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Underachievement among gifted students of color: implications for educators
Theory Into Practice, Spring, 2005 by James L. Moore, III, Donna Y. Ford, H. Richard Milner
Teacher Education, Counselor Education, and Professional Development
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In regard to teaching students of color, it is critical that gifted education teachers are multiculturally competent and are able to apply culturally relevant teaching practices (Flowers et al., 2003; Ford & Harris, 1999; Milner et al., 2003). As the nation's student demographics become increasingly diverse, gifted education teachers are bound to enter classrooms with students of diverse racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, cultural, and linguistic orientation. Therefore, it is imperative that gifted education teachers are equipped for the multifaceted needs as well as the challenges that these students bring to the school setting in general and classroom in particular. In fact, gifted education teachers, both inservice and preservice, need to continuously pursue and receive training to effectively work with these students. In addition to requiring specific courses related to diversity, equity, and multicultural education, Milner and colleagues (2003) suggested that teacher education programs infuse opportunities in the curriculum for preservice teachers to have ongoing exposure interacting and working with diverse student groups. Such opportunities provide preservice teachers with opportunities to relate cultural pedagogical principles (e.g., understanding cultural diversity, appreciating cultural differences, eliminating deficit thinking, raising expectations for diverse students, etc.) to practice. Over the years, numerous educational scholars and researchers have outlined specific suggestions for teacher education degree programs and professional development initiatives.
It is common knowledge that students bring an array of academic and personal concerns to the classroom. In most cases, school counselors are in the best position to address these issues (Sears, 1999). According to The Education Trust (1997), school counselors hold central positions in schools and arguably are the most equipped in these settings to focus their efforts in developing programs, strategies, and interventions that address barriers to student achievement. Bailey, Getch, and Chen-Hayes (2003) advocate that counselor education programs infuse multiculturalism and social advocacy throughout the school counseling graduate curriculum.
Multicultural Gifted Curriculum
Students' cultural heritage and unique learning styles must be considered not only relative to pedagogy, but also relative to the curriculum. In one study (Ford, 1996), gifted diverse underachieving students reported a lack of interest in school because they could not relate to what was being taught. These students exhibited behaviors that communicated disinterest and boredom for the subject matter. Many of these students made comments, such as "I would be more interested in school if I were learning about my culture," "School is more interesting when we learn about African Americans and what they have done for this nation," and "I like being in school more when we talk about my heritage." It was concluded that underachievement among gifted students of color was highly associated with culturally irrelevant and unresponsive curriculum (Ford, 1996).
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