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Despite adolescent girls' superior school achievement and high career aspirations, fewer women than men achieve career eminence. Understanding early influences on the development of gifted girls' career-related values and aspirations may help to explain this discrepancy in career outcomes. This article reports findings from a qualitative, cross-sectional study of influences on career development for 18 girls in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades in selective entry high school programs in three Australian schools. Data from two rounds of interviews were analyzed thematically in relation to the career development theories of Gottfredson and Savickas. Findings highlighted the interrelated influence on career values, goals, and choices of (a) perceived personal traits, strengths, and interests, and (b) relationships and experiences grounded in home, school, and community contexts. Key findings are discussed for research and educational practice related to supporting career development in gifted girls.

Increasing numbers of students with identified special needs and disabilities attending Australian schools have enhanced the expectation that mainstream teachers will demonstrate competence in planning and teaching for an academically diverse range of students. A qualitative action research study explored how teachers at an Australian secondary campus understood and addressed learner diversity in the context of a whole-school effort towards more inclusive practices. Data were collected over a one-year period as the principal researcher, acting as participant/observer, sought to identify how engagement with professional learning influenced teachers' understandings, attitudes and practices related to differentiated instruction. Findings highlight the role of school leaders in providing sustained, contextual professional learning and shifting a school culture towards more inclusive teaching practices.

Despite aspirations to be a world-class national curriculum, the Australian Curriculum (AC) has been criticised as 'manifestly deficient' (Australian Government Department of Education and Training, 2014 p. 5) as an inclusive curriculum, failing to meet the needs of all students with disabilities (SWD) and their teachers. There is a need for research into the daily attempts of educators to navigate the tension between a 'top-down' system-wide curriculum and a 'bottom-up' regard for individual student needs, with a view to informing both policy and practice. This article is the first of two research papers in which we report the findings from a national online Research in Special Education (RISE) Australian Curriculum Survey of special educators in special schools, classes, and units regarding their experience using the AC to plan for and teach SWD. Survey results indicated (a) inconsistent use of the AC as the primary basis for developing learning objectives and designing learning experiences, (b) infrequent use of the achievement standards to support assessment and reporting, and (c) considerable supplementation of the AC from other resources when educating SWD. Overall, participants expressed a lack of confidence in translating the AC framework into a meaningful curriculum for SWD. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are discussed.

Despite adolescent girls' superior school achievement and high career aspirations, fewer women than men achieve career eminence. Understanding early influences on the development of gifted girls' career-related values and aspirations may help to explain this discrepancy in career outcomes. This article reports findings from a qualitative, cross-sectional study of influences on career development for 18 girls in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades in selective entry high school programs in three Australian schools. Data from two rounds of interviews were analyzed thematically in relation to the career development theories of Gottfredson and Savickas. Findings highlighted the interrelated influence on career values, goals, and choices of (a) perceived personal traits, strengths, and interests, and (b) relationships and experiences grounded in home, school, and community contexts. Key findings are discussed for research and educational practice related to supporting career development in gifted girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the challenge of addressing student diversity in secondary physical education (PE) classes. Contemporary curriculum documents and teacher standards emphasize differentiated pedagogy in order to engage and challenge all learners. However, the reality of designing effective learning experiences for diverse students represents a departure from traditional approaches to secondary PE teaching, and research indicates that secondary teachers often feel ill-prepared to make the necessary adjustments to plan and teach in a differentiated manner. This article employs the example of a team sports unit (volleyball) to make plain a general approach to planning for and teaching diverse learners.

Despite calls over the past several decades for increased attention to the needs of gifted and advanced learners, little is known about how South Australian schools currently identify and provide for these students. An online questionnaire was sent to all schools in the state and was completed by participants from 71 schools. Findings suggested inconsistency between schools in the combinations of measures used to identify gifted students and in the nature and content of educational provisions. Low rates of teacher professional development in gifted education were reported, despite most schools expecting classroom teachers to differentiate for gifted students and recommend students for advanced learning opportunities. Responses revealed a perceived tension between addressing the needs of gifted learners and catering for more disadvantaged groups. Few schools reported formally evaluating their provisions for gifted students. Recommendations are made for a renewed focus on the purpose and place of gifted education in South Australia (SA).

The underrepresentation of ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged students in gifted education must be understood in terms of broader school contexts and practices. This qualitative study investigated how teachers and schools contributed to the academic success of minority students of high potential from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Researchers collected observation, interview, and documentary data for 2 years at each of three case study sites with a reputation of effectiveness in supporting academic success of minority students from low-income backgrounds. Data indicated that (a) teachers and schools can positively affect achievement without being exemplary in all facets of their practice, (b) teachers' and schools' definitions of success shape students' opportunities for achievement, (c) developing the capacities of high-potential students necessitates supported access to challenging curriculum for all minority students, and (d) educators who foster academic success in minority students support students to comfortably navigate dual cultural worlds.

Students with disabilities are at increased risk of experiencing mental health difficulties, but may not be recognised as an at-risk population in the design of school-based prevention and intervention efforts. Understanding the link between disability and mental health is important for school psychologists and guidance counsellors, teachers, and special education personnel who are in a position to provide targeted opportunities for social and emotional learning and to ameliorate the potential for marginalisation and isolation. This article reviews research related to mental health in students with disabilities, with a focus on understanding potential pathways between disability and mental health difficulties and examining the evidence for effective universal and targeted interventions. The research reviewed highlights the need for mental health promotion in schools to incorporate targeted approaches for at-risk students within the context of universal, whole-school approaches, and in particular to consider the mental health needs of students with disabilities.

Barriers to the identification of gifted students from traditionally underserved groups have been well documented. Although contemporary definitions of giftedness give heed to both performance and potential, the literature provides little concrete direction for how "potential" can be recognized, particularly in underperforming students who have lacked access to the kind of high-quality, personally relevant, and appropriately challenging curriculum likely to bring their talents to the fore. It is argued that high-quality curriculum can serve as an effective catalyst for the emergence of diverse talent but that such an objective must be a deliberate focus of curriculum planning. The "Famous Five" exercise presented in this article is a heuristic procedure that has been used with experienced educators and is designed to stimulate the thinking of curriculum developers as they design opportunities for unmasking diverse gifted potential.

Barriers to the identification of gifted students from traditionally underserved groups have been well documented. Although contemporary definitions of giftedness give heed to both performance and potential, the literature provides little concrete direction for how 'potential' can be recognized, particularly in underperforming students who have lacked access to the kind of high-quality, personally relevant, and appropriately challenging curriculum likely to bring their talents to the fore. It is argued that high-quality curriculum can serve as an effective catalyst for the emergence of diverse talent but that such an objective must be a deliberate focus of curriculum planning. The 'Famous Five' exercise presented in this article is a heuristic procedure that has been used with experienced educators and is designed to stimulate the thinking of curriculum developers as they design opportunities for unmasking diverse gifted potential. Keywords: gifted, gifted/curriculum, gifted/definitions, gifted/special populations, individual differences, inservice teacher education, student needs, talent development, talent identification, In the ongoing discussion of what constitutes fair and productive practice in the identification of gifted students, several voices have called attention to the role of curriculum in fostering the [...]

Increasing numbers of students with identified special needs and disabilities attending Australian schools have enhanced the expectation that mainstream teachers will demonstrate competence in planning and teaching for an academically diverse range of students. A qualitative action research study explored how teachers at an Australian secondary campus understood and addressed learner diversity in the context of a whole-school effort towards more inclusive practices. Data were collected over a one-year period as the principal researcher, acting as participant/observer, sought to identify how engagement with professional learning influenced teachers' understandings, attitudes and practices related to differentiated instruction. Findings highlight the role of school leaders in providing sustained, contextual professional learning and shifting a school culture towards more inclusive teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]