Search

This article expands the notion of culturally responsive learning environments by including Purkey and Novak's (1996) work on invitational learning. Their typology of four types of schools is described and applied to gifted education classrooms, along with associated characteristics of each. Specific attention is focused on implications for Black and Hispanic students. The author maintains that all classrooms must be culturally responsive, which will help with recruiting and retaining culturally different students in gifted education.

Whether individuals like it or not, they have witnessed and will continue to witness a drastic increase in the number of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students in schools. This increase is not being mirrored in gifted education. Why do gifted programs remain so stubbornly void of diversity? The author believes that attitudes in the form of deficit thinking are the sole reason for this historical and contemporary problem. To repeat, deficit thinking affects teachers' expectations of and relationships with CLD students (and their families), the instruments they adopt, interpretations of resultant test scores, and the strengths of their efforts to change. As Einstein said, "The world we have created is a product of our thinking. We cannot change things until we change our thinking." With this sage advice in mind, the author proposes several recommendations for creating culturally responsive classrooms for gifted students. The recommendations are grounded in a philosophy of inclusion--desiring and then ensuring that CLD students are included in gifted education. Everyone must break down human-made barriers, beginning with teacher preparation. (Contains 1 figure.)

Nondiscriminatory assessment practices have been proposed as a model of assessment for individuals of diverse cultures who are suspected as having a disability. This paper presents the use of nondiscriminatory assessment practices in evaluating students of diverse cultures who may be identified as gifted. Principles and guidelines for nondiscriminatory ways of assessing students of diverse cultures who may be gifted are presented. Implications for putting nondiscriminatory assessment procedures into practice are provided.

In this article, the authors share a story that, in part, represented both of their experiences teaching in higher education. As African American educators in predominantly White universities, they both find themselves facing, dealing with, and overcoming racism. These experiences shape their curriculum. They see their personal and professional responsibility as that of preparing future and current educators (e.g., teachers, counselors, administrators) to work effectively in culturally and racially diverse settings. They challenge educators to think or rethink gifted education curriculum. They urge educators to become self-reflective professionals who see the connection--direct connection--between their personal beliefs, attitudes, and values and their work in developing and implementing curriculum. They maintain that teaching is not only a social process--it is also a personal and cultural process. Who they are as individuals, who they are as cultural and racial beings, influences who they are as teachers/educators in the classroom, and these identities bear meaningfully on what students have had the opportunity to learn. Thus, they urge educators to see beyond their own worldview to consider teaching and learning through the eyes of their students, so many of whom are racially and culturally diverse. It is these students who they are failing disproportionately in their schools. In this regard, they offer the proposition that the achievement gap may be largely determined by a cultural and racial gap between teachers (the majority of whom are White) and their diverse students (Ford et al., 2004).

In public school systems all around the country, educators--teachers, counselors, and administrators--have made significant progress in identifying and recruiting diverse populations in gifted and enrichment programs. Despite the efforts, too many African American students and other students of color (e.g., Hispanic Americans and Native Americans) are not faring well in gifted education. The social and cultural obstacles (e.g., racial and ethnic prejudice, negative peer pressure, poor parental involvement, negative teacher and counselor expectations, etc.) that students of color, particularly African Americans, face in gifted education are well known. In order to improve African American student retention, it is clear that public school systems must do more. Recruitment is an important component for increasing the number of African American students in gifted education, but retention is equally important. Using multiple frameworks, this article examines the notion of retention and its many challenges and offers recommendations for improving the retention of African American students in gifted education. Putting the research to use: A litany of publications has focused on the persistent underrepresentation of African American students in gifted education programs. In response, school personnel (e.g., teachers, counselors, and administrators) have attempted to develop strategies to increase the representation of these students in gifted education programs. Efforts primarily target fining instruments and developing policies and procedures to recruit gifted African American students. Less often is there a focus on retaining diverse students in gifted programs once they have been recruited (that is, identified and placed). In this article, we extrapolate from the work of scholars and social scientists in higher education, many of whom bemoan the loss of diverse students who opt to withdraw from college, and draw implications for gifted education. Our thesis is that this underrepresentation problem will persist until educators more assertively focus on both the recruitment and retention of students of color. We argue, in other words, that recruitment is not enough to change the demographics of gifted education and otherwise increase access to these programs for African American students.

In a previous article, we (Naglieri & Ford, 2003) provided evidence from a large-scale study that similar proportions of White, Black, and Hispanic children would be identified as gifted using the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT; Naglieri, 1997). Lohman (2005) has taken issue with our conclusions and our methods. We provide several responses to his arguments and make five important points. First, we take the position that underrepresentation of minority children in classes for the gifted is a serious problem that must be remedied. Second, traditional measures of ability that include verbal and quantitative tests pose particular problems to less-advantaged children who may be intelligent, but lack verbal and math knowledge. Third, we argue that the CogAT verbal and quantitative tests of "ability" correlate higher with the ITBS "achievement" tests than the CogAT nonverbal tests of ability because of the similarity of skills needed to answer the items on both the ITBS and the CogAT. Fourth, we reject an emphasis on "academically gifted" children that excludes the identification of "intellectually gifted" children who happen to have poor academic skills. Fifth, we request that critics of the NNAT provide evidence of the magnitude of race and ethnic differences, as well as the likely effect on representation of minorities using whatever alternatives they propose.

We are fond of stating that "what is valued and viewed as gifted in one culture may not be considered gifted in another culture." This assertion appears in gifted education textbooks and in the writings of several scholars. However, beyond stating this assertion and providing a few examples to support it, scholars in gifted education, ourselves included, have not provided a substantive treatment of the concept of "culture" in their works. This void is addressed in this articlewhere we share definitions and functions of culture, along with a theoretical model for understanding culture. The article ends with implications for gifted education.

This article focuses on what school-based mental health counselors need to know to be anti-racist and culturally responsive for Black students, while recognizing that many of the presented theories and frameworks have implications for other minoritized gifted and talented (GATE) students/clients. The authors provide an overview of the most promising works for guiding counselors (and all educators) in their efforts to effect meaningful, equity-driven changes, to disrupt prejudice and discrimination, and to be advocates and allies for Black clients/students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educators, policy makers, and civic leaders are baffled and frustrated over the stubborn achievement gaps that exist between white students and students of color. On a consistent basis, African American students do not fair as well as white students on school-related measures such as proficiency examinations and standardized tests (e.g., Scholastic Aptitude Tests [SAT] and American College Testing [ACT]). Numerous theories have been offered to explain the "achievement gap." The explanations can be placed into the following categories: social factors, cultural factors, and psychological factors. The majority of research has focused on the achievement between white students and African American students. In this article, the authors discuss the need for educators to understand social, cultural, and psychological factors that affect achievement in students of color.

This article examines the root causes for the overrepresentation of African American students in special education classes and their under representation in gifted and talented programs in America's public schools. The article (a) provides a historic overview of the legal struggles for educational equity, (b) examines key issues surrounding the academic status of African American students, (c) discusses multicultural education as a remedy, and (d) recommends an appropriate course of action for educators and policy makers.

While it is recognized that self-concept and self-esteem affect the academic achievement of students, few publications have focused on the affective and psychological needs of students who are gifted and ethnically or culturally diverse. In this article, we extend the discussion of self-concept and achievement by focusing on how racial identity development affects the achievement of gifted African American students. We argue that few efforts, designed to improve gifted Black students' achievement and social-emotional well-being, will be successful until educators focus specifically on their racial identity. While we acknowledge that a focus on racial identity is necessary for all African American students, we are most concerned in this article with gifted Black students because so few have been identified as gifted. Along with describing racial identity development and issues facing gifted African American students, we offer solutions for change. (Contains 3 figures and 1 footnote.)

This study examined the effectiveness of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT) in identifying gifted black and Hispanic students in a total population of 20,270 students (K-12). Analysis indicated that similar percentages of white (5.6%), black (5.1%), and Hispanic (4.4%) children earned an NNAT score in the 95th percentile rank. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Discusses why diverse students are underrepresented in gifted education, noting ways to recruit and retain more diverse students into gifted programs. Factors contributing to the persistent underrepresentation of black students in gifted education are presented, along with suggestions for change. The article's central premise is that deficit thinking held by educators about diverse students hinders these students' access to gifted education. (SM)

This article maintains that the underrepresentation of diverse students in gifted education programs is due to a "deficit perspective" about culturally diverse populations. Recommendations include identifying and serving underachievers and low socioeconomic-status students, providing educators and gifted students with multicultural education, and developing home-school partnerships. (Contains references.) (DB)

Studied the views of parents and educators about the causes and treatments of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) through 45 hours of interviews with 25 participants at 4 urban schools. Results show that parents and educators have a socially constructed view of ADHD and are less likely to use stimulant medicine for the treatment of ADHD. (SLD)

This article examines the Office for Civil Rights' (OCR) position on non-discriminatory testing, polices and practices and the role and responsibility of the OCR in securing the civil rights of culturally and linguistically diverse students in the context of gifted education. Possible discriminatory practices in gifted education are outlined. (Contains 16 references.) (CR)

This article offers a framework for infusing multicultural curriculum into gifted education that integrates two, heretofore, parallel models in education, Benjamin Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives (1956) and Banks and Banks' (1993) model of multicultural education. (Contains 15 references.) (DB)

Discussion of the issues of under representation of diverse students, especially African Americans, in programs for gifted students and of underachievement of minority students suggests a solution to both issues is for schools to create culturally responsive classrooms. The article describes the needs of diverse students and offers several rationales and recommendations for creating such classrooms. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

This article focuses on recommended literature for gifted black and other minority students. The use of bibliotherapy with gifted students is described and recommendations are presented for using multicultural literature, along with guidelines for selecting high quality multicultural literature. An annotated bibliography of 10 recommended books is included. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Discussion of J. Renzulli's Schoolwide Enrichment Model (SEM) finds that the model's focus on talent development allows increased access to opportunity, excellence, and equity for minority students who have been shut out of gifted education. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Describes factors hindering the recruitment and retention of minority students in gifted education. Presents recommendations for change that center on equitable screening and identification instruments and procedures, providing minority students with a quality education, addressing barriers to student achievement, and improving teacher preparation. Contains 37 references. (SLD)

A case study of a 15-year-old gifted, underachieving African-American female 9th grader explores underachievement among gifted African-American females through her perceptions of peer relations, teacher expectations, and curricular issues. Recommendations are made to improve her educational experiences and those of other gifted African-American females. (Author/CR)

A survey of 140 academically diverse African-American students from one- and two-parent homes was used to study their achievement levels, ideologies, perceptions of parental ideologies and achievement, and attitudes toward schools. Differences among one- and two-parent families are examined. (MMU)

Identifies factors that inhibit the recruitment and retention of minority students in gifted education programs including screening and identification issues (definitions and instrumentation); educational issues (quality of students' education); and personnel issues (lack of teacher training in gifted and urban education, low teacher referral). (Author/DB)

Although black students represent 16% of the student population nationally, they comprise only 8% of the student population in gifted programs. Principals can rectify this situation by focusing on teacher supervision and evaluation, staff development, and quality control. Teachers must be held accountable for providing quality learning experiences and maintaining high academic expectations for all students. (18 references) (MLH)

I. INTRODUCTION II. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF GIFTED EDUCATION A. Federal Legislation B. State Laws III. LITIGATION INVOLVING GIFTED STUDENTS IV. MCFADDEN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION FOR ILLINOIS SCHOOL DISTRICT U-46 [...]

A study examined the racial identity and achievement of 44 identified gifted Black adolescents, 67 potentially gifted Black adolescents, and 38 typical Black adolescents. Males and underachievers had less positive racial identities than females and achievers, and gifted students had more positive racial identities than the others. (Author/CR)

Presents data on the underrepresentation of black and other minority teachers and provides recommendations for the recruitment and retention of minority teachers in gifted education in the context of affective, philosophical, and cultural considerations. Research needs are identified in the areas of demographic data, career decisions, contributions of minority teachers to student achievement, and policies and practices. (DB)

Discusses the need for professionals in gifted education to give greater attention to multicultural education. Characteristics of multicultural education are described and implications for gifted education are reviewed. Recommendations are offered to help educators of gifted students become more culturally aware, responsive, and skilled. (Author/CR)