To the OP, I think that in order to label gifted people as such, you must have a definition of gifted and some way to test that definition. Have either/or both of those changed? Are they different from school to school and state to state? How much more do we now know about intelligence, education, achievement, etc?

I have often wondered if my child would have done better in the public schools of 25 or 50 years ago. It is really hard to figure this out, I think, partly because of the "good old days fallacy" where we remember mostly the good things about the era and very little of the shortcomings. I could make lists of things that would have helped and what would have hurt, I don't often go too far down that road.

From my own experience, I know that you had to get a certain IQ number from a screening test (not an individual IQ test) to get into the gifted program where I grew up, but they disqualified you if "they" thought you were too shy, etc. I don't see that happening as much now, so there is one concrete reason why more kids would get into the program.

There are a lot of differences that others addressed.

I am not sure I understand your question about being technologically advanced. Getting here could be due to a mix of work from gifted people, high achievers and worker bees, right?

Last edited by howdy; 04/18/17 12:38 PM.