Mathematical Giftedness and the Need of Mathematics Specialists in Elementary Grades

The change of the developed countries to highly technological societies continuously requires that they nurture and use the full potential of mathematically and scientifically talented people. As this is a process that should start early in order to be efficient, the main responsibility of identifying and addressing the specific needs of these people is assigned to public school systems and, in particular, to elementary teachers. In this regard, three significant areas of concern arise and are discussed in this paper: (a) The complexity in identifying mathematically promising and mathematically talented elementary students; (b) The highly responsible and difficult task for elementary teachers to differentiate and serve the mathematically promising students within an inclusive classroom; and (c) The need of teachers with specialized training and mathematics knowledge in pre-high school grades. The last one should be considered predominantly as a logical consequence of the first two. The main goal and, hence, the purpose of the paper is to promote understanding of this crucial necessity of mathematics specialists and to advocate for a change in this direction.