Underrepresentation of English Language Learners in Gifted Education

• In Event: Academic Achievement and Educational Opportunities of Emergent Bilinguals

Abstract

English language learners (ELL) are the fastest-growing population of learners in the United States (U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data, (DOE) 2017). However, despite the growing numbers of ELLs, they remain underrepresented in various educational programs in comparison to majority populations of learners (Callahan, 2005; Mun et al., 2016). As a result, these linguistically diverse students may face struggles for access, opportunity, and achievement in school (Poza, 2016). This marginalization has been shown to be consistently associated with negative consequences on the academic success of ELLs (Kettler & Hurst, 2017; Poza, 2016). The consistent marginalization of ELLs in general education and advanced academics illuminates a problem which deserves thorough exploration.

Authors

• Yasmin Christine Laird, Baylor University

• Todd Kettler, Baylor University