YOUNG, GIFTED, AND BLACK Culturally Specific Needs of Gifted African American Learners Lynne Pressley Partridge University of Pennsylvania Leadership in Gifted Education May 19, 2007

CAPSTONE NCLB reveals under representation LMSD commitment to closing achievement gap Guided discussion of film and interviews videotaped sessions with 8 gifted Black HS students Reviewed and analyzed tapes to uncover issues that impact their school experiences and achievement.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS Gifted African American learners have culturally specific needs which must be addressed in order to reach their full potential. These needs are cognitive, metacognitive, but predominantly social emotional in nature.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS Which needs are common to all gifted students and which are culturally specific to being African American? What is the experience of being the only Black student in class? What role does racial identity development have in motivation and school achievement? What can Schools do to improve school experiences and support achievement?

COMMON GIFTED NEEDS Underachievement - motivation and homework Cognitive - time management & study skills Metacognitive - awareness of the abilities

CULTURALLY SPECIFIC NEEDS ISOLATION Cultural conflict, insensitivity of peers, and lowered expectations leads to feelings of isolation, inferiority and outrage.

“Persistent racism conquers the spirit of students of color. Too many minority students receive negative input about their ability to achieve academically.” Donna Y. Ford (1999) Multicultural Gifted Education

CULTURALLY SPECIFIC NEEDS RACIAL IDENTITY Cultural conflict Peer Group Influences Struggles with stereotypes… “acting Black and acting White”

“Gifted African Americans share the same needs and concerns as gifted students in general… their concerns are compounded because they contend with social and environmental issues such as racism, discrimination, lowered teacher expectations, cultural conflict, learning style preferences, racial identity and underachievement.” Cline and Schwartz, (1999) Diverse Populations of Gifted Children

CULTURALLY SPECIFIC NEEDS CURRICULUM Dissatisfaction with surface Black history Desire for more relevant in-depth coverage of Black history and multicultural curriculum

“ Many ethnically diverse students do not find schools exciting or inviting; they often feel unwelcome, insignificant and alienated. Too much of what is taught has no immediate value to these students. It does not reflect who they are.” Geneva Gay (2003) Educational Leadership Vol 61, No 4 pp 30-34

RECOMMENDATIONS CLUSTER GROUPING - periodic homogeneous grouping to address issues of racial identity and isolation BETTER IDENTIFICATION - increase minority students in higher level classes to reduce isolation CURRICULUM - integrate multicultural perspectives in curriculum for all students. STAFF DEVELOPMENT - introduce concepts of cultural proficiency and understand cognitive learning styles of diverse learners

CONCLUSIONS To understand the needs of gifted African American learners…. ASK THEM !