Only then will we stop wasting the potential these children have. The Difficulty Our opening statement was that these erroneous beliefs are held by people in power. Gifted students and their families are in the distinct minority. Gifted students don't vote. On a personal level, these erroneous beliefs are also held by teachers and school administrators who have not had access to the research about these children and therefore lack the information they need to change their beliefs.
Teachers have great power over the students in their classrooms.
A teacher who does not understand the characteristics of gifted students and their critical need for acceleration and enrichment of curriculum will be at a loss to do what needs to be done. Depending on the child's reaction to the lack of challenge and intellectual stimulation, the student might also be viewed as lazy, disruptive, sassy or rude. The end result is that the child is not receiving an appropriate education. A highly gifted child will be receiving no real education at all. And this is probably the case for a majority of gifted students.