African American, Gifted

Two significant events occurred in 1954 that had a profound impact on the education of gifted students who were African American. Indisputably, the first was Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka, which required that African Americans receive an equal education in desegregated settings. Second was the creation of the National Association for Gifted Children, the prominent advocacy organization for students identified as gifted. Both developments, one focused on diversity and equity, and the other focused on giftedness and equity, represented unprecedented opportunities to meet the needs of gifted African American students.

Attention to the issue of African Americans in gifted education is riddled with controversy. Gifted education has received much criticism from both advocates and opponents. The primary criticism is that African Americans are consistently underrepresented in gifted education and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. At no time in the history of gifted education has their school representation matched their representation in gifted education. Gifted education has historically been segregated by race. For instance, as of 2002, Black students represented approximately 17.2 percent of students in school districts nationally, but 8.4 percent of those enrolled in gifted programs—a discrepancy of more than 50 percent. Compared to Black females (all other groups), Black males are even more underrepresented in gifted education.

Several factors contribute to underrepresentation. Nationally, the first step to being screened for gifted education services in most schools is teacher referral. As indicated in a recent extensive review of the literature by Donna Ford, Tarek Grantham, and Gilman Whiting, every study on teacher referral to gifted education found that teachers frequently and consistently underrefer Black students for gifted education services and AP classes. Lack of training in cultural diversity, low expectations and stereotypes, and lack of training in gifted education play a role in teachers' not recognizing giftedness among African Americans. Thus, teachers are the initial gatekeepers to these students accessing gifted education. Second, students are administered intelligence and/or achievement tests. African Americans often do not score at the predetermined cutoff scores; this is particularly true on traditional intelligence tests, where African American students tend to score one standard deviation below White students. Thus, traditional tests are the second barrier. Claude Steele has studied a unique form of test anxiety among Black students, finding in several studies that “stereotype threat” hinders their test performance. Black students who experience this threat have learned to believe that they are not good test takers and that they are less intelligent than other groups. Thus, when faced with a test, they experience anxiety, uncertainty, and repulsion. Further, the debates about test bias continue, along with the efficacy and fairness of their use with Black students. Despite these two concerns (and others) about using tests with African American (and other culturally and linguistically diverse) students, this practice continues; and so does underrepresentation.

How can we increase the percentage of African American students identified as gifted, and how can we ensure that they stay in gifted programs after being recruited? Efforts must focus on both recruitment and retention, such as the following:

• Instruments, policies, and procedures that have a disparate impact on African American students must be changed or eliminated. Instruments (tests, checklists, nomination forms) must be selected carefully; criteria (cutoff scores, etc.) must be examined carefully; and policies and procedures (e.g., teacher referral) must be evaluated to see whether they are educationally useful or harmful.
• A philosophy of inclusion rather than exclusion is necessary; inclusion is recognized as the need to eliminate tools and practices that exclude African Americans from gifted education services.
• Definitions and theories need to be developed with cultural groups in mind. Are they sensitive and responsive to the characteristics of and values of African Americans? Educators and decision makers must understand that the notion of giftedness is socially constructed, such that what is viewed as and valued as gifted in one culture may not be considered gifted in another. One cultural group may value verbal skills, another may prize social skills, and another may value creativity.
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• Evaluation must be ongoing and systemic. School personnel must consistently examine patterns and trends (male vs. female representation, underreferral, ineffective tests and instruments) and eliminate barriers.
• Education, including professional development, is necessary for educators and families as well as other decision makers and stakeholders. All parties must be given formal preparation in understanding definitions and theories of giftedness, recognizing characteristics of gifted and talented students, and understanding tests, including their purpose and limitations.
• Educators must receive formal preparation in understanding culture, including how culture affects learning and test performance. They will need to know more about culturally diverse students in terms of characteristics; learning styles; communication styles; and values, traditions, customs, and norms. All school personnel require assistance in creating culturally responsive classrooms, developing multicultural curricula, and modifying their instructional styles and strategies to accommodate diverse learning and cultural styles. With such formal preparation, educators may be less likely to view cultural differences as deficits.

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