Integrating multicultural and gifted education: a curricular framework

This article raises a number of critical questions related to multiculturalism and gifted education. In particular, the authors suggest that culturally relevant content is lacking in gifted education programs. They make the case that gifted students of color are being shortchanged by gifted education programs that lack infusion of diversity issues; these students would benefit substantially from gifted education programs that infuse multiculturalism throughout the curricula. Last, but not least, the article introduces and discusses the Ford and Harris (1999) model for infusing multiculturalism in gifted education programs.

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AS STATED THROUGHOUT this special theme issue, gifted education faces critical challenges as the nation becomes increasingly diverse. With the increasing diversity, there comes the need to change many school practices, not only in terms of increasing the representation of students of color in gifted education but also in terms of more effectively meeting the academic needs of students who are gifted and diverse. In other words, once gifted students of color are recruited (i.e., identified and placed), public schools are challenged to address the following questions: (a) How do we serve gifted minority students? (b) What are their academic needs? And (c) What are their interests?

Over the years, many scholars of gifted education (Ford, Grantham, & Harris, 1996; Ford & Harris, 1999) have stressed the importance as well as the need for infusing multicultural education into the gifted education curricula. These scholars have also suggested that these fields combined offer great promise for meeting the pedagogical, cultural, and learning needs of students of color, especially in gifted education. In this article, we further the discourse by also stressing the importance of infusing multiculturalism and culturally relevant pedagogy in gifted education. As a conceptual framework or model, we present segments of Ford and Harris' (1999) multicultural gifted education curricula.

As gifted education scholars, researchers, and practitioners, we have listened to diverse students, parents, teachers, and school counselors around the country articulate their concerns and challenges related to gifted education. Many of these concerns are associated with the lack of diversity or multiculturalism in the curricula. As a result, we have made special efforts to focus our attention on these concerns and apparent deficits in gifted education.

The absence of multiculturalism in gifted education curricula has proven to be a hindrance or inhibitor of learning for many students of color in American public schools (Ford & Harris, 1999). To continue to use curricula and educational practices that are monoculture and ethnocentric lessens the possibility of reaching students of color academically in gifted education programs. In fact, it is quite likely that these students may become ambivalent or disengaged from school in general and gifted education in particular (Flowers, Milner, & Moore, 2003; Ford, 1996; Moore, Ford, & Milner, 2005; Ogbu, 2003). Although many teachers, school counselors, and administrators recognize the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy and curricula, many are not able to infuse multiculturalism in gifted education (Ford & Harris, 1999; Milner et al., 2003). Subsequently, students of color as well as White students are shortchanged of educational experiences where they can learn about different racial and cultural groups. The overall richness of classroom experiences and interactions is highly predicated on the teacher, classroom content, and the degree of congruence of the two with the student. The more that gifted students of color are reflected in the curricula, the more likely they are to appreciate the course content and engage their gifted teachers and classmates. As part of a larger study, Ford (1995) interviewed 43 gifted, African American students in Grades 6 through 9 about their academic needs, interests, likes, and dislikes. Specifically, 41% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that "I get tired of learning about White people in class"; 87% agreed or strongly agreed that "I get more interested in school when we learn about Black people"; and all the African American interviewees supported the statement "I want to learn more about Black people in school." In addition, a substantial number of the African American interviewees suggested that many public schools are doing the bare minimum, if anything, as it relates to multicultural education. For example, one African American male stated

   You get tired of learning about the same White people
   and the same things. We need to broaden our horizons
   and learn about other people, even other countries.
   The White people are just trying to advance
   other White people and leave Blacks behind and ignorant.... I
   feel like being in the class more when I
   learn about Blacks and my heritage. It gives me encouragement
   and lets me know that I have rights. Its
   helps to improve my grades. Learning about White
   people doesn't help me know about myself.... I'd
   like to educate my children about my heritage when
   I get older. I want to feel good about who I am. Why
   shouldn't I want to learn more about Black people?
   (see Ford, 1995, p. 12)