Widening the Gate? Inclusive Identification Policies and Multilingual Learner Access to TAG

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 11:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Linguistic Justice and Policy Implications for Multi-lingual Learners

Abstract

As states pursue reforms to widen access and improve opportunity for historically marginalized students, one avenue has been revisiting student access to specialized programs. In Oregon, equity goals informed a 2022 reform to gifted education, encouraging districts to adopt inclusive identification practices and requiring multiple measures. This study evaluates how well that policy has expanded access for multilingual learners using a staggered difference-in-differences design and student-level administrative data. I examine changes in identification across districts and assess variation by student background and district characteristics. Although TAG is a specific program, it serves as a litmus test for whether equity-centered reforms deliver on their promises—or merely reconfigure exclusion. Findings suggest wide variation in implementation and uneven benefits across student groups.

Author

• Janette Dalila Avelar, University of Oregon