Gifted Education: Arnhem Land In The Northern Territory, Australia

Rationale for gifted education
A school exists on a small island off the coast of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, Australia. The school caters for one hundred students from Pre-School to Year 12. Ninety-eight percent of the students are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, and eighty percent of the students have a language background other than English. (Myschool.edu.au, 2015).
Is gifted education relevant for a school operating in such a context? Gifted education provides students with the opportunity to teach their potential. Moreover, developing and nurturing the high performance of gifted students at the school supports the future prosperity of the individuals, community, territory, and the nation (http://edexcellencemedia.net/publications/2011/20110920_HighFlyers/Do_High_Flyers_Maintain_Their_Altitude_FINAL.pdf)

The Melbourne Declaration (2008) states that all young Australians are to be provided challenging and stimulating learning experiences. It further declares that schools are to provide personalised learning in order to fulfil the diverse capabilities of learners.
Moreover, the Australian Curriculum (2015) states that gifted and talented students are entitled to relevant, engaging, and rigorous learning opportunities. The learning experiences the school provides must align with the student’s individual learning needs, goals, strengths, and interests (http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/studentdiversity/gifted-and-talented-students)
Finally, the Northern Territory Gifted Education policy dictates that schools must have high expectations and learning outcomes for all students. The school must have processes in place to identify gifted students, and provide learning environments that are appropriately differentiated for the gifted students. This will ensure that gifted students can reach their potential (Policy Gifted Education,

The domains are academics, visual arts, performing arts, physical ability, creative thinking, interpersonal skills, and intrapersonal skills (Guidelines and Procedures Gifted Education, n.d.). However, the school cannot feasibly implement gifted education for all the domains, due to low staff numbers.
The school must create its own definition of giftedness, which incorporates the values and aspirations of the community (Australian), and the intellectual strengths and talents of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Although Aboriginal culture does not value people standing out, Aboriginal children are encouraged to excel with particular gifts; music, hunting, visual art, story-telling, knowledge and language (Fesl, 1993 cited in Australian).
Gifted education at the school must include the general intellectual strengths of Aboriginal people, which are the areas that are valued by the specific cultures and communities (Gardner, 1983 & Sternberg 2003, cited in Australian). Aboriginal people tend to have high linguistic intelligence; they are often multilinguals and are quick to learn other languages. A considerable percentage of aboriginal people have excellent spatial, naturalist, and spiritual intelligences. Finally, interpersonal intelligence is highly valued in Aboriginal communities