I don't doubt what you're saying as far as the distribution. Although there are all sorts of distributions that more or less follow a bell curve. I also agree that highly gifted kids need SOMETHING to keep them from being bored and frustrated. I don't know that I would agree that they need help. They simply need a challenge. As mentioned, honors/AP classes are one solution. I don't know if they still do it, but I've known people who have skipped entire grades. They could go to private or magnet schools. I think the bottom line is that it's easier to take care of a gifted kid than a handicapped, MR, or otherwise disabled kid. Maybe funding has been cut for some programs. But parents of special needs kids may be putting out tons of money for medical care and whatever else they need at home, let alone what they need at school. I just can't buy into the theory that we should leave them at home to rot just because we somehow think they can't grow up to be productive adults. If that were the case, then I guess we should just give up on inner city youth, kids of single parents on welfare, kids of drug addicts, etc. because odds are they may not end up being productive adults. Fact is we just need more money spent on education. We spend more on criminals than we do on our kids. Sad commentary.