The Benefits of Summer Programming for Gifted Adolescents

Abstract

For several years, Talent Search programs at five American universities have offered intensive summer experiences for a select group of highly gifted young adolescents in core academic areas. It has been the position of directors of these projects that the experience of attending such a summer program has a profound effect on an adolescent's life. In an effort to examine the overall effects and benefits of this type of programming, the Midwest Talent Search Project at Northwestern University conducted a follow-up study of one hundred of its summer participants. This article describes the procedures used, reports the data collected, and suggests a “benefits model” for further testing among this population of gifted adolescents.