Christina Patterson

Ed 503

Position Paper

September 24, 2007

Identifying Minority Gifted Children

There are still many unanswered questions when it comes to identifying a gifted individual. Researchers have tested many different theories on the best identification methods and there is still not an unflawed solution. It can be especially challenging to identify a gifted individual that comes from a low socioeconomic background. These children may be gifted but may display their giftedness in a completely different way than a typically gifted student. Also, these children have not had the experiences or educational opportunities as other children might have been exposed to at some point. In these articles, different researchers have given viewpoints and solutions to improving the under-representation of gifted minority students.

In a study by Carolyn Callahan, 2005, she examines the under representation of gifted students from different minorities in gifted programs. The underrepresented described in this study are the American Indian, Native American, Black, and Native Alaskan. She found that Black and Hispanic students are only half as likely to be in gifted programs as white students. She argues that opportunities have to be presented for the students to have the opportunity for gifted programs, and presented different solutions to help eliminate the discrimination against minorities. The solutions included teaching adults and educators the elements of giftedness, finding the correct testing tools, doing away with restrictions on gifted programs, and identifying the gifted at the earliest age possible. Identifying minority-gifted students entails much more than simply testing the students on a surface-level examination (Callahan, 2005). When opportunities are available to those that are under privileged, then the probability of them seeking gifted programs is much greater. These people are not getting the same opportunity to excel in academics as people without the disadvantages.

A study by Miller was conducted to find out if a person with a low reading skill could enhance their IQ score on a nonverbal IQ test. Miller also wanted to see if the gain differed between Indians and Caucasians. The participants in this study were enrolled in an education course for three months. During these three months, they were tutored on reading, writing, and arithmetic. Counseling was also required once a week to help build the subjects’ self-esteem. The study found that minority groups from low socioeconomic areas can improve their IQ score when the right assistance is provided. The conclusion of this study and basic finding is that scores are many times affected by stereotypes, and it should not be measured by that solely but by the potential ability.

In an article by Passow and Frasier, they are also discussing the lack of minority and disadvantaged students in gifted programs. They tell us that gifted students have been the ones overlooked for years and it continues to happen in our society today. The numbers have not changed a considerable amount over the years. There has to be an understanding that giftedness occurs in every culture, race, ethnicity, economic status, and religion. The reason that the identification of gifted children is so difficult is because giftedness is so diverse. These children seek to be identified so they can get the differentiated instruction they are yearning for so desperately. The question is still being raised from the low number of minority children identified and if the causes lie within the home or within the school systems. Of course it is unreasonable for every educator to acquire knowledge about every culture or entholinguistic group, but it is not unreasonable to ask that they increase their understanding and learn how to interpret certain behaviors. There needs to be searches for talent and these children have to be considered.

Traditional identification models are not getting the job done identifying these minority students. There has got to be an effort from everyone to get these children identified. The talent potential has to be recognized and nurtured. We are only doing an injustice to our society and our future by holding these children back. The answer lies within knowledge and understanding. This has been going on for years and there has still not been a significant change in the number of minority gifted students. Minority gifted children have to be identified into our gifted programs. The only way to improve the number of minority children in gifted classes is to inform the educators on the characteristics and atypical traits that need to be looked for in the these students. The assessments have to culturally unbiased and mass testing should occur in every school system.

Works Cited

Callahan, C. (2005). Identifying gifted students from underrepresented populations.

Theory into practice, 44(2), 98-104. Retrieved Tuesday, September 4, 2007 from the Academic Search Premier database.

Miller, B. (1971). IQ tests and minority groups. Training and development journal,

25(10), 26. Retrieved Tuesday, September 4, 2007 from the Academic Search Premier database.

Passow, A., & Frasier, M. (1996, February). Toward improving identification of

talent potential among minority and disadvantaged students. Roeper

Review, 18(3), 198. Retrieved September 4, 2007, from Academic Search

Premier database.