Dea Manotas, Shea Criss, Carolina Groom, Pam Reynolds Cultural Diversity in Gifted Education

Cultural diversity in gifted education includes: African American, Hispanic American, Native American, and Asian American.

Family Factors Social Factors School Culture Factors Psychological Factors Student Achievement Language

Stressful home life Single parent home Lack of Parental education Low socioeconomic status Lack of supervision Poor communication between home and school Family history of drop-outs Low or unrealistic expectations

Little or no extracurricular activities Socialize with low achieving students Need for peer acceptance Student lives in one or more risk factors (poverty, single parent family, and poorly educated parents)

Low expectations Alienation from classmates and teachers Little attention given to multicultural education Minority students are underrepresented in gifted program

Low or lack of motivation Negative school attitude Poor relations with authority/adult figures Low self-esteem Poor racial identity Low academic self concepts Needs immediate gratification

Low grades or GPA Low standardized test scores Little or no effort given to academics Disruptive behavior Procrastination Poor study skills

Lack of vocabulary Stereotypes and prejudices Bilingual lifestyles between school and home Standardized test written for white middle class Background experiences Low teacher expectations

(Source: Office for Civil Rights in Losen & Orfield, 2002)

While minorities are underrepresented in the gifted program, the Asian population is often overrepresented. However, they are often under identified in special education.

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