Giftedness is often viewed as a pedagogical phenomenon, rather than as a subject of empirical educational research. Against the backdrop of school development processes in educational networks, this study seeks such an approach. The empirical case study focuses on the "Promoting Giftedness" collaborations in Lower Saxony, which have been implemented since 2003 as a comprehensive educational policy concept aimed at the equitable and permeable development of talents. Using the approach of educational governance research and based on qualitative data, the study demonstrates the prospective contribution of the guiding principle of 'promoting giftedness' to inclusion, and how productive school development is realized at various levels of governance within school administration and schools in this context.