bleak picture of the plight of gifted and talented children in our education system. It has been widely acknowledged by those with expertise in this area that these children have been significantly 'under-served' in our schools. There appear to be three major explanations for this situation.

The first of these is associated with the concept of egalitarianism. Historically, egalitarianism focused on equality, rather than equity, of educational opportunity. The gifted and talented were often viewed as an advantaged group, and it was perceived that to offer them anything in the way of dedicated or 'special' provisions was simply adding advantage to advantage. Two decades ago, Reid and McAlpine observed that, 'The pervasive egalitarian myth and continued common misinterpretation of the doctrine of equality seem likely to remain a barrier to the full development of educational provisions for the gifted and talented'.

The second explanation is linked to the erroneous belief that gifted and talented children 'will make it on their own', and are not at risk of underachievement. Where there is a perceived competition for resources, those holding this view will consistently rank the needs of the gifted and talented as a low priority.

A third reason why the gifted and talented have been neglected, is simply that the nature and needs of this group are not understood. This results in teachers, schools and centres unwittingly failing to provide an educational environment commensurate with the needs of these children.

George Parkyn was probably one of the first New Zealanders to challenge these assumptions and advocate nationally for a better deal for the country's gifted and talented children. Others followed this lead and worked tirelessly to improve the lot of these children. In the four decades from 1950 to 1990, a small number of national and regional initiatives were introduced in an effort to improve the quality of provisions for those with exceptional abilities. While these efforts undoubtedly had a significant positive impact, they rarely represented a co-ordinated or integrated set of developments and, as a consequence, many were short-lived.

In the early 1990s, there was a marked upsurge of interest in the education of the gifted and talented. There are probably a number of reasons for this somewhat sudden shift in attitudes and attention, but one that has been identified in research is the impact of the implementation of the reforms associated with Tomorrow's Schools. In the first few years following the introduction of these changes in educational administration, many schools developed policies for their gifted and talented students and many new programmes were introduced. However, these developments were not universal and schools continued to vary markedly in the way they responded to the needs of their gifted and talented students. Those concerned about this inconsistency of provision increased their call for a national policy, where all schools would be required to demonstrate how they were providing for this group.

In 1998, the Ministry of Education established an Advisory Group on Gifted Education to work with the Ministry to identify areas of need and explore ways to address these. The first initiative resulting from this collaboration was the publication of the 'handbook' Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting their Needs in New Zealand Schools (Ministry of Education, 2000). This was distributed to all New Zealand state and integrated schools in 2000. Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting their Needs in New Zealand Schools is primarily a handbook for schools, rather than a specific guide to classroom practice. It is a 'guiding' document and encourages consultation leading to the development of approaches that reflect the nature, needs and values of individual schools and communities. The handbook was supported by a Ministry of Education-funded programme of professional development delivered to a small group of schools during 2000. In 2001, ongoing support has been provided by way of four full-time equivalent (FTE) Advisors in Gifted Education. These advisors are attached to School Support Service centres in Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin. In 1999, Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI), the Ministry of Education's Online Learning Centre, added a gifted and talented community to the site, which has continued to be developed and expanded.

These developments were unprecedented in terms of official recognition and support for gifted and talented students in this country. However, there was still widespread concern that, without a long term vision and strategy, these initiatives might be as short lived as some of those that preceded them.

It was against this backdrop that the Working Party on Gifted Education was established in May 2001. The Working Party was charged with providing 'advice on a new policy and funding framework for gifted education (which) will contribute to durable solutions to the current issues facing the gifted education sector in early childhood and compulsory education, and to the development of a long-term plan for the proper organisation and effective resourcing of the sector'. The Working Party believes that its recommendations address these concerns and is very optimistic that, if accepted and implemented, they will translate into a much more supportive educational environment for the country's gifted and talented. The Working Party was very mindful of the issues that have constrained progress in the past and factors that have seen positive developments stall or disappear, and believes that the implementation of this set of recommendations will minimise the possibility of this happening again. The 'core principles' and 'recommendations' contained in this report are complementary to the publication Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting their Needs in New Zealand Schools. Ideally, it would have been desirable for the principles and recommendations that are adopted from this report to have formed the basis for the guidance offered to schools. However, the 'handbook' was frequently referred to in the formulation of these principles and recommendations, and there is a very high level of consistency between the two. This report recognises that Gifted and Talented Students: Meeting their Needs in New Zealand Schools will be the primary written resource schools draw on to guide their decision-making in this area for some years to come.

(These Terms of Reference were set by the Minister of Education in May 2001, and presented to the Working Party upon its establishment. Their purpose was to provide members with some background to and guidance about their task. The Terms of Reference below contain the revisions made by the Working Party at their first meeting, and agreed to by the Minister in June 2001.)

Introduction

The education of gifted and talented students is implicitly supported through the requirement of the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs) to foster student achievement and to identify students and groups of students who have special needs. This statement is intended to be inclusive of a range of groups of students, including the gifted and talented, but has been seen by some in the gifted community as deliberately exclusive of this group.

The following is a list of the Ministry of Education initiatives to date in gifted education. All were selected and developed through consultation with the Ministry of Education Advisory Group on Gifted Education (established 1998):

• A handbook advising principals and schools on how they can develop policy and programmes to meet the needs of gifted students in their school curriculum.
• A gifted and talented community on Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI), which features case studies, and on-line resources.

• Nation-wide professional development programmes in 2000, designed to assist teachers and principals in using the handbook models to improve practice in their individual schools.

• Advisory support from School Support Services beginning in 2001 to further assist schools to understand the handbook and to implement policy and practice.

These initiatives have been generally well-received but there continues to be a large number of parents unsatisfied by the efforts of schools to respond appropriately to students' individual gifts and talents. To meet this growing market, a large number of private providers of withdrawal programmes are emerging, and are seeking Government funding. A decision is necessary about the benefits these providers offer, and whether they should receive funding for responding to a need which schools are already funded for.

Role of the Working Party on Gifted Education

The Working Party on Gifted Education replaces the former Ministry of Education Advisory Group on Gifted Education. This new group will be smaller and more hands-on than the former advisory group, and more directly oriented towards the production of a particular piece of work. There will be some cross membership between the Working Party and the former group but the Working Party will include a greater proportion of practitioners than did its predecessor. This is due to a key purpose of the Working Party being to seek advice on how it can work better with the sector to achieve its objectives in ensuring an education which meets the individual needs of all students.

The Working Party will provide advice on a new policy and funding framework for gifted education. This advice will contribute to durable solutions to the current issues facing the gifted education sector in early childhood and compulsory education, and to the development of a long-term plan for the proper organisation and effective resourcing of the sector.

An advisory group is to be created to provide a sounding board for the Working Party. This group will offer feedback and critique, and will ensure greater sector buy-in to the final outcome. International experts in the field will form part of the wider group in the capacity of 'critical friends.'

In the provision of its advice, the Working Party will answer these key questions:

1. What are the core principles which should underpin educational provision for gifted and talented students in New Zealand?

2. On the basis of these decisions, what should be the policy and funding framework for gifted education in New Zealand from early childhood education through to the end of secondary schooling, and what range of programmes and provisions can government realistically support?

3. What level of teacher knowledge and skill in respect to gifted and talented students is necessary for this framework to have maximum impact? What long-term teacher-development strategies are required to ensure that the needs of all gifted and talented students are met?

Tasks for the Working Party

Key tasks for the Working Party will therefore be:

• To consider the local and international literature on gifted and talented education in terms of student outcomes to identify best practice.

• To complete a detailed analysis of the costs and benefits of a range of options, eg. is the model of a One Day School efficient for the provider or for the regular school?, and to consider specifics of some preferred positions, eg. if specialisation/separation is desired, could ICT options such as virtual learning communities be considered?

• To consider the viability of funding the ideal option(s) in New Zealand, and to consider the implications of this in terms of teacher capability and professional development needs

• To clarify the relationship between the education of gifted and talented students, and the education of students with special needs.

• To analyse the need for an explicit policy on gifted and talented education, and to recommend the form that this might take if such a need is seen to exist. This advice should be made on the basis of New Zealand and international comparisons.