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Concerns over recruiting and retaining minority students in gifted education programs have persisted for several decades, and, although many educators, policymakers, and researchers have deliberated about the underrepresentation of minority students in gifted education, few articles, reports, or studies exist on this topic. This article seeks to fill this void, describing factors that inhibit the recruitment and retention of minority students in gifted education programs. These factors include screening and identification issues (e.g., definitions and instrumentation); educational issues (e.g., quality of students' education); and personnel issues (e.g., lack of teacher training in gifted and urban education, low teacher referral). Also discussed are retention issues, namely, factors that may affect the decision of minority students to remain in gifted education programs. Finally, recommendations for recruiting and retaining minority students are offered.

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The field of gifted education has faced criticism about the underrepresentation of African American, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) in its programs. This article proposes that efforts targeting both recruitment and retention barriers are essential to remedying this disparity. Educators' deficit thinking about CLD students underlies both areas (recruitment and retention) and contributes to underrepresentation in significant, meaningful ways. The authors examine factors hindering the recruitment and retention of CLD students in gifted education, attending in particular to definitions and theories, testing, and referral issues, and offer recommendations for improving the representation of CLD students in gifted education.

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Ford et al review factors affecting the persistent underrepresentation of Black students in gifted education and offer suggestions for recruiting and retaining these able students. The authors' major premise is that a deficit orientation held by educators hinders access to gifted programs for diverse students, and hinders the ability and willingness of educators to recognize the strengths of African American students.

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An issue of much concern, and under much scrutiny and debate, is the persistent and extensive under-representation of African American students in gifted education. A number of efforts have been proposed and implemented to improve their recruitment and retention, but to little or no avail. Progress has been slow or non-existent in many cases. In this article, we propose that several theories and conceptual frameworks can guide educators and decision makers in gaining a better understanding of under-representation. In understanding the barriers to recruitment and retention through the lens of theories and frameworks, we can develop solutions that work. Nine theories and frameworks are presented.

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This article focuses on the achievement gap, with attention devoted to underachievement and low achievement among African American males in urban school contexts. More specifically, the article explains problems and issues facing or confronting these Black male students in urban education settings. A central part of this discussion is grounded in the achievement gap literature on Black students in general and implications for Black males in particular. Another fundamental aspect of this discussion is the need for urban educators to adopt a social justice or civil rights approach to their work, which means an equity-based and culturally responsive approach in philosophy and action. Suggestions for closing the achievement gap and otherwise improving the achievement of gifted, high-achieving, and high potential African American males are provided to urban education educators and families.

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Oftentimes, when the subject of how to maximize Black students’ talent in gifted and advanced courses and programs is broached, they are treated as a monolithic entity. Too little scholarship explores gender differences among Black males and females. Yet, there is considerable evidence that unsuccessful attainment of academic excellence may be more troublesome for Black males than females at many points along the educational pipeline. School counselors, trained to understand the intended and unintended consequences of ignoring the importance of race and gender, are well equipped to assist in the efforts to increase the academic performance of gifted and talented Black males. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief introduction of the cumulative risks associated with being Black and male in educational settings as well as a discussion of how these risks are associated with mental health and academic performance. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for school counselors.

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Conclusions If underrepresented minorities are to be successful in the gifted program, they will need support systems that address students' affective needs and possible gaps in their learning experiences as a result of participating in less rigorous academic programming (Donovan Sc Cross, 2002). Gifted programs for these students must include high-quality curriculum, tutoring, homework help, counseling options, mentoring, parent support programs, English language development, multicultural education, significant models, effective communication and presentation strategies, cultural competence, and caring teachers who accept responsibility for their students' academic success and personal growth.

ISSN: 0270-4013
This section is available through interlibrary loan. No abstract available.
Full citation.: Malik S. Henfield , Janice A. Byrd (2014), Recruiting and Retaining Gifted Black Students in STEM Majors: Implications for College Counselors, in Jeffrey P. Bakken , Festus E. Obiakor , Anthony F. Rotatori (ed.) Gifted Education: Current Perspectives and Issues (Advances in Special Education, Volume 26) Emerald Group Publishing Limited, pp.211 - 221

This paper examines the various factors that contribute to the success of minority students in engineering programs by exploring past and current paradigms promoting success and analyzing models for advancing the participation of members of these populations. Included is a literature review of articles, government reports, Web sites, and archives published since 1980. Student success is correlated to several indicators, including pre-college preparation, recruitment programs, admissions policies, financial assistance, academic intervention programs, and graduate school preparation and admission.

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On a daily basis, teachers, school, counselors, and administrators are troubled by the unfortunate reality that a significant number of students of color (e.g., African American, Hispanic American, and Native American), including those identified as gifted, are not reaching their academic potential in school settings. This article presents an overview of social and psychological barriers that commonly impede the academic performance of gifted students of color. The authors assert that efforts to reverse underachievement among students of color have failed because these students have been misguided. It is argued that, until the needs and issues surrounding cultural diversity are addressed, gifted students of color will continue to underachieve academically. Implications are provided to teachers, counselors, and others to reverse the systemic cycle of failure that is too often prevalent among students of color in general and gifted students of color in particular.

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs have served as the primary means of meeting the need for gifted education at the high school level (Hertberg-Davis & Callahan, 2008). Access to these high-level programs and success in these programs, however, is limited for minority students because many had not been properly identified as gifted students at a younger age (Gándara, 2004). With restrictive assessments that seek students with high academic performance and/or IQ scores (Figueroa & Ruiz,
1999), many minority students, especially African American and Latino, do not take appropriately challenging classes that
prepare them for the rigors of AP courses. While governmental funding and school-level pressure to include minorities has resulted in increased access to AP courses, access will not necessarily lead to high performance in the class or on the culminating AP exam.

This report takes a comprehensive look at achievement for low-income promising learners--past, present, and future. At its core, it challenges the nation to move beyond its near-singular focus of achieving minimum performance for all students, to identifying and developing the talent of all students who are capable of high achievement, including the promising low-income and culturally and linguistically diverse students who too often literally languish in schools. The foundation for this report was built at the National Summit on Low-Income, High-Ability Learners, convened by the National Association for Gifted Children in 2012. The Summit gathered experts to share the latest research on the education and development of low-income, high-ability students, identify barriers to achievement in school and success in adulthood, share information about successful school-based and supplemental programs, and recommend areas in need of further research. The report sets the stage for major strides in both understanding and action, by spotlighting strong evidence-based program models that produce performance results for low-income, high-ability learners, recommending educational best practices, and identifying both research and public policy gaps that, if filled, could achieve significant results for the future. It identifies numerous factors that impede participation in advanced programs by low-income, high-ability students. Drawing on lessons from successful school-based and supplemental program and service models featured at the Summit, this report highlights their common factors such as expanded learning time, augmented student support networks, and enriched curriculum, and makes best practice recommendations in identification practices, programs and services, and supportive school cultures. The case made within the pages of this report gives researchers, educators, practitioners, and policy makers reasons to be optimistic about the future they can--and must--create for low-income, high-ability learners, as well as a roadmap for success. Appended are: (1) Successful Programs; and (2) Summit Participants.

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This qualitative study sought to understand the experiences of Latinas enrolled in residential state schools of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Goals of the study focused on understanding experiences and identifying factors such as decisions to enroll, barriers and supports, and issues contributing to retention. These schools represent powerful opportunities for students of all socioeconomic levels to begin a successful path toward postsecondary STEM degrees and employment in science and technology fields. Compelling themes from this study are related to identity, race, teacher pedagogy, and overcoming stereotypes of women and STEM.

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The underrepresentation of ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged students in gifted education must be understood in terms of broader school contexts and practices. This qualitative study investigated how teachers and schools contributed to the academic success of minority students of high potential from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Researchers collected observation, interview, and documentary data for 2 years at each of three case study sites with a reputation of effectiveness in supporting academic success of minority students from low-income backgrounds. Data indicated that (a) teachers and schools can positively affect achievement without being exemplary in all facets of their practice, (b) teachers' and schools' definitions of success shape students' opportunities for achievement, (c) developing the capacities of high-potential students necessitates supported access to challenging curriculum for all minority students, and (d) educators who foster academic success in minority students support students to comfortably navigate dual cultural worlds.