Lewis Terman is widely seen as the “father of gifted education,” yet his work is controversial. Terman’s “mixed legacy” includes the pioneering work in the creation of intelligence tests, the first large-scale longitudinal study, and the earliest discussions of gifted identification, curriculum, ability grouping, acceleration, and more. However, since the 1950s, Terman has been viewed as a sloppy thinker at best and a racist, sexist, and/or classist at worst. This article explores the most common criticisms of Terman’s legacy: an overemphasis on IQ, support for the meritocracy, and emphasizing genetic explanations for the origin of intelligence differences over environmental ones. Each of these criticisms is justified to some extent by the historical record, and each is relevant today. Frequently overlooked, however, is Terman’s willingness to form a strong opinion based on weak data. The article concludes with a discussion of the important lessons that Terman’s work has for modern educators and psychologists, including his contributions to psychometrics and gifted education, his willingness to modify his opinions in the face of new evidence, and his inventiveness and inclination to experiment. Terman’s legacy is complex, but one that provides insights that can enrich modern researchers and practitioners in these areas.

中文翻译：

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刘易斯·特曼的评估（和辩护？）：天才教育之父可以教给 21 世纪什么

刘易斯·特曼被广泛视为“天才教育之父”，但他的工作却饱受争议。特曼的“混合遗产”包括智力测验的开创性工作，第一次大规模纵向研究，以及最早的天才识别、课程、能力分组、加速等方面的讨论。然而，自 1950 年代以来，特曼充其量被视为一个草率的思想家，最坏的情况是种族主义、性别歧视和/或阶级主义者。本文探讨了对特曼遗产最常见的批评：过分强调智商，支持精英统治，并强调对智力差异起源于环境差异的遗传解释。这些批评中的每一个都在某种程度上被历史记录证明是合理的，并且每一个都与今天相关。然而却常常被忽视，是特曼愿意根据薄弱的数据形成强烈的意见。文章最后讨论了特曼的工作对现代教育工作者和心理学家的重要教训，包括他对心理测量学和天才教育的贡献，他在面对新证据时愿意修改自己的观点，以及他的创造力和实验倾向。特曼的遗产是复杂的，但它提供的见解可以丰富这些领域的现代研究人员和从业人员。以及他的创造力和实验倾向。特曼的遗产是复杂的，但它提供的见解可以丰富这些领域的现代研究人员和从业人员。以及他的创造力和实验倾向。特曼的遗产是复杂的，但它提供的见解可以丰富这些领域的现代研究人员和从业人员。