While minorities are overrepresented in special education programs they tend to be underrepresented in gifted programs. The main reason for this is the belief system exists in US schools. Many believe that gifted students can only be produced from wealthy families; are the product of college educated parents; two parent families; white households; and must live in the suburbs (Grantham, 2002). Other researchers provide studies that show that a deficit orientation by school staff members deny minority students access to gifted programs (Ford, et. al., 2002). This deficit orientation leads educators to interpret cultural and linguistic differences as deficits, dysfunctions or disadvantages (Ford, et. al.).
Although the federal government recommends but does not mandate special education programs for gifted and talented students, states must ensure equal opportunity for all students once they decide to provide these programs. That is the spirit of the Fourteenth Amendment.
References
Ford, D.Y., et. al. (2002). Beyond deficit thinking: Providing access for gifted African American Children. 24(2), 52-8.
Grantham, T.C. (2002). Straight talk on the issue of underrepresentation: An interview with Dr. Mary M. Frazier. Roeper Review, 24(2), 50-1.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
I agree with this topic. Minority parents and students must be educated relative to the benefits and importance of having their children involved in these programs. I have had parents to sign their children out of MG because the child did not want to do the work or thought it was boring.
Sometimes there is a premise that is not cool to be smart. We have to be a better job in preparing young children for MG programs and other accelerated programming. Often times those students who have been placed in Special Education have great potential, and really do not belong in those classes.
In a recent newspaper article about students who had been adopted by one of the many philanthropist who provided a group of students in the Philadelphia area with college educations, the profile of one young man indicated that he had been in special education, and today he is an aeronautical engineer with NASA, and working on a Ph.D.
Somewhere, as educators and the community we are overlooking lots of potentially talented and gifted youth.
Post a Comment