The SAGE Handbook of Gifted and Talented Education

The SAGE Handbook of Gifted and Talented Education engages the reader in myriad topics that are up to date and thought provoking. It is a “must-have” resource for researchers, educators, and others interested in gifted education and talent development.

Unquestionably, this text is the richest, most robust scholarly  investigation into the realm of gifted and talented in the last twenty years.  Belle Wallace, Dorothy Sisk and John Senior have brought together the finest scholars and researchers in the field to compile a massive and masterful text that is both insightful and illuminating. The chapters are captivating, riveting  and inspiring while at the same time written with passion and panache. This is an extraordinary work  that will serve as a guide and reference for scholars, researchers and theoreticians for the next several decades.

Not, perhaps, since publication of the 1st edition of the critically acclaimed International Handbook of Giftedness and Talent (ed. F.J. Monks et al) in 1993, has there been a more scholarly exposition of issues that provide comprehensive coverage of the present stage of knowledge within the field.
70 renowned contributing authors offer an indispensable combination of well-argued conceptual review, details of numerous international programmes and strategies and thoughtful examination of the basis for future provision and trends. The Handbook will find a place on bookshelves and within libraries accessed by those who see the gifted and talented as one of our most precious societal resources and who are conscious of the pressing need to realise and utilize their potential.

This is a truly remarkable book which brings together several of the world’s leading scholars on gifted and talent education, in order to provide a bridge to the front lines of a flourishing field. This Handbook is a must-read; not only for all those who seek orientation on the topic, but also for researchers who want a thorough overview of the latest developments. Highly recommended!

The new SAGE Handbook of Gifted and Talented Education is a forward-looking summary that fills a gap in gifted education and reflects to contemporary challenges. Its major strength lies in the perspective of cultural and developmental psychology, so instead of expansive and all-in statements it applies a relativistic, dynamic and international approach that makes space for individual differences and diversity. Equity issues and culturally based definitions draw the readers’ attention to atypical gifted learners, with a special emphasis on social and emotional characteristics. In addition, the practical aspects of educational provisions are included with a special focus on 21st century needs and skills. Current topics, like context-based creativity, artificial intelligence and spiritual intelligence are also presented, while classical models of giftedness and creativity - like the theories of Csíkszentmihályi, Sternberg, Simonton or Renzulli – get a new light, which makes the book an essential reading for the next decade.

The new Sage Handbook of Gifted and Talented Education provides the reader a considerable cross-section of thoughtful chapters on the education of students with gifts and talents. The handbook is chock full of many luminaries in the field of gifted education, as well as a group of great thinkers who often write in other fields. In addition, there are several chapters on the topic of creativity and gifted education. While it does focus on the educational aspects of gifted education, it offers insights and original ideas often lacking in these types of handbooks. For example, from Dorothy Sisk’s chapter on spiritual giftedness, to Don Ambrose’s chapter on giftedness in the context of 21^st Century Globalization, the unique subject matter provides the reader with a wide cross-section of topics.  Another way this book will broaden the minds of its readers comes from the fact that authors from numerous countries are represented. In total, this handbook provides many up-to-date chapters on salient topics related to the education of students with gifts and talents. Seldom are books like this produced and I am confident that this book will make a splash among professionals interested in this special population.