Talent Development: A ‘Must’ for a Promising Future

Abstract

ARE your children breaking an sweat? This question is essential, for it addresses the need to work hard to reach a goal. Parents and educators often resort to an analogy between athletics and academics in an effort to bring children around A on the matter of the dual importance of hard work and talent. No athlete becomes a champion without facing challenges. No athlete excels without expert coaching. same holds true for all talent areas. Schools that offer varsity sports need to offer varsity-level opportunities in academic and artistic areas as well. In the movement toward an integrated P-16 system of education, we need to address a number of questions about talent development. Why is talent development important for society in general? What must be in place in a P-16 system in order to nurture the development of talent in a school and throughout a school system? And what must be in place to develop top talent? What factors erect barriers to talent development? In this article, I will meld key concepts in the development of talent and, indeed, the development of top talent, with the characteristics of an integrated P-16 system of schooling. So what is talent development? most basic model for talent development must see that each child has opportunities to excel at the highest level possible. child who is working above grade level has ongoing opportunities opportunities to make progress. No one is limited in what he or she can learn because of age, but rather learning experiences are planned to match the level at which the child is ready to learn. Student talents are accommodated in a variety of areas, whether in academic subjects, in the arts, or in athletics. Society needs talented individuals to create a bright future in our communities, states, and nation. Inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs, scholars, artists, and leaders are needed to solve local and global problems. In a world flattened by advanced technology, educators need to garner the resources and offer opportunities to ensure that all students are developing their abilities to optimal levels. Continuous progress is at the heart of talent development. Of course, all children need to learn on an ongoing basis; however, top talent is often overlooked. For the sake of our future, we must not let this happen. In his retrospective study, Benjamin Bloom examined individuals who had achieved international eminence in their thirties and looked at the factors that led to their achievement. He described teachers of young people at various levels of talent development: teachers at the first level create a love of the talent area and develop the basic skills; at the second level, teachers develop competence; and at the third level, teachers take the talented individuals to the level of expertise. (1) Numerous reports have called for the development of talent, highlighting the critical need for the U.S. to maintain its competitive position in the 21st century. In Rising Above the Gathering Storm, the National Academies Committee on Prospering in the Global Economy of the 21st Century identified just four actions federal policy makers should take to enhance the science and technology enterprise so the United States can successfully compete, prosper, and be secure in the global community of the 21st Century. (2) first is to increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 mathematics and science education, which carries implications for a P-16 system. And each of the four recommendations refers in its own way to the development of talent and the importance of innovation if the U.S. is to thrive in the global economy. Writers, scientists, and politicians emphasize the tie between innovation and a bright economic future. Richard Florida states in Flight of the Creative Class, The competition for creative talent is heating up in all corners of the globe. (3) National Governors Association and Arizona Gov. …