Abstract
Almost five million children attend international schools around the world, many of which attract a highly motivated and highly competitive student body of both local and expatriate children. Despite this, the majority of international schools do not offer any specific programming or services for gifted or highly able students, and there is very little research on how these students fare in international schools. In this chapter, an overview of international education worldwide will first be presented, and then an insight into the unique context provided by these schools, as well as considering the strengths and challenges inherent in these schools for highly able students, will be provided. Some attributes of international school students and some potential issues or barriers that may prevent a ‘national’ approach to gifted education being successfully transplanted into an international environment will be discussed. It will then be proposed in the chapter that a talent development approach is a model for meeting the needs of highly able students in international schools, drawing on theory, the research literature and practical examples of talent development in action. Finally, some recommendations for implementation suitable for an international school environment and research will be suggested.
References
Benson, J. (2011). An investigation of chief administrator turnover in international schools. Journal of Research in International Education., 10(1), 87–103.
Bloom, B. (1985). Developing talent in young people. New York, NY: Ballantine.
Bronson, P., & Merryman, A. (2013). Top dog: The science of winning and losing. New York, NY: Twelve.
Carber, S., & Reis, S. (2004). Commonalities in IB practice and the schoolwide enrichment model. Journal of Research in International Education., 3(3), 339–359.
Chua, A. (2011). Battle hymn of the tiger mother. New York, NY: Penguin Press.
Dai, D. (2017). Envisioning a new foundation for gifted education: Evolving complexity theory (ECT) of talent development. Gifted Child Quarterly, 6(13), 172–182.
Dare, L., Smith, S. R., & Nowecki, E. (2016). Parents’ experiences of grade-based acceleration: Successes, struggles, and subsequent needs. Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, 25(2), 6–21.
Doherty, C. (2013). Making a point of difference: The globalised ecology of the international baccalaureate diploma in Australian schools. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 11(3), 379–397. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2012.761809
Dweck, C. (2008). Mindsets: The new psychology of success. New York, NY: Ballantine.
Foust, R. C., Hertberg-Davis, H., & Callahan, C. M. (2008). “Having it all” at sleep's expense: The forced choice of participants in advanced placement courses and international baccalaureate programs. Roeper Review, 30(2), 121–129.
Gallagher, S., & Curtain, T. (2017). Serve the need, not the label: Highly able students in international schools. Charleston, SC: CreateSpace.
Gillespie, S. N. (2017). The role of leadership in changing the culture of an international school to be inclusive of students with special learning needs (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Minneapolis, MN: Walden University.
Gross, M. U. M., Urquhart, R., Doyle, J., Juratowitch, M., & Matheson, G. (2011). Releasing the brakes for high ability learners: Administrator, teacher and parent attitudes and beliefs that block or assist the implementation of school policies on academic acceleration. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales.
Hawley, D. B. (1994). How long do international school heads survive? A research analysis (part 1). International Schools Journal, 14(1), 8–21.
Hayden, M., & Thompson, J. (2008). International schools: Growth and influence. Paris, France: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning.
Hertberg-Davis, H., & Callahan, C. M. (2008). A narrow escape: Gifted students’ perceptions of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. Gifted Child Quarterly, 52(3), 199–216.
Hertberg-Davis, H., Callahan, C. M., & Kyburg, R. M. (2006). Advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs: A “fit” for gifted learners? (RM06222). Storrs, CT: The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, University of Connecticut.
Hertzog, N. (2017). Designing the learning context in school for talent development. Gifted Child Quarterly, 61(3), 219–228.
International Baccalaureate Organisation. (n.d.-a, IBOa). About the IB. Retrieved 9 Feb 2019 from https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/
International Baccalaureate Organisation. (n.d.-b, IBOb). Diploma programme. Retrieved 9 Feb 2019 from https://www.ibo.org/diploma-programme/
International Baccalaureate Organisation. (n.d.-c, IBOc). Middle years programme. Retrieved 9 Feb 2019 from https://www.ibo.org/middle-years-programme/
International Baccalaureate Organisation. (n.d.-d, IBOd). Primary years programme. Retrieved 9 Feb 2019 from https://www.ibo.org/primary-years-programme/
International Schools Consultancy Research. (2016a). Demand for international education continues to expand globally. Retrieved from https://www.iscresearch.com
International Schools Consultancy Research. (2016b). Research survey: Inclusion in international schools and those offering international curricula. Retrieved from https://www.iscresearch.com
John Catt Ltd. (2016). Report reveals rapid rise in international schools. Retrieved from http://www.internationalschoolsearch.com/news/report-reveals-rapid-rise-in-international-schools
Juang, L. P., Qin, D. B., & Park, I. J. K. (2013). Deconstructing the myth of the “tiger mother”: An introduction to the special issue on tiger parenting, Asian–heritage families, and child/adolescent wellbeing. Asian American Journal of Psychology., 4(1), 1–6.
Mancuso, S. V., Roberts, L., & White, G. P. (2010). Teacher retention in international schools: The key role of school leadership. Journal of Research in International Education, 9(3), 306–323.
National Association for Gifted Children [NAGC]. (2004). Acceleration position statement. Washington, DC: National Association for Gifted Children.
National Association for Gifted Children [NAGC]. (2015). 2014–2015 state of the states in gifted education: Policy and practice data. Washington, DC: National Association for Gifted Children & The Council of State Directors of Programs for the Gifted.
Olszewski-Kubilius, P. (2012). Building on the best of gifted education with programming for talent development. The Catalyst, 1(2), 1–6.
Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Clarenbach, J. (2012). Unlocking emergent talent: Supporting high achievement of low-income, high ability students. Washington, DC: National Association for Gifted Children.
Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Thompson, D. (2015). Talent development as a framework for gifted education. Gifted Child Today., 38(1), 49–59.
Riley, T., & Sturgess, A. (2005). Professional development to support gifted and talented education in New Zealand. Australasian Journal of Gifted Education, 14(1), 36–49.
Ripley, A. (2013). The smartest kids in the world: And how they got that way. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Rogers, K. (2007). Lessons learned about educating the gifted and talented: A synthesis of the research on educational practice. Gifted Child Quarterly, 51(4), 382–396.
Shaunessy, E., Suldo, S. M., Hardesty, R. B., & Shaffer, E. J. (2006). School functioning and psychological well-being of International Baccalaureate and General Education students. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 17(2), 76–89.
Sheard, W. (2008). Lessons from our kissing cousins: Third culture kids and gifted children. Roeper Review, 30(1), 31–38.
Silverman, L. (1994). The moral sensitivity of gifted children and the evolution of society. Roeper Review, 17, 110–116.
Smith, S. R. (2017). Responding to the unique social and emotional learning needs of gifted Australian students. In E. Frydenberg, A. Martin, & R. Collie (Eds.), Social and emotional learning in Australia and the Asia-Pacific (pp. 147–166). Singapore: Springer.
Subotnik, R. (2015). Psychosocial strength training: The missing piece in talent development. Gifted Child Today, 38(1), 41–48.
Subotnik, R., Stoeger, H., & Olszewski-Kubilius, P. (2017). Talent development research, policy and practice in Europe and the United States: Outcomes from a summit of international researchers. Gifted Child Quarterly, 61(3), 262–269.
Subotnik, R., Worrell, F. C., & Olszewski-Kubilius, P. (2017). The 15-minute audition: Translating a proof of concept into a domain-specific screening device for mathematical talent. Gifted Child Quarterly, 61(3), 164–171.
Suldo, S. M., Shaunessy-Dedrick, E., Ferron, J., & Dedrick, R. F. (2018). Predictors of success among high school students in advanced placement and International Baccalaureate programs. Gifted Child Quarterly, 62(4), 350–373.
Taylor, T., & Milton, M. (2006). Preparation for teaching gifted students: An investigation into university courses in Australia. Australasian Journal of Gifted Education., 15(1), 25–31.
Treffinger, D. J., Young, G. C., Nassab, C. A., & Wittig, C. V. (2004). Enhancing and expanding gifted programs: The levels of service approach. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press.
United States Department of State. (n.d.). Transitioning to an overseas assignment with a child with special needs: Guidance for parents supporting a gifted child in the foreign service. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/m/a/os/208865.htm
Useem, H. R., & Cottrell, A. B. (1999). TCKs four times more likely to earn bachelor’s degrees. TCKWorld. Retrieved from http://www.tckworld.com/useem/art2.html
Useem, J., & Useem, H. R. (1967). The interfaces of a binational third culture: A study of the American community in India. Journal of Social Issues, 23(1), 130–143.
Vanderbrook, C. M. (2006). Intellectually gifted females and their perspectives of lived experience in the AP and IB programs. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 17(3), 5–20.
Wai, J., Lubinski, D., Benbow, C. P., & Steiger, J. H. (2010). Accomplishment in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and its relation to STEM educational dose: A 25-year longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(4), 860–871.
Wright, E., Lee, M., Tang, H., & Chak Pong Tsui, G. (2016). Why offer the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program? A comparison between schools in Asia-Pacific and other regions. Journal of Research in International Education, 15(1), 3–17.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Gallagher, S. (2019). Highly Able Students in International Schools. In: Smith, S. (eds) Handbook of Giftedness and Talent Development in the Asia-Pacific. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3021-6_63-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3021-6_63-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-13-3021-6
Online ISBN: 978-981-13-3021-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education