Does Locale Matter in Gifted Identification in the United States? Study of Access, Equity, Missingness, and Trends

• In Event: Advancing Equity in Gifted Education

Abstract

Gifted students everywhere need to be identified and served, but it is unknown if this is being done equitably in all locales in the U.S. and by state. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which students in four locales (i.e., City, Suburb, Town, Rural) had access to identification, were proportionally identified, or were missing from gifted education due to underidentification or lack of access to identification. Using census data from the U.S. Office of Civil Rights, we determined that a lack of access to identification, due to attending a school that does not identify gifted students, and underrepresentation, due to inequitable identification practices, adds up to significant loss of talent across the nation.

Authors

• Anne Gray

• Aakash Arvind Chowkase, Yale University

• Alissa P Cress, Purdue University

• Marcia L. Gentry, Purdue University