Examining Gifted Enrollment and Access of African American Students in a Texas Suburban School District

• In Event: 63.062 - Students in Schools: Issues of Race, Ethnicity, and Class

Abstract

As the student population grows more culturally diverse the issues of children color deserve to be examined. .The achievement gap is often discussed in terms of urban students of color This underachievement of children of color is normally found and researched in schools that serve low-income students and racially/culturally marginalized students (Cummins, 2011). The issues of students of color particularly, African American and Hispanic students, in suburban schools are often not discussed or researched. The study examined statistically the underrepresentation in gifted and talented and college preparatory classes for Hispanic and African American in one suburban school district in the state of Texas using Relative Difference in Composition Index (RDCI) and Equity Index (EI).

Author

• Quinita D. Ogletree, Texas A&M University