Monthly Archives: April 2018

Equity and Access to Gifted Education

Minority students including African Americans and Hispanics; ELL (English Language Learners); as well as low SES (socio-economic status) students are often left out of gifted programs. Today, we also need to be aware of bias against LGBTQ students, children of military personnel, homeless, and most twice-exceptional students.

Barriers to gifted education include school district policies that fail to recognize and value cultural diversity. Presumptions about low-income and minority students are given too much credence by decision-makers. Twice/thrice-exceptional students may not be achieving at acceptable levels and thus barred from participation in gifted programs. Schools tend to focus on disabilities which may be masking abilities.

The identification process can affect equity. Identification of giftedness is too often based on outdated information or research that doesn’t take into account cultural diversity and the needs of ELL students. Parents and students need to be better informed by school districts about the benefits and opportunities afforded by participation in gifted programs.

Join TAGT for Gifted Plus Equity Conference

There are laws already in place to change this situation. Gifted education has been successfully argued under civil rights legislation. Also, twice-exceptional students are often covered by special education regulations. The legality of participation in gifted education programs is often dependent on state laws and regulation. Parents and teachers should check with state or national gifted organizations for laws applying to their particular state or country.

Parents can make a difference in their school district. They are passionate about the education of their children. Parents of gifted children should learn the lessons provided by parents of special needs children who took their battles to the courts. Parenting a gifted child is hard work – parents should become knowledgeable about state regulations regarding gifted education and who their state congressional representatives are as well as their child’s school’s written gifted policies. Parents also need to learn the ‘chain of command’ in their school district. Start with the child’s teacher, then administrator; and if necessary, school board.

There are practical steps can educators and policy makers can take to increase equity in gifted programs. These include seeing possibilities rather than limitations, seeking solutions rather than dwelling on obstacles, emphasizing student’s strengths over weaknesses, and improving communications with parents. Policy makers and administrators need to provide cultural sensitivity training for all educators, high quality course offerings that are culturally sensitive and ELL compliant, and expand access to rigorous curriculum. Administrators should provide PD in gifted education which would aid in achieving accurate identification, increase out of school opportunities for most at-risk students and engage community support for expanded opportunities. A transcript of this chat can be found at Wakelet.

Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at Noon NZST/10 AM AEST/1 AM UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Wakelet. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.

About the author: Lisa Conrad is the Moderator of Global #gtchat Powered by TAGT and Social Media Manager of the Global #gtchat Community. She is a longtime advocate for gifted children and also blogs at Gifted Parenting Support. Lisa can be contacted at: gtchatmod@gmail.com

Links:

Gifted Cubed: Race & Culture

Gifted Cubed Printable Color Brochure

Want to Make Gifted Education More Equitable? First, Be Aware of the Political Winds That Drove (and Derailed) Innovative Policies in These States

Perspectives on Equity in Gifted Education (pdf)

Bright, Talented, & Black: A Guide for Families of African American Gifted Learners (Amazon)

The Rare District That Recognizes Gifted Latino Students

NY: White Plains Schools Focus on Increasing Diversity in Advanced Courses after Fed Investigation

Access and Equity through Career and Technical Education

Enhancing Professional Learning Strategies to Increase Students from Diverse Cultural Groups Participation in Gifted Programs

Report Shows Widespread Lack of Support for High-Ability, Low-Income Students in U.S.

County Aims to Break Down Racial Barriers to Gifted Classes

Equal Talents, Unequal Opportunities 2^nd Addition (pdf)

Norwalk Schools Reveal Gifted Program Redesign

What to Do About a Generation of ‘Lost Einsteins’

A New Majority Low Income Students Now a Majority In the Nation’s Public Schools (pdf)

Universal Screening in Gifted and Talented Identification: Implementation and Overcoming Challenges

Universal Screening Increases the Representation of Low-Income and Minority Students in Gifted Education

What if low-income, gifted students had the same support and connections as their affluent classmates?

5 Ways to Help Bright Low-Income Students to Excel

Report from National Center for Research on Gifted Education (pdf – PP)

Students in Poverty Less Likely to be Identified as Gifted

Effective Practices for Identifying and Serving English Learners in Gifted Education (pdf)

Parental Expectations for Asian American Men Who Entered College Early: Influences on their Academic, Career, and Interpersonal Decision-Making (pdf)

Recruiting and Supporting Underrepresented Students in Gifted and Talented Programs (pdf)

Identifying Gifted and Talented English Language Learners (pdf)

Underrepresentation of Minorities in Gifted and Talented Programs: A Content Analysis of Five District Program Plans (pdf)

Underrepresentation of Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education: Reflections About Current Problems and Recommendations for the Future (pdf)

Equitable Access for Underrepresented Students in Gifted Education (pdf)

Minority Students Underrepresented in Gifted Programs

Can Universal Screening Increase the Representation of Low Income and Minority Students in Gifted Education? (pdf)

Underrepresentation of Black and Hispanic Students in Gifted Programs (YouTube 5:14)

Building Diversity in Gifted Programs (TEDxABQED 6:41)

To Be Young, Gifted and Black (Amazon) Excerpt (pdf)

Young, Gifted and Black: Meet 52 Black Heroes from Past and Present (Amazon)

Income, Race Big Factors in Rates of ‘Gifted’ Students

Multicultural Gifted Education, 2nd ed. (Amazon)

Image courtesy of Pixabay CC0 Public Domain

Graphic courtesy of Lisa Conrad.

Finding Summer Enrichment Opportunities

Apr 6

Posted by gtchatmod

Why is it important to find summer enrichment opportunities for gifted kids? There are many reasons to find summer enrichment; particularly when so many gifted students are languishing in classrooms where they lack challenge and enrichment. It’s been my experience these kids crave enriching summers. Summertime and school holidays can provide those rare opportunities for family time; forming true-peer relationships in pre-college or camp experiences; engaging in passion projects; exploration of new interests.

Enrichment can cover wide-ranging areas; but should ‘extend’ learning experiences. Consideration should be given to a child’s current level of understanding and desire to enhance knowledge in a particular area. It should not be an attempt to recreate the ‘classroom’ in just another setting. It should be fun and interesting for kids. They should be the one to determine the content of their enrichment experience.

Families can use summer and holiday time to seek enrichment opportunities. They need to take time for careful planning both in terms of time constraints, budget, and what the child wants to do. Family time together is precious; a time for building memories. Including enrichment is a win-win situation. Favorite vacation destinations, a family visit, even sightseeing; all can be repurposed or enhanced to seek enriching experiences for gifted kids. Family planning sessions can help to maximize the benefits for everyone.

Virtually all colleges and universities offer some form of pre-college enrichment. By scheduling opportunities at various schools, students can get a feel for the college experience while deciding what they are looking for in a school. We had a great experience with a summer program that was housed at a university. Not only did my daughter benefit from the program, but also got to experience being on a college campus, attending classes, socializing and dorm life.

Camp-style experiences can address social-emotional concerns while also guaranteeing a gifted child being able to associate with intellectual peers and mentors. These opportunities afford gifted students the chance to have a relaxing and fun experience that informs,instructs, and enhances learning outside a traditional classroom. Please see below for a list of summer opportunities. A transcript may be found at Wakelet.

Global #gtchat Powered by the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a weekly chat on Twitter. Join us Thursdays at 8E/7C/6M/5P in the U.S. and Fridays at Noon NZST/10 AM AEST/1 AM UK to discuss current topics in the gifted community and meet experts in the field. Transcripts of our weekly chats can be found at Storify. Our Facebook Page provides information on the chat and news and information regarding the gifted community. Also, checkout our Pinterest Page and Playlist on YouTube.