Perspectives: Evaluating an early childhood gifted education program

The authors address the issues faced when evaluating an early childhood gifted education program from two fields of study representing different perspectives: early childhood and gifted education. This article describes the evaluation process as well as the resulting impact of the evaluation on the constituents and stakeholders of Oakwood Laboratory School.* The questions raised from the evaluation process lead to a critical examination of what is meant by best practices in both fields. In addition, the process of evaluation may serve as a prototype for other programs which serve similar populations of students.