Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences has impacted the educational community since its inception in 1983. The theory became the framework for Gifted and Talented Education, in that it broaden the scope of giftedness to be defined in the context of students being identified with nontraditional gifts and talents as well as combinations of giftedness and learning disabilities. The Howard Gardner School has emerged to address the needs of the gifted and talented population in an alternative high school setting based upon the theory of multiple intelligences (MI).

The purpose of this portrait was to understand and describe the creation and evolution of the Howard Gardner School (HGS) as it was established to provide an innovative approach to educating the bright and creative student. The study included a review of the literature regarding educating gifted and talented students, MI theory and its practical application, and alternative schools and alternative programs. The investigation attempted to understand how the Howard Gardner School achieved its mission and whether it has remained true to the success factors of an alternative school as well as to the tenets of the theory of multiple intelligences.

Data for this study was collected during unstructured interviews, observations, and analysis of documents and artifacts. Findings from this study provided insight for school systems, educators, parents, students, policy makers, and researchers about the unusual or unique situation at the Howard Gardner School and implications for educating gifted and talented secondary students.