22 .sx International education of the highly able .sx Joan Freeman .sx In education , there is no escape from politics , nor for that matter from cultural influences .sx These truths become emphasized in the education of the highly able ; in the same way that these exceptional individuals function at an extreme , so too do attitudes towards them .sx To consider international variations in the education of the gifted , enables some conclusions to be drawn about systems which appear to work well for them and which may be transferable to other countries .sx However , it is often difficult to extricate a nation's cultural outlook from its specific educational practices .sx I am concentrating on three major cultural , rather than geographical , divisions in which there are relatively distinct forms of provision for the highly able .sx They overlap considerably , in that pockets of all kinds exist within each division , but any other division , such as into fluid and rigid societies , is at least as value-laden .sx These divisions are :sx first , the Western World - including Western Europe , North America , and Australasia ; second , Eastern Europe - the countries that were Communist until 1989/90 ; and third , the Developing World - Africa , South America , and the Far East .sx International concern for the gifted .sx In all societies , the reasons for concern about the highly able are dual - to serve the individuals in their personal fulfilment , and to serve the community .sx This special concern for the highly able is humane ( at the very least ) and will eventually increase knowledge to help enhance everybody's life , although a high intelligence is not necessarily the foundation of good leadership or superior morality .sx For example , a child with an exceptionally high IQ may have been brought up in an overly scholarly regimen , which could produce either a religious dictator , or an academic professor who lacks both social competence and the ability to cope with others' demands ( Miller 1990) .sx The highly able are neither more nor less moral than anyone else .sx Experimental education for highly able children is increasing and the results are becoming more readily available to teachers , among whom concern for the gifted is growing steadily .sx However , as teachers in most of the world are only just beginning to accept the idea that gifted children do need special provision , this is often uneven and dependent on individual efforts .sx There is a need to develop policies for the highly able on an international basis , but the greatest care must be taken in their preparation .sx They should make full use of the research knowledge we are accumulating , because opinions are merely opinions , and should always be seen as such .sx What is valued as high ability in one part of the world may not be seen as such in another - such as a trance state which is valued in Thailand , but may put the child in the hands of a clinical psychologist in the West .sx Some international problem areas .sx There are two major , pervasive influences which often prevent the identification and development of gifted potential , and their effects are cumulative for each individual .sx The first is socioeconomic status - even in the relatively rich West and in the 1990s .sx The second is gender stereotyping , which slots boys and girls into areas of study that are not necessarily the most appropriate for their abilities .sx When children are nominated by parents or teachers , without testing , as gifted , this usually results in two boys being presented for every girl .sx The physically handicapped are often missed too , since giftedness which is not obvious or all-round can be difficult for teachers to spot and cope with .sx In multicultural societies , children of non-majority cultures have to adapt to both home and school , and consequently may not fulfil the expectations for gifted pupils in the educational system .sx For example , the children's spoken language and self-expression may be considerably better in their home language , but to find this out requires efforts by teachers towards close communication with parents , probably including home visits .sx This consideration also applies to children born in inner cities who may have limited school language ability but excellent 'street language' , causing them to be relatively non - communicative in the classroom .sx It applies also to the children's performance on nationally standardized tests of ability .sx The culture in which children feel comfortable can even be set to work against achievement at school , in the simplest sense of 'them and us' .sx This often occurs in an educational system which is imposed from above , without adequate concern for the real needs of the recipients .sx Acceleration is not uncommon for gifted children worldwide , as it is the easiest way a school can manage them .sx Alternatively , a school may just have one fast stream or even one teacher working faster with a bright group , most frequently for mathematics .sx This is a form of acceleration 'without tears' , avoiding the frequently accompanying problems of this move , such as immaturity relative to others in the class , difficult peer relations , or small physical size , when one child is very much younger in the teaching group .sx Acceleration may also be offered in certain subjects for individual children , if the school can cope with its timetabling .sx In some countries , there are specialist teachers to provide guidance for the education of the gifted .sx Research evidence indicates the importance of both material and cultural provision if children's abilities are to be developed to an exceptionally high level .sx I have been following up both gifted and control children in Britain since 1974 :sx all the 210 children , their families and schools were visited and questioned .sx The children's emotional adjustment was found to be independent of their measured IQs .sx However , their scholastic achievements were significantly affected by the provision of learning materials and tuition , as well as by the family culture .sx The follow-up results have reaffirmed the message from the original study - that gifted children need adequate material and teaching provision to realise their potential at both school and home .sx Relationships between teachers and pupils were also seen to affect the pupils' self-concepts and thus their achievements .sx Some children's gifts appeared to have been abused , in the sense that their education was intensely focused on examinations to the detriment of their creative side , so that some had taken examination success alone as the source of their self-esteem ( Freeman 1991) .sx The Western World .sx Most children's physical needs are being met in the Western World .sx Indeed , the common aim of free compulsory education for all children , continuing with the availability of further education throughout people's lives , has been almost accomplished .sx This means that energy has been freed to refocus on improving educational opportunities .sx Although national resources and outlook are varied , there is a considerable commonality of approach to educational research and development , built on the scientific and philosophical tradition which spread from the 'old world' of Western Europe to the 'new worlds' of North America and Australasia .sx However , more subtle differences in outlooks between the thrusting new and the complacent old are apparent in what they offer the highly able .sx In Europe , as the political edifices of many previously Communist countries crumbled , thousands of bright young people seeking a better life have streamed into the western democracies .sx They bring with them different attitudes to the education of the highly able , and a few are even bringing world-class teaching expertise in subjects such as sports , gymnastics , singing , ballet , circus , and mathematics .sx The style of interest they bring is different too .sx Eastern Europe has generally been more concerned with the practicalities of teaching and outcome , whereas the West has a more prolific output of theory .sx At its extreme , the difference seems to be like that between the training of young gymnasts on a trampoline and the production of academic research papers which conclude that we need more research .sx Yet , because of these recent political changes , the extra money and provision which have been put into the promotion of competitive excellence may now be redirected within Eastern countries , so that the two halves of Europe may eventually become more balanced in top-level achievements .sx Historically , Europe has had hundreds of years of selection in education , which still lives in its collective memory , and to a small extent in reality .sx Although this was originally by social status and money , the Middle Ages saw the beginnings of selection by ability for some boys .sx Present-day British grammar schools , German gymnasium , and French lyc e es , are schools which emerged from the 15th century , to provide academic tuition , originally in preparation for clerical and church positions .sx Selection by ability gripped the whole of Britain in 1945 , when every child in the country was tested at 11 years-old for entry to the grammar schools - the Eleven Plus exam .sx It succeeded in providing bright , working-class children with the opportunity to go to previously middle-class schools , but failed to make allowance for individual development , and has almost entirely been abandoned .sx Among other problems , there was much incorrect placement , as well as wide variation in the number of grammar school places between education authorities .sx In the 1990s most British children , like their counterparts on the European continent and in the rest of the Western World , attend comprehensive , all - ability , neighbourhood schools .sx The difference is that in Britain and the USA , about 7 per cent of children go to private schools .sx Nevertheless , many comprehensive schools throughout the Western World are still internally selective , having fast streams or tracks , or other forms of division of the children for different levels of tuition .sx Younger children may be sorted in class by more subtle and flexible distribution into groups , identified by the teacher's estimate of their abilities .sx Western attitudes to high ability .sx In most Western countries , the training of teachers for guiding the learning of gifted children is patchy .sx It is possible , for example , to take a doctorate in teaching gifted children in a few parts of the USA , but in Western Europe it would be difficult to find even a teaching diploma which provided that kind of instruction .sx However , in Munich , a new college for teachers of the gifted is due to open in 1992 , and a new postgraduate course is about to start in Switzerland .sx There is a little input on the subject at initial training level , but short in-service courses are growing everywhere .sx For most Western teachers , the spectre of e litism , whether of wealth or ability , is their major apprehension .sx They do not like categorizing children , and have serious doubts about the validity of psychological tests of ability .sx Also , they often feel that giving more time and money to the already gifted would take resources from those who have more obvious needs , such as the handicapped .sx There is still a long way to go before the majority of teachers in the West become convinced that gifted children need special attention , and are prepared to give it to them .sx However , in its individualistic way , the West engenders voluntary groups who exist to make good what they see as gaps in provision .sx Most countries have at least one association for the gifted , run by parents , indeed , many have several ( often competing ) associations .sx In fact , the amount of interest in a country could be judged by counting up the number of these parent associations .sx These usually run out-of-school sessions for the children and their siblings , as well as summer schools and weekend conferences in special subjects .sx Although they may also investigate what facilities are available and give help to individuals , their overall aim is the greater recognition of gifted children and the encouragement of appropriate provision for them within normal schools .sx Mensa is an international non-scientific association , largely social , to which people can belong by passing a test , set by the association .sx The European Council for High Ability ( ECHA ) , based in Bonn , Germany , is the only association of psychologists and educators which uses evidence rather than opinion , and which crosses all European national boundaries .sx There are hundreds of privately funded national competitions and activity centres for the gifted in the West .sx Many countries have a Young Scientist of the Year , Young Engineer , Young Musician , etc. International competitions include the Mathematics Olympiad and Foreign Language Competitions .sx In many countries , local education authorities and individual schools may receive financial help from industry for specific projects , such as scientific field trips or collective creativity on a technical project .sx