As Global #gtchat celebrated its 2nd year of support from the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented, we welcomed a formidable panel of guests to discuss “Closing the Excellence Gap”. For over a decade, U.S. education policy-makers have sought to close the achievement gap; virtually ignoring its brightest students believing they would make it on their own. Worse yet, low-income and minority students who should have been receiving support were not even invited into the room.
Let’s meet our guests for this chat! Dr. Joy Davis is Associate Professor at Virginia Union University, author of Bright, Talented & Black: A Guide for Families of African American Gifted Learners and a return guest to #gtchat. Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman is co-founder of The Creativity Post, Blogger at Scientific American and author of Ungifted. Rebecca McMillan is Senior Editor of The Creativity Post and founder of The Brain Café on Facebook. Rebecca is also an online instructor for Gifted Homeschoolers Forum. Dr. Jonathan Plucker is Professor at the University of Connecticut and Lead Author on “Talent on the Sidelines: Excellence Gaps and America’s Persistent Talent Underclass.” Dr. Donna Y. Ford was unable to be with us due to travel delays, but has agreed to be our guest for another chat in the near future. We look forward to chatting with her.
Dr. Joy Lawson Davis
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
Rebecca McMillan
Dr. Jonathan Plucker
Our first question delved into the difference between the Achievement Gap and the Excellence Gap.
Dr. Davis: “It’s [EG] a gap that prevents equitable access to advanced education programs; creating a schism between haves and have-nots. The have-nots are as capable, but lack access and opportunities; thus achievement cannot be fairly measured.”
Dr. Kaufman: “The ‘excellence gap’ represents the growing gap between high performing disadvantaged youth and more affluent peers.”
Rebecca McMillan: “Whereas the achievement gap focuses on the percentage of culturally diverse and disadvantaged students that reach proficiency, the excellence gap focuses on the percentage of culturally diverse & low-income students who reach higher levels of achievement as measured by participation in GT programs, AP & Honors classes, and advanced scores on state and national assessments.”
Dr. Plucker: “Excellence Gaps are achievement gaps at the high end of the achievement range. Excellence Gaps are big & persistent. The term represents intersection between equity & excellence. The U.S. is one of the few countries that treat equity & excellence as mutually exclusive.”
What groups comprise ‘America’s Persistent Talent Underclass’?
Dr. Davis: “[Groups include] students of color, particularly African American & Latino students & the poor, those from single parent headed households.”
Dr. Kaufman: “Any student who is systematically blocked from resources that would allow him or her to flourish is vulnerable. The culture of the school can also have a tremendous impact on vulnerability to excellence gaps.
Rebecca McMillan: “I would include homeless, abused, and neglected students. Students with unstable or difficult home environments.”
Dr. Plucker: “Underprivileged minority students and poor students, primarily. Some evidence that racial Excellence Gaps are closing at VERY slow rates; but poverty Excellence Gaps appear to be growing”
How can inequities specifically related to racial differences in gifted & advanced learner programs be addressed?
Dr. Davis: “By recognizing the very real discriminatory factors that prevent equitable experiences in schools. Ensuring that teachers are trained and sensitive to the needs of diverse students and how culture and race impacts learning. [While] doing PD in Title I school, teacher said to me: ‘aint’ no gifted kids in this school!”
Dr. Kaufman: “I advocate a holistic evaluation of possibility for all students that assesses ability, engagement, and personal goals.We must take all dreams seriously, no matter how big or small, and help students get there step by step.”
Rebecca McMillan: “Identification issues are paramount. We need multiple, wide-gauge methods. Creativity must be considered. In my view, what drives both the excellence and achievement gaps is an engagement gap.”
Dr. Plucker: “Use local norms. Inexcusable to have no services in majority minority or high poverty schs. Local norms help change perceptions.I still hear racist comments in schools, for ex., “We can’t let too many of ‘those kids’ into the program.” Need to confront! [This] goes for poor kids, too: We don’t talk nearly enough about anti-poor bias in U.S.”
A complete transcript of this chat may be found here.
Links:
“Talent on the Sidelines: The Widening Gap in Excellence” at the Creativity Post by Scott Barry Kaufman
“Talent on the Sidelines: Excellence Gaps & America’s Persistent Talent Underclass” by Dr. JonathanPlucker (pdf)
Excellence Gap 2012 (website)
Dr. Jonathan Plucker Bio @UCONN
Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman Bio
The Brain Cafe on Facebook
Dr. Joy Lawson Davis’ Blog WeAreGifted2
Interview with Dr. JonathanPlucker on Talent on the Sidelines (podcast)
Improve Education While Increasing Child Poverty – An Impossible NC Strategy
Hispanics Struggle to Graduate: An Issue of School Choice?
Report: ‘Excellence Gap’ Growing Among American Students
Excellence Gap Among American Students
Long Read: Narrowing the Excellence Gap
Report Cites Growing ‘Excellence Gap’
Report: Race, Wealth Remain Factors in State Achievement Gap
Race Equity & Excellence in Education Network
White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (website)
Dr. Donna Ford Bio
“Excellence Gap” from GiftedPhoenix
Scientific American Blog Beautiful Minds by Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
Scott Barry Kaufman’s Website
“Academic Survivability in High-Potential, Middle School Students” GCQ 1996 Plucker/McIntire
5 Questions for Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman about ‘The Creativity Post’ by Dr. JonathanLWai
Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined (book – Amazon) by @sbkaufman Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
The Complexity of Greatness: Beyond Talent or Practice (book – Amazon) by Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
Few Black & Latino Students Were Admitted to NYC’s Specialized Schools This Year
“Integrating Multicultural and Gifted Education: A Curricular Framework” (pdf) from Dr. Donna Y. Ford et al
Bright, Talented, & Black: A Guide for Families of African American Gifted Learners (Amazon – book) by Dr. Joy Lawson Davis
Welcome Dr. Donna Y. Ford to SENG’s Professional Advisory Committee
I, Too, Am Harvard
Cybraryman’s Culture Page
Cybraryman’s You Matter Page
From Evaluation to Inspiration: Scott Barry Kaufman at TEDx Manhattan Beach (video)
“From Evaluation to Inspiration” at Scientific American Beautiful Minds Blog from Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program
Measuring Child Poverty: New League Tables of Child Poverty in the World’s Rich Countries from Unicef
Map the Meal Gap, Food Insecurity in Your County (U.S.)
“The Need for Belonging in Math and Science” by Scott Barry Kaufman
“Letter Grades Deserve an ‘F’” from Jessica Lahey
“De Bono’s 6 Action Shoes: One Size Shoe Cover System” from Jo Freitag
The Future Project
“Revealing New Truths About Our Nation’s Schools” (pdf) from the Office for Civil Rights
Status Quo at Elite New York Schools: Few Blacks and Hispanics
Con Cariño: Teacher Caring, Math Self-Efficacy, and Math Achievement Among Hispanic English Learners
Learning to Attend to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners Through Teacher Inquiry in Teacher Education
Chapel Hill – Carrboro City Schools Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate 2013 – 2014 Program
Intensive Small-Group Tutoring and Counseling Helps Struggling Students
Rebecca McMillan Gifted Homeschoolers Forum Online Spring 2014 Instructor
Rebecca McMillan Sui Generis at The Creativity Post
Rebecca McMillan Senior Editor at The Creativity Post
“Ode to Positive Constructive Daydreaming” by Rebecca McMillan et al
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