Critical Issues and Practices in Gifted Education: What the Research Says is the definitive reference book for those searching for a summary and evaluation of the literature on giftedness, gifted education, and talent development. The book presents more than 50 summaries of important topics in the field, providing relevant research and a guide to how the research applies to gifted education and the lives of gifted children. This second edition updates every topic with new research and introduces several critically important topics such as cluster grouping, Response to Intervention, programming standards, the Common Core State Standards, educational leadership, and legal issues. This book provides an objective assessment of the available knowledge on each topic, offers guidance in the application of the research, and suggests areas of needed research.

Jonathan A. Plucker, Ph.D., is professor of educational psychology and cognitive science at Indiana University, where he also directs the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy. After receiving his doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Virginia, he taught for 5 years at the University of Maine before moving to Indiana University. He is a past-chair of the Research and Evaluation Division of the National Association for Gifted Children, and he currently serves as president for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts division of the American Psychological Association. Plucker has published more than 100 articles, chapters, and book reviews, and he has served on the editorial boards of Gifted Child Quarterly, Roeper Review<, Creativity Research Journal, Journal of Creative Behavior, Journal of Research on Science Teaching, and Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts. He has received numerous awards for his research on giftedness, talent, and creativity, including the NAGC Early Scholar Award, the NAGC Paul Torrance Award, and the APA Division 10 Berlyne Award.