Gifted Education, Diversity, and Underrepresentation

Demographic Context

The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) confirmed the legality of “separate but equal” facilities for Whites and Blacks. In 1954, however, the Brown v. Board of Education decision overturned Plessy, and “separate but equal” was declared unconstitutional in educational settings. Brown is the cornerstone of all subsequent rulings pertaining to educational access, or lack thereof, on the basis of race; it informs and guides both de jure and de facto segregation in school settings and programs. When discussing gifted education underrepresentation, both court rulings are relevant. Compared with special education and general education, gifted education is the school setting most void of racial (and economic) diversity, which points to problems of segregation in such classes by race. In gifted education and Advanced Placement (AP) classes, diversity is minimal. Data from the Office for Civil Rights continue to show that Black students, for example, are underrepresented in gifted education by an average of 50% nationally. Specifically, in 2006, Black students constituted approximately 17% of U.S. public school students, but only 9% of students in gifted education. During this same school year, Hispanic students were underrepresented in gifted education by almost 40%, and Native Americans were underrepresented by 30%. An analysis of trends in gifted education by race shows that progress is taking place for all racial minority groups except African Americans. Of all racial groups, African American students are the most under-identified and underrepresented. This discrepancy exists regardless of the particular statistics used to calculate underrepresentation (e.g., risk ratio, odds ratio).

Asian American students are the only racially different group that is not under-identified and underrepresented. This issue is understudied, but there is some agreement that Asian American, unlike African American, Hispanic American, and Native American students, frequently experience positive stereotypes about their intelligence or ability and are considered high achieving and motivated. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled deliberate (de jure) school segregation unconstitutional. Yet, de facto segregation persists in gifted education and AP classes. The impact or consequence of being denied access to gifted education has contributed to a great loss of talent and to underachievement. African American and other non-White students who have not been [Page 996]properly identified are less likely to achieve to their potential when unchallenged or under-challenged in general education classrooms. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 recognized that gifted students are unlikely to develop without appropriate educational services, and included in its definition of academic gifts the areas of “intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity” and “in specific academic fields.”

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