Understanding the interpersonal competence and peer relationships of academically gifted students continues to be a concern of both researchers and practitioners in the field of gifted education. On one hand, empirical literature suggests that in most situations, being intellectually gifted is generally an asset socially and emotionally (

Online learning programs have the potential to provide gifted students expanded access to advanced courses, but little research has been conducted on how well or in what ways the online environment is a good match for gifted students. The study presented here is an in-depth qualitative and quantitative investigation of the perceptions and experiences of academically talented students and their teachers about courses offered through an online program designed specifically for gifted students. Participants in this study included 28 instructors currently teaching at least one online course and 65 students in grades 3-12 currently enrolled in at least one online course offered by a supplemental school offering both online and face-to-face programming for gifted students. According to the gifted students and teachers interviewed and surveyed in this study, the online format is conducive to a more individualized and differentiated learning experience than is often possible in a regular classroom. Students are able to work at a pace consistent with their rate of learning, have more time to reflect, to feel more in control of the learning process, and to engage in more self-directed and independent learning. These benefits and others indicate the online programming can be an effective means of meeting the needs of many gifted students.

The primary goal in this study was to examine maternal support of numerical concepts at 36 months as predictors of math achievement at 4½ and 6-7 years. Observational measures of mother-child interactions (n = 140) were used to examine type of support for numerical concepts. Maternal support that involved labeling the quantities of sets of objects was predictive of later child math achievement. This association was significant for preschool (d = .45) and first-grade math (d = .49), controlling for other forms of numerical support (identifying numerals, one-to-one counting) as well as potential confounding factors. The importance of maternal support of labeling set sizes at 36 months is discussed as a precursor to children's eventual understanding of the cardinal principle.

While reviews of current research on the social competence of gifted children generally indicate that academically advanced students are, on average, at least as well adjusted as any other group of students (Assouline & Colangelo, 2006; Neihart, Reis, Robinson, & Moon, 2002;Robinson & Noble, 1991), there is nonetheless no shortage of conflicting research that seems to support the prevailing myth that gifted children are more socially vulnerable than their nongifted peers. In the face of this century-old and still ongoing debate, Shore, Cornell, Robinson, and Ward (1991) recommend that research in the field move beyond a comparison of the social competence of gifted children with nongifted, and instead focus on the factors that contribute to optimal social development in high-ability students. One such factor that may potentially have a crucial impact on the social adjustment of gifted children is overall family environment and, in particular, the quality of parent-child relationships.There is, as yet, very little empirical research that specifically addresses the relationship between family environment and the social development of gifted children in particular. The present study begins to address the paucity of research in this area by examining the relationship between gifted students' social competence and the social climate in their homes-specifically, gifted students' and their parents' overall satisfaction with family relationships as well as perceptions of family connectedness, flexibility, and communication. Before presenting our study, we review the empirical literature regarding the social competence of high-ability students and some of the unique social challenges they may face, as well as the empirical literature available on characteristics of families of gifted children and the impact of family environment and intrafamily relationships on the social competence of children in general. The Social Competence of Gifted ChildrenBroadly defined, social competence refers to the social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviors that an individual needs to successfully engage socially with peers and others and to develop rewarding friendships and relationships. Frank Gresham (1986), a prominent researcher of social competence, has conceptualized social competence as being composed of adaptive behaviors and social skills, on the one hand, and peer acceptance, on the other. Specifically, according to Gresham, social competence reflects the ability to use adaptive behaviors and social skills in the context of 526430G CQXXX10.

Gaps in the achievement between poor and more advantaged children and minority and nonminority students of all ages continue to be the most central problem in the field of education. Various measures, including grades, standardized test scores, course selections, dropout rates, and college-completion rates, have been used to assess achievement differences, and show that performance gaps by ethnicity (Caucasians vs. African Americans or Hispanic/Latinos) and socioeconomic (SES) status (higher income vs. lower income families) are large, persistent, and troubling to our nation (Education Week, 2007; National Governors Association, 2005). These disparities have been steady over decades and across ages of students.Racial disparities in academic achievement also are found among the most able students, specifically among high scorers on the SAT-Math and Reading (Miller, 2004). Miller (2004) concludes that "African Americans, Latinos (especially Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans) and Native Americans are currently severely underrepresented among the nation's highest achieving students, by virtually all traditional academic achievement measures, including GPA, class rank, and standardized test scores" (pp. 1-2).The achievement gap is not limited to nor defined only by differences in achievement by ethnic/racial group; poverty plays a huge role. Wyner, Bridgeland, and DiIulio (2007) tracked the performance of high-achieving lower income and high-achieving upper income students and found disparities at the beginning of elementary school that grew larger over time. Disparities between upper income and lower income high achievers also were found in higher education in terms of