YOUNG, GIFTED, AND BLACK Determining the Needs of Gifted African American Learners Lynne Pressley Partridge 2009 PAGE CONFERENCE Valley Forge, Pennsylvania April 17, 2009

OVERVIEW I. Introduction II. Lessons learned III. Recommendations

LMSD ENROLLMENT STATISTICS WhiteBlack Total enrollment 83% 8% Gifted enrollment 89% 1.4% Gifted by ethnicity 12%2% As of 10/07

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?

METHODOLOGY Guided Discussion of Film “Finding Forrester” 2000, Columbia Pictures Allows students to discuss topics of race and culture in school by focusing first on film, and then relate to their own experiences.

METHODOLOGY Videotaped Interviews Interview questions designed by gifted support teachers Videotaped 5 sessions of discussion and interaction. Analyzed video to reveal issues that impact school experiences and achievement of African American students

Reflect - Think about the demographics of your district, how would it effect your essential questions? and Question - Predict what needs will be common to all gifted students and what needs will be specific to being African American.

COMMON GIFTED NEEDS Underachievement - motivation and homework Cognitive - critical thinking, time management and 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.” Ford, D.Y. & Harris (1999) Multicultural Gifted Education New York. Teacher’s College Press

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 Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall

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

CRITICAL THINKING Is Crawford a Racist? Discussion of characters in film reveals the Students’ critical thinking skills as they distinguish prejudice, discrimination, and racism. Relevant, meaningful curriculum elicits their interest and critical thinking.

CULTURALLY SPECIFIC NEEDS EXPECTATIONS Teachers Parents Peers

Reflection Which issues are cognitive and which are social emotional ?

RECOMMENDATIONS for Administrators… CLUSTER GROUPING - periodic homogeneous grouping to address issues of racial identity and isolation BETTER IDENTIFICATION - increase minority students in higher level classes to avoid isolation CURRICULUM - integrate multicultural perspectives in curriculum for all students. STAFF DEVELOPMENT - for regular education and gifted support staff in cultural proficiency, cultural proficiency, cultural preferences and learning styles

RECOMMENDATIONS Teaching and Learning…  Strength-based approaches rather than deficit models of instruction  High expectations and direct, continued encouragement to achieve.  Supportive, student-centered, learning environments that promote racial and cultural sensitivity.  Provision of mentors and role models with whom students can identify.

RECOMMENDATIONS Gifted Programs GIFTED PROGRAM GOALS Opportunities to meet with peers to discuss social emotional issues of race, underachievement, and motivation. Opportunities for shared readings and guided discussions of film and books on current topics related to racial identity, social, and achievement issues. Opportunities to explore Black history in depth and to engage in multicultural studies. Instruction and support in time management and organizational skills

RECOMMENDATIONS …Gifted Program Goals cont’d Opportunities to engage in relevant curriculum, community service and social justice projects. Fieldtrips to local campuses to promote the expectation and goal of attending college. Use of strategies of differentiation such as cooperative learning and field dependent learning styles to accommodate cultural group learning preferences.

SUPPORTING RESEARCH Donna Y. Ford, March, 2007 (DVMSAC,) Strategies to enhance achievement among culturally diverse Learners 1. Intrinsic - to develop internal motivation, increase academic engagement and self-efficacy. 2. Supportive - to affirm the self-worth and provide socio-emotional support. 3. Remedial - to improve academic performance. 4. Cognitive - to improve metacognition and problem solving skills.

SUPPORTING RESEARCH Joyce Van Tassel-Baska, (1999) Multicultural Gifted Education, Ford et al. New York. Teacher’s College Press Because self perception plays a major role in school achievement, an important affective goal for gifted programs should be the enhancement of self - understanding and the development of effective coping strategies.

SUPPORTING RESEARCH Susan Baum, (2004) Twice-Exceptional Populations of Gifted Students. Corwin Press and NAGC Promotes focused attention to the social and emotional needs of gifted students. …”gifted students with issues such as lack of self-efficacy, self- regulation, motivation, and low self-esteem need support to cope with cultural and environmental issues that negatively impact their development.” They need opportunities to explore their unique issues with peers with similar issues and abilities.

IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Examine the effect on student achievement of cluster grouping African Americans to explore the non cognitive issues of race, the effect on achievement of parental support, and peer influence. Study the effect on achievement of parental support, peer influence, culturally relevant curriculum, and teaching strategies designed to accommodate cultural learning style and preference.

CONCLUSIONS “Gifted African Americans have the same needs and concerns as gifted students in general. However, as students of color, they also have unique and special needs which must be addressed. Issues such as racial identity, cultural conflict, underachievement, isolation, and peer pressure, impact their achievement. “ Cline and Schwartz, (1999) Diverse Populations of Gifted Children Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall

African American students need supportive learning environments designed to provide academic support, as well as help in dealing with the socio emotional concerns which impact their achievement. These topics should be presented in ways that also develop critical thinking and academic skills.

These non-cognitive issues and concerns are experienced by non-gifted minorities as well. Understanding and meeting the culturally specific needs of gifted minority students will inform changes in practice which can bring success and reduce the achievement gap for all African American learners. Lynne Pressley Partridge

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

Lynne Pressley Partridge Gifted Support Teacher Lower Merion School District Wikis - websites for more info on topics