Where Are All the Students of Color in Gifted Education? - National ...

the gIFteD AND tAleNteD chIlDWhereAre All theStudentsof Color inGifted Education?16 Principal n May/June 2009www.naesp.org

New strategiesare openinggifted programsto culturallyand linguisticallydiverse students.Kathleen A. King, elizabeth b. Kozleski,and Kimberly lansdownehIll stReet stUDIOs/PhOtOlIbRARythe Equity Allianceat Arizona StateUniversity is one of10 regional Equity AssistanceCenters in the U.S.that are funded by the U.S.Department of Educationto support the work of theOffice of Civil Rights andthe Department of Justicein enforcing federal civilrights laws. While the effortsof the Office of Civil Rightshave improved educationalopportunities for formerlyexcluded and marginalizedstudents, there is still muchwork to be done to addressachievement gaps and toensure that all students areprovided with high-qualityeducation (Artiles, Rueda,Salazar, & Higareda, 2005;Donovan & Cross, 2002;Klingner, Méndez Barletta,& Hoover, 2008; Losen &Orfield, 2002).Principal n May/June 2009 17

Many principals across the U.S., workingwith regional assistance centerslike the Equity Alliance, are presentlyengaged in exploring and improvingthe quality of learning opportunities forstudents who are culturally and linguisticallydiverse (CLD). The need for suchwork has been recognized in the fieldsof special and gifted education.While most concerns lie with thedisproportionately higher number ofCLD students who are placed in specialeducation, there are also concernsabout the under-representation ofCLD students who are identified as gifted.For instance, while black studentsmade up 7.4 percent of the total schoolenrollment in California in 2007(California Department of Education,2008c), they accounted for 22 percentof all students identified as emotionallydisturbed (California Departmentof Education, 2008b), and only 4.13percent of those in gifted and talentededucational programming (CaliforniaDepartment of Education, 2008a). Onthe contrary, white students, who madeup 28.5 percent of the total studentenrollment, accounted for 41.7 percentof gifted and talented enrollment(California Department of Education,2008c, 2008a).An Unmet NeedThe field of gifted education in theUnited States, much like special education,is grounded in beliefs that somestudents demonstrate a need for specializededucation that, historically andcurrently, has not been provided in U.S.public schools. Special and gifted educationscholars and practitioners alikerecognize that opportunities to learnneed to be improved so that all studentshave equitable educational access andparticipation. Yet, as principals striveto achieve this goal, they often experiencetensions around: the purpose,scope, and location of the educationthey provide; the preparation of teachersfor an increasingly diverse studentpopulation; and determining the extentto which the needs for specializedinstruction create educational fieldsseparate from general education.Although specific federal mandates(i.e., the Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act of 2004; Section 504 ofthe Rehabilitation Act) provide someguidance for addressing the needs ofstudents with disabilities, there are nosimilar mandates for gifted educationservices.Recruitment and RetentionFord, Grantham, and Whiting (2008)note that black, Hispanic, and NativeAmerican students have always beenunder-represented in gifted education,and that this under-representation hasincreased over time for black studentsin particular (Ford, 1998). Principalscan confront this issue by:n Addressing lower expectations ofCLD students through professionallearning and teacher preparationthat is grounded in multiculturaland culturally responsive pedagogyand practice. The National Centerfor Culturally Responsive EducationalSystems has many tools principalscan use.n Adopting culturally responsivedefinitions of giftedness, explicitlyacknowledging that giftednessoccurs across gender and cultural,linguistic, and income groups.Principals should work with districtadministrators, school psychologists,and classroom teachers to examinethe current definitions of giftednessand work to ensure these definitionsconvey that giftedness is found instudents of all backgrounds and lifeexperiences.n Broadening definitions of giftednessto include those students who underachieveas well as those who achieveat or above comparison groups. Giftednessshould not be reserved onlyfor those students who are achievinghigh grades or test scores.n Building systemic evaluation ofunder-representation of CLD studentsinto evaluation of all giftededucation programs and services.Principals should continuouslyassess, on a year-to-year basis, theracial, ethnic, gender, and linguisticdemographics of students accessinggifted instructional programming,as compared with the demographicsof all students.One District’s MissionIn our work at the Equity Alliance, inconjunction with the National Centerfor Culturally Responsive EducationalSystems and the National Institute forUrban School Improvement, we haveexamined the efforts of local school districtsthat are addressing the problem ofunder-representation of CLD studentsidentified as gifted and talented. One18 Principal n May/June 2009www.naesp.org

such district is Scottsdale, Arizona.In 2004, the Scottsdale UnifiedSchool District discovered large discrepanciesbetween the racial and ethnicdemographics of the overall studentpopulation and the demographics ofthe student population in gifted educationprograms at its Title 1 schools.While white students represented only38 percent of the overall population,they made up 72 percent of those in thegifted education program. Conversely,Latino students represented 50 percentof the overall population, yet made uponly 14 percent of the gifted studentpopulation. Under the direction ofKimberly Lansdowne, director of giftedstudent services, the district began athree-year action research project todetermine ways to identify CLD studentswho qualified for gifted learningprograms (Lansdowne, 2008).As a first step, the district systematicallydistributed teachers who were“Principals shouldcontinuously assess,on a year-to-yearbasis, the racial, ethnic,gender, and linguisticdemographics ofstudents accessinggifted instructionalprogramming.”qualified in both gifted educationand teaching English-language learnersto its five Title 1 schools. In all ofits schools, the district developed andimplemented curriculum that was culturallyresponsive, paying special attentionto Latino students.Next, the district looked more closelyat the methods used to identify andrecruit students for the gifted educationprogram and compared those methodsagainst criteria for culturally responsiveassessment, including ways that studentsdemonstrated their knowledge, learning,and talents. The district beganusing the Javits Gifted CharacteristicsChecklist for Underrepresented Studentsas part of its process of assessingmultiple criteria in order to create a“thick picture” (Castellano, 2003) ofstudents’ skills and abilities. This checklistmoves beyond collecting evidenceof individual academic achievementin school settings by focusing also onstudents’ abilities to work collaborativelyin groups, to question and challengeroutine procedures, and to relate wellto peers and adults in informal settingsand with informal language.Consequently, more students fromCLD backgrounds were selected forgifted and talented developmentTeachingDiverse Groups of Studentsis a ChallengeAre you faced with teaching mathematics toincreasingly diverse groups of students in yourclassroom? Learn how connecting real-life activitieswith mathematical concepts, and building onstudents’ knowledge and experiences, can help themexcel in the classroom. These books provide:• Articles written by teachers• Instructional strategies• Classroom activitiesVisit www.nctm.org/catalog for moreinformation or to place an order.bksdiv_prncpl509 Principal magazine 5/09www.naesp.org Principal n May/June 2009 19

opportunities and were provided withsupplemental learning experiences,including field trips to museums andscience/nature centers. Familiesbecame involved by participating inopen houses, family game nights, andParent University, which addressed topicsrelated to characteristics of giftedlearners and how to address students’strengths and needs.A survey of May 2008 data showeda 357 percent increase of gifted studentsidentified, and of this impressiveincrease Latino students accounted forthe largest percentage of gain. Currently,the ethnic population of Scottsdale’sgifted programs more closely mirrorsthe ethnic population of the district’sTitle 1 schools. For example, whitestudents account for 40 percent ofthe overall Title 1 school population,and make up 41 percent of thegifted student population. Latino studentsrepresent 47 percent ofthe school population and make up41 percent of the gifted studentpopulation.A Focus on giftednessA focus on giftedness and findingstudent strengths is a powerful strategyfor discovering and encouraging thedevelopment of the multicultural assetsthat students bring with them to school.As teachers gain more confidence inusing the self-directed strategies oftenemployed in gifted education programs,principals will find teachers transferringthose strategies and approaches toeveryday practice in their classrooms.It will be important to examine how anemphasis on gifted instruction changesreferrals to special education as well asto gifted education.The representation of CLD studentsin gifted education is just one area offocus within a much larger mission ofcreating equitable access and participationin instruction and pedagogythat is matched to students’ strengthsand needs. Principals should contacttheir regional Equity AssistanceCenter for strategies that can provideequity for CLD students in their giftedprograms. PKathleen A. King is co-director ofTechnical Assistance and ProfessionalLearning for the Equity Alliance atArizona State University. Her e-mailaddress is kathleen.a.king@asu.edu.elizabeth b. Kozleski, a professor ofcurriculum and instruction at ASU, isprincipal investigator for the EquityAlliance at ASU and project directorfor the National Center for CulturallyResponsive Educational Systems andthe National Institute for Urban SchoolImprovement LeadSpace PrincipalLeadership Project. Her email address iselizabeth.kozleski@asu.edu.Kimberly lansdowne is director ofgifted programs at the ScottsdaleUnified School District in Arizona. Here-mail address is kimberly.lansdowne@asu.edu.ReferencesArtiles, A. J., Rueda, R., Salazar, J. J., &Higareda, I. (2005). Within-groupdiversity in minority disproportionaterepresentation: English languagelearners in urban school districts.Exceptional Children, 71, 283-300.California Department of Education.(2008a). Special education enrollment byethnicity and disability statewide report.Retrieved December 8, 2008, fromhttp://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/SpecEd/SEEnrEthDis1.asp?cChoice=SEEthDis1&cLevel=State&cYear=2007-08&ReptCycle=DecemberCalifornia Department of Education.(2008b). State enrollment byethnicity. Retrieved December8, 2008, from http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/EnrollEthState.asp?Level=State&TheYear=2007-08&cChoice=EnrollEth1&p=2California Department of Education.(2008c). Statewide GATE enrollment.Retrieved December 8, 2008, fromhttp://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/Gate1.asp?RptYear=2007-08&TheRpt=StGate&cChoice=StGate&cYear=2007-08&cLevel=State&cTopic=Enrollment&myTimeFrame=SCastellano, J. A. (2003). Special populationsin gifted education: Working with diversegifted learners. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.Donovan, M. S., & Cross, C. T. (Eds.).(2002). Minority students in specialand gifted education. Washington, DC:National Academies Press.Ford, D. Y. (1998). The under-representationof minority students in gifted education:Problems and promises in recruitmentand retention. The Journal of SpecialEducation, 32, 4-14.Ford, D. Y., Grantham, T. C., & Whiting, G.W. (2008). Culturally and linguisticallydiverse students in gifted education:Recruitment and retention issues.Exceptional Children, 74, 289-306.Klingner, J., Méndez Barletta, L., & Hoover,J. (2008). Response to interventionmodels and English language learners.In J. K. Klingner, J. Hoover, & L. Baca(Eds.), English language learners whostruggle with reading: Language acquisitionor learning disabilities? (pp. 37-56).Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.Lansdowne, K. (2008). Potentiating giftednessand the crisis of cultural bias in identifyinggifted minority students: Approaches toincreasing participation of minorities inprograms for gifted learners. Unpublisheddoctoral dissertation, Arizona StateUniversity.Losen, D. J., & Orfield, G. ( 2002).Racial inequity in special education.Cambridge, MA: Harvard EducationalPress.WEB RESOURCESThe National Center for CulturallyResponsive Educational Systemsprovides many resources for principals,such as professional learning modulesand rubrics for assessing culturallyresponsive practices in districts andschools.www.nccrest.orgAccess the Javits Gifted CharacteristicsChecklist for UnderrepresentedStudents.www.azed.gov/asd/gifted/downloads/Project%20brighthorizongiftedcharacteristicschecklist.pdfThe Web site of the Equity Allianceat ASU is a clearinghouse for students,families, and educators of all roles whoare concerned with attaining equitableeducational systems.www.equityallianceatasu.org20 Principal n May/June 2009www.naesp.org