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Is there a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? During the course of my involvement in the gifted child movement, I have observed a never-ending quest to define those things uniquely or qualitatively different about the types of curricular experiences which should be recommended for gifted and talented students . Indeed, the term has emerged as one of the field's major contemporary cliches . More attention has been given to this search for our identity than any other issue in theoretical literature concerning giftedness, with the possible exception of the age-old concern of who are the gifted and talented . Like searches for the fountain of youth and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, this quest for the meaning of qualitative differentiation has largely eluded us . This has resulted in a great deal of controversy and confusion about one of the major issues that could very well determine whether our field survives as an entity in special education . As I stated in an earlier article appearing in a previous issue of this journal (Renzulli,1980), if we are going to survive and prosper as a specialized field of knowledge, we must become as adept at defining those things for which we stand as we have been in dealing with the educational practices we oppose . My own attempt to deal with the issue of qualitative differdnces in learning was largely put forth in The Enrichment Triad Model (Renzulli, 1977) . In the intervening years I have given a considerable amount of thought as to whether or not Triad had the power to stand up to the very criticisms described in the early chapters of that book . A good deal of that thought was stimulated by two main influences . First and foremost have been the experiences I have gained as a result of the many Triad-based programs which have developed over the years . It has been my good fortune to have become directly or indirectly involved in many of these programs . Through them I have learned a great deal about works, and also what we are capable of delivering in view of our own abilities and resources . These experiences have enabled me to reflect further upon the Triad Model, as well as other models that have been proposed to guide programming for gifted students . Because I am a pragmatist in the tradition . ofJohn Dewey, I believe that theories or models' aren't worth a plug nickel unless they can give specific and practical direction to the Joseph S. Renzulli