Two significant events occurred in 1954 that profoundly affected the education of gifted minorities. The first was Brown vs. Board of Education, Topeka, which required that African Americans receive an equal education in desegregated settings. The 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, Hispanic students, and Native American students, all of whom are underrepresented in gifted education programs. This entry discusses contributing factors, recruitment and retention, and the outlook of underrepresentation of gifted.

Attention to African Americans in gifted education is riddled with controversy. Gifted education has ...