What is “Good Fit” and Why Does It Matter?

“Good fit” in the context of school and social life means that people feel as though they belong.

First, “good fit” in the context of school and social life means that the children feel as though they belong, that they are not outliers, or lonely, or weird compared to the others.[i] Children who grow up feeling like they don’t belong all-too-often turn into adults who also feel that way.

Why does a good fit matter? The purpose of a longitudinal study is to uncover what — from the subjects’ background experiences — could have impacted how their lives are as adults. Good fit matters for the topic of high intelligence because there is one especially big hurdle in the lives of highly intelligent children and their families that is not a hurdle for children who fit the ways schools are set up.

The ways schools are typically arranged for children does not fit the different Levels of Gifted children well and can have negative, lasting effects if no changes are provided for the needs of such learners during those 12 to 13 long, formative school years.

The customary method of grouping children in schools is by age and within age-grade levels. When a bright or gifted child is not similar to the majority of the other children in learning ability, this is a big problem. Further, within that structure of…