Preparing Educators of Gifted and Talented Students to Decolonize Children’s Literature

Abstract

As we write this paper in late 2023, Advanced Placement (AP) Black history, psychology courses and the use of diverse literature written for children and young adults is being banned by many school districts across the United States. Educators are being threatened, sanctioned, reprimanded, and fired. Despite this, some teachers stand steadfast in their commitment to pedagogies that use authentic literature about and by diverse historians, authors, social activists, and researchers, to name a few. In this article, we discuss the importance of gifted and talented (GATE) being taught Black history and culture that centers diverse literature that recognizes, respects, and celebrates similarities and differences within and across cultures including ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, geographic location, language, and religion, and physical, cognitive, and emotional ability. We do this within the frameworks of children’s literature as a site for decolonization and Bishop’s metaphor of “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” (Bishop, 1990). While acknowledging that many GATE students are avid readers, we maintain that all children benefit from education that includes diverse literature and share recommendations for change.