“Why are the Gifted Classes So White?” Making Space for Gifted Latino Students

Abstract

Bryson Valley Elementary School’s population is changing, formerly consisting of students, 72% of whom identified as White, but now only 53% of students do so; 26% of its 800 students identify as Latinx,1 the largest minority group in the school. The school’s new Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted (AIG) teacher, Judith Hunter, notices a disparity in ethnic representation in the AIG program and hopes to change that situation. Two challenges that Judith faces are resistance from teachers who tend to hold deficit orientations toward some groups of students, as well as a fairly apathetic principal who is nearing retirement. When viewed through the lens of Critical Race Theory, the implicit racism in the school’s gifted identification procedures becomes more obvious.

Beyond Evaluation: Using Equity Audits for Advanced-Level Programs

“…Since the majority of advanced-level programs are provided within school systems, program leaders can apply an Equity Audit when evaluating their programs. Equity Audits can be particularly beneficial to gifted and advanced-level programs as the disparities within traditionally marginalized student groups and their underrepresentation have been documented for years (Hodges et al, 2018; Hurt, 2018; Jenkins, 1936; Lamb et al, 2019; Roberson, 2020; Whiting & Ford, 2009). In this article, I will share recommendations and suggested starting points for a school or district Equity Audit and discuss how program and district leaders can use this tool as a means to (a) build inclusivity in their gifted and advanced-level program to reflect the population of the students being served holistically; (b) identify inequities and disparties to be addressed within the programs in various areas; and (c) as a continuous improvement growth measure for identifying future programming goals through an equitable systemic lens.…”