What can happen to bored gifted students.(Series: Special Report: Gifted Programs at Risk)(News)

Byline: Tara Malone Daily Herald Staff Writer

Nathan was clever.

So clever, in fact, he finessed and maneuvered his way around the principal, teachers and classmates at his North suburban middle school.

So clever he grew bored in class, frustrated by the lack of challenge even in an advanced program.

Where did he end up?

Jail.

William breezed through his suburban high school, never getting a homework assignment that made him think, really think, until he enrolled at the College of DuPage. So unfamiliar it was to struggle with a research project that William panicked and dropped out.

Now 33 years old, William works at the Mercantile Exchange in Chicago. He's well-established professionally, but those close to William say he's dogged by feelings of failure.

Nathan's and William's experiences are not …