Equity in Gifted Education: Overcoming Underrepresentation
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Authors
Smith, Olivia
Early, Sarah
Gleasman, Gunner
Date of Issue
2024
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Subject Keywords
Other Titles
Underrepresentation in gifted education impacts the long-term academic results of students from historically marginalized groups. The identification of high-ability learners is significantly affected by systemic biases against ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status. Factors such as deficit thinking, colorblind ideology, and white privilege contribute to the perpetuation of this disproportionate representation. Disproportionality is exacerbated by limiting access to advanced experiences, maintaining inequality, and reinforcing systemic disadvantages. By hindering access to learning opportunities, gifted marginalized students face significant challenges in achieving post-secondary success and a lack of vocational, social, and economic pathways. There have been efforts to address these issues, such as redefining giftedness, using universal screening measures, and implementing culturally responsive teaching practices in the classroom. Researchers also stress the importance of early intervention and policy reforms to ensure equal access to gifted education services. Using local norms for identification, which compares student academic performance to their same-grade peers at their school instead of national standards, could lead to a more diverse population of gifted students. To effectively tackle the lasting problem of underrepresentation in gifted education, a shift in educational practices and societal perceptions of diversity in education is necessary. This project will examine, “To what extent does underrepresentation in gifted education impact the long-term academic outcomes of students from historically marginalized groups?”
Abstract
Underrepresentation in gifted education impacts the long-term academic results of students from historically marginalized groups. The identification of high-ability learners is significantly affected by systemic biases against ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status. Factors such as deficit thinking, colorblind ideology, and white privilege contribute to the perpetuation of this disproportionate representation. Disproportionality is exacerbated by limiting access to advanced experiences, maintaining inequality, and reinforcing systemic disadvantages. By hindering access to learning opportunities, gifted marginalized students face significant challenges in achieving post-secondary success and a lack of vocational, social, and economic pathways. There have been efforts to address these issues, such as redefining giftedness, using universal screening measures, and implementing culturally responsive teaching practices in the classroom. Researchers also stress the importance of early intervention and policy reforms to ensure equal access to gifted education services. Using local norms for identification, which compares student academic performance to their same-grade peers at their school instead of national standards, could lead to a more diverse population of gifted students. To effectively tackle the lasting problem of underrepresentation in gifted education, a shift in educational practices and societal perceptions of diversity in education is necessary. This project will examine, “To what extent does underrepresentation in gifted education impact the long-term academic outcomes of students from historically marginalized groups?”
Description
Abstract only.