Gifted Education in Rural Appalachia

• In Event: Understudied Rural Populations

Abstract

Whereas much literature illustrates inequities inherent in rural gifted education programs, scant literature exists on how these inequities are managed or reflected in the everyday enaction of the rural gifted education classroom. Through an exploratory case study of three rural Appalachian gifted programs, this study provides a glimpse into program realities as perceived by gifted education teachers. Themes included perceptions of supports, barriers, and curriculum development with particular regard to place. Findings indicated teachers were ingenuitive in creating their programs and practices, traditional notions of giftedness and stereotypes inhibited gifted identification, and lack of organizational support and opportunities for collaboration resulted in feelings of isolation. Indicators of rural place-based practices were notably absent. Implications and futures steps are addressed.

Authors

• Myriah Miller, Mineral County BOE

• Carla Brigandi, West Virginia University