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The advent of a new millenium is an appropriate time to consider some “unthinkable thoughts,” those thoughts that make us so uncomfortable that most professionals prefer to ignore them. Yet, if progress is to be made, such challenges to our professional roles must be confronted. Four such ugly questions are considered for gifted education, together with suggested actions to cope with them. 1. Is there really such an entity as a gifted child? 2. Is there such an entity as gifted education? 3. Is there such an entity as special personnel preparation for teachers of gifted students? 4. Is the application of special services for gifted students sufficient in scope and intensity to make a difference in the classroom? We should recognize that, however we choose to cope with these issues, our status quo, business as usual, is hardly a viable choice for the 21st century.
James J. Gallagher (2000) studied this question.