Diversity and Developing Potential

Abstract

Schools have been wrestling with issues related to the underrepresentation of Black, Hispanic, and low-income children in gifted education programs. Even with the display of potential, these students are less likely to reach advanced levels of academic performance, which results in “excellence gaps” or differences between subgroups of students performing at the highest levels of achievement (Plucker et al., 2010). These differences are particularly evident between students from lower and higher economic backgrounds, which leads to an underrepresentation of low-income and minority students at selective universities. According to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, these gaps appear to be growing wider (Plucker et al., 2013). Some schools and states have responded by eliminating gifted funding and programs for gifted and talented students. Other educators have recognized the importance of developing potential and have created more inclusive policies and practices such as including (a) subgroups of gifted students in state definitions, (b) talent development activities beginning in early grades, (c) universal screening of all students, (d) developing local norms at school campuses, (e) increasing the percentage of students eligible to be served in advanced and gifted programs, and (f) providing culturally responsive curriculum. A more recent report indicates that participation in gifted programming appears to moderate achievement disparities among groups, particularly for Hispanic and Black students, emphasizing the importance of services for underrepresented groups (Yaluma & Tyner, 2018). Unfortunately, students in affluent schools are more than twice as likely to participate and minority students are much less likely to participate regardless of the school’s poverty level. The authors in this issue of Gifted Child Today examine the challenges of developing potential of advanced students from diverse backgrounds and offer some suggestions for increasing their participation and inclusion in gifted programs. Meghan Ecker-Lyster, Lauren Coleman-Tempel, Sabrina Gregersen, and Jamie Snyder explore how income, race, culture, and parenting practices interact to cause, complicate, and exacerbate the gap in gifted student identification. Using Laureau’s concepts of concerted cultivation, they describe the influence of social and cultural capital as a driving force in the identification of giftedness in students from low-income backgrounds. To overcome problems related to identification and increase equity in gifted programs, they recommend preparing and training educators to see potential and cultural wealth and to improve the curriculum by integrating culturally relevant teaching practices in classrooms, Marques Dexter, Kristina Collins, and Tarek Grantham provide a framework for gifted education teachers—the Scholar Baller Model—that supports dual identities and multipotentiality of gifted Black male athletes. The framework may be integrated into the curriculum and enriches simultaneously these students’ educational, athletic, and professional goal commitments. The enrichment of pre-college experiences cultivates more positive educational outcomes and career options for collegiate-level Black athletes. Joseph Milinga describes how to develop gifted education programs and incorporate areas that he considers essential for promoting equity and excellence in nurturing gifted students in Tanzania. These areas include pro-social behavior, social and emotional learning, and ethical dimensions. In this way, programs may balance intellectual with affective development of students so that they may produce civic-minded individuals who will assume leadership roles in the future. Mihyeon Kim describes a governor’s school program, which is designed as a residential mentorship program for high school students with high academic performance in engineering and marine science. She identifies four lessons to develop a successful mentorship program: setting goals and expectations, building effective communication, developing the right human resources through training, and building a developmental relationship. Sandra Kaplan explores the meaning and implementation of differentiation. In her description of an introductory course of study, she identifies objectives and experiences for gifted students. An important session addresses the effect of gifted 1030355GCTXXX10.1177/10762175211030355GIFTED CHILD TODAYGIFTED CHILD TODAY editorial2021