College career centers: Reaching out to the gifted and talented

Abstract

As numerous reports reveal deficiencies in today's educational curriculum and instruction (A Nation at Risk; The Carnegie Report; The National Science Commission Report; and others), it is clear that American education is, once again, experiencing a period of pressure for educational reform. Particularly, there is a renewed interest in focusing efforts on meeting the educational needs of the academically gifted and talented (Van Tassel-Baska, 1984). Along with this interest in the educational needs of the gifted and talented comes an awareness of the unique aspects of their career development process. Although these needs are essentially the same for all young people, several authors have written about the specific career development needs and issues facing the gifted and talented (Perrone & Van Den Heuvel, 1981; Perrone, Karshner, & Male, 1979; Sanborn, 1979; Hoyt & Hebeler, 1974; and others). Even those who remain opposed to special groupings of the gifted acknowledge that gifted students have special problems in planning their careers (Kerr, 1981a). This article considers the college career center's role in providing services to the gifted and talented. Also included is a brief discussion of the current status of career education in the public schools and the implications this holds for college career center personnel who will, most likely, be delivering career services to the gifted and talented. Descriptions of the various gifted and talented sub-types are provided along with suggested strategies for meeting their specific career development needs.