Preface -- 1. Studying the cultivation of excellence and talent in education -- 2. Education and talent in an international, conceptual history perspective -- 3. Talent and educational differentiation in Denmark -- 4. Talent class activities in a Danish school context; 5. Identification and classification of the talented students -- 6. Teaching in the talent classes -- 7. Policy perceptions of talent activities among local teachers -- 8. Excellence, Talent and Education in a Global Perspective -- 9. Concluding discussion.

This book critically analyses the current education political strategy of cultivating excellence in education. It shows how the new policy for selecting talented students in Denmark deconstructs the compromise from which the comprehensive school was built and reduces equal opportunities. It discusses how the current practice of measurement, selection and guidance of talented students brings about significant changes in education policies, in pedagogic practices, a restructuring of school organisations, and changed requirements of teachers. It explains how the internal differentiation of education systems based on self-selection and free choice, but also on new assessment techniques, tends to widen the inequality gap between students. The analysis clearly shows the relationship between the circulation of new ideas and normative frameworks at international level, and their transfer into national policies, while situating these developments in a socio-historical perspective. The book illustrates by means of a concrete case study with important empirical data that demonstrate the reality and influence of this new policy on the day-to-day work of teachers.