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GIFTED CHILDREN NEWSLETTER 1/82
Gifted Children
Susceptible to Cults
MOBILE, Ala.--"Our gifted youth are walking prey,
extremely susceptible to the loving, accepting, inviting,
challenging fall of the cults." Such was the warning of Dr.
Sandy Andron, Youth Program Director of the Central
Agency for Jewish Education, Miami, Florida. Andron
was one of the main speakers at the G/C/T conference
held here recently.
Andron charged that cults actively recruit gifted teen-
agers from the middle and upper classes because they are
"the mort vulnerable to the magnetic attraction of the
cults."
What makes gifted children especially vulnerable?
According to Andron, it is precisely the positive traits of
giftedness which are at the same time the Achilles heel of
the gifted. "The gifted youth is one who often is naive, has
a liking for structure and order, has intellectual curiosity,
has empathy for others, is often self-critical, has need for
emotional support, is attracted to the mysterious, is will-
ing to take chances and risks, is honest in his search for
truth, is basically adventurous..."
Andron defines a cult as "any group which equates
doubt with guilt...it is religious philosophy gone patho-
logical." He says participation in a cult uniformly meets
the unique needs of the gifted in a precise. destructive
fashion. The pathological religious philosophy of a cult,
according to him, offers "togetherness, vitality, conti-
nuity and community to gifted youth who typically need
security, friendship, moral authority and a sense of
purpose."
What should parents of gifted children do to combat
the threat of cult appeal? "If the cults are offering love in
the absence of self," Andron says, "then we must provide
love with the fulfillment of self; we must offer our chil-
dren a life of maturity and acceptance of responsibility;
and provide them with security through reverence for the
individual and the divine."
Editor's note: Gifted Children Newsletter neither con-
dones the activity of cults nor endorses specific methods
of combating their effects on children. However, if you
want more information on Dr. Andron's perspective on
cults, you may write him c/o CAJE, 4200 Biscayne
Boulevard, Miami, FL 33137.
LEADERS SPAR ON
CRITICAL ISSUES
PORTLAND, Oreg. --In identifying and serving only
the top five percent of the student population,"we have
been serving the wrong kids in programs for the gifted
and talented," charged Joseph Renzulli at the twenty-
eighth annual convention of the National Association for
Gifted Children, Renzulli made his remarks as part of a
"great debate," which featured several recognized leaders
in the field sharing their ideas and concerns.
Renzulli produced data that he claims shows "no sig-
nificant difference" in the quality of student products by
the top 5 percent of the population academically and the
next i5 percent. He said product evaluations on the basis
of "blind ratings" were virtually the same for students
identified traditionally by high IQ and achievement test
scores, and for those "revolved in" to programs on the
basis of above average ability, creativity, and task
commitment.
Taking issue with Renzulli's findings was James Gal-
lagher, who stated that two different kinds of "perfor-
mance" were at issue. "IQ measures abstract systems, not
application," Gallagher said. In a playful repartee he
added. "I'll give you your 120's and I'll take the 140's and
I'll beat you at any game you want to play!"
Gallagher was quite serious, however, in his indictment
of so-called "productive thinking" and creativity train-
ing. He said what educators do under that rubric "may
not be terribly useful, unless tied to some significant
content--such as math, art, science, or history." He said
that "the game-like atmosphere of these programs may be
a disservice to these youngsters."
In contrast Gallagher advocated rigor, hard work, and
intellectual discipline to counter what he views as the "fun
and frills" approach to programs for the gifted. He cited
the arts and athletics as models combining talent, prac-
tice and sacrifice.
In raising the issue of relevance Gallagher said we
ought to ask ourselves: "Are we providing the proper
intellectual discipline and content base for the gifted's
intellectual development?" One way to accomplish this,
according to him, is to bring the masters of a discipline,
the scholars from the universities, back into the curricu-
lum planning process.
PULL-OUT NOT ENOUGH
FOR GIFTED
MILWAUKEE. Wis.--A gifted "pull-out" program is
not all that school districts should be satisfied with,
according to John Feldhusen, director of the Gifted
Resource Institute at Purdue University, Lafayette,lndi-
ana. Feldhusen spoke at the Fall conference of three
hundred parents and educators of the Wisconsin Council
for the Gifted and Talented.
Noting there are wide differences in ability among
gifted children, Feldhusen recommended three kinds of
programs: full-time acceleration; part-time, pull-out
enrichment; and enrichment in the regular classroom.
About one-third of a school enrollment would qualify for
one of these program options, Feldhusen envisions. He
said the top 3 to 5 percent academically should be getting
full-time acceleration. The next 10 percent should partici-
pate in part-time enrichment activities outside the regular
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