Report Urges Acceleration for Gifted Students

A report by a group of experts on gifted education makes an impassioned plea for schools to allow exceptionally bright children to skip grades, start school early, or take other steps to push ahead their learning.

“Those of us who do research in this field have been very aware of the fact that, despite the research on the positive effects of acceleration, it’s just not translating to practice,” said Nicholas Colangelo, a co-author of the report, “A Nation Deceived: How Schools Hold Back America’s Brightest Students.”

The two-volume study, released on Sept. 20, includes a layman’s version and a more detailed research report that corrals evidence...