Chapter One An Introduction to the Topic of Cultural Diversity - NAGC

their cultural roots and become "Americanized." Second, the Life Adjustment movement,
following World War II, categorized students into 3 distinct groups, determining their
educational direction, in which 20% were educated for college, 20% received vocational
training, and 60% received general life skills. In the third educational movement that
Graham labeled "Access," a direct response to the Brown vs. Board of Education
decision, culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse (CLED) children were regarded
as inferior by segregation that hindered their potential development. The fourth and
current educational movement described by Graham is "Achievement,” occurring as a
direct response to the Nation at Risk report (National Commission on Excellence in
Education, 1983) and calling for high academic achievement for all students. State
assessments and instructional reform were called for as a result of this fourth movement.
Graham's chronicle of these major educational movements in this century provides a
useful background for the examination of current issues related to the underrepresentation
of CLED students in gifted programs.
Power of Cultural Factors
For the past 20 years, two perspectives of cultural differences have existed,
cultural deficit and cultural differences. The former holds the belief that people reared in
different environments will be different while the latter suggests different cultures exist
as parallel or co-cultures (Ford, Howard, Harris, & Tyson, 2000). Teachers who employ
the cultural differences perspective recognize CLED students’ individual communication
and working preferences and respond in one of two ways. They either recognize
differences but require CLED students to adapt to fit in the common societal group, or
recognize differences and modify the learning environment to support student-learning
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