Black and Gifted in Rural America: Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Gifted and Talented Education Programs

Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Gifted and Talented Education Programs

Authors

  • Joy Lawson Davis Creating Positive Futures, Walkerton, Virginia
  • Donna Y. Ford Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University
  • James L. Moore III College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University
  • Erinn Fears Floyd The Consortium for Inclusion of Underrepresented Racial Groups in Gifted Education

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2002.v10n2p85-100

Keywords:

Black gifted, underrepresentation, culturally responsive, teacher expectations, access to rural gifted and talented education

Abstract

Nationwide, Black students are underrepresented in gifted and talented education and advanced learner programs. These tragic outcomes occur in all demographic communities: urban, suburban, and rural. As a result, the academic and psychosocial supports needed by gifted Black students are overlooked, disregarded, and underdeveloped. Rural communities are frequently depicted as remote, lacking in social and academic experiences and opportunities, and predominantly White and economically disadvantaged. For gifted and talented Black students, these characterizations contribute to feelings of isolation and alienation in school on a daily basis. Despite their high intellectual potential, they are constantly victimized by racially oppressive conditions in society that cause stress and anxiety. The Black rural community, including Black gifted and talented students, is almost invisible in scholarship that discusses rural education in the United States. This article explores the nature of the rural communities where these students reside; shares intellectual, academic, and cultural characteristics that make Black gifted students from rural communities unique; and delineates recommendations for research, curriculum, and specific programming to meet their intellectual, academic, cultural, and psychosocial needs with an emphasis on access, equity, and excellence.

Author Biographies

Joy Lawson Davis, Creating Positive Futures, Walkerton, Virginia

Joy Lawson Davis, EdD, is an award-winning author, scholar, professional learning trainer (nationally and internationally), and practitioner in gifted education and teacher education. Her area of expertise is increasing equity in gifted education programs, twice exceptional learners from diverse backgrounds, and family advocacy. She received the 2019 SENG Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2019 Alexinia Baldwin Gifted and Special Populations award from National Association for Gifted Children, where she served for five years on the board of directors. Her many publications include Bright Talented and Black: A Guide for families of African American gifted learners (2010).

Donna Y. Ford, Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University

Donna Y. Ford, PhD, is a distinguished professor of education and human ecology and Kirwan Institute faculty affiliate in the Department of Educational Studies, the Special Education Program, The Ohio State University. Her highly recognized work focuses primarily on the recruitment and retention of minoritized students in gifted and talented education, underrepresentation, achievement gap, multicultural education, and educator cultural competence. All of her work is grounded in equity and social justice. She has authored a dozen books, over 350 publications, and thousands of presentations and has received numerous awards.

James L. Moore III, College of Education and Human Ecology, Ohio State University

James L. Moore III, PhD, is the vice provost for Diversity and Inclusion and chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University, while currently serving as the first executive director of the Todd Anthony Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male. He is also the inaugural EHE Distinguished Professor of Urban Education in the College of Education and Human Ecology. Dr. Moore is internationally-recognized for his work on African American males. He has published over 140 publications; obtained over $25 million in grants, contracts, and gifts; and given over 200 scholarly presentations and lectures throughout the United States and other parts of the world. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, Dr. Moore was cited by Education Week as one of the 200 most influential scholars and researchers in the United States, who inform educational policy, practice, and reform.  

Erinn Fears Floyd, The Consortium for Inclusion of Underrepresented Racial Groups in Gifted Education

Erinn Fears Floyd, PhD, is an award-winning gifted education, diversity, and equity scholar. She is the former director of professional learning for the National Association for Gifted Children and state director of gifted education for the Alabama Department of Education. She currently serves as the director of training and partnership development for the Consortium for Inclusion of Underrepresented Racial Groups in Gifted Education. She has conducted training for state organizations, schools, and localities nationally and internationally and in 2006 was an inaugural recipient of the Dr. Mary Frasier Teacher Scholarship for Diverse Talent Development.

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Published

2020-10-30

How to Cite

Davis, J. L., Ford, D. Y. ., Moore III, J. L., & Floyd, E. F. . (2020). Black and Gifted in Rural America: Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Gifted and Talented Education Programs: Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Gifted and Talented Education Programs. Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 10(2), 85–100. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2002.v10n2p85-100

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2020): Gifted Rural Learners: Exploring Power, Place, and Privilege with a focus on Promising Practices

Section

Research Forum

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Copyright (c) 2020 Joy Lawson Davis, Donna Y Ford, James L. Moore, III, Erinn Fears Floyd

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