Expanding Gifted Research to Underserved Students

Certain populations of gifted and twice-exceptional students historically have been under-identified and underrepresented. Given the recent increased focus on systemic inequalities, taking a fresh look at education — specifically how we identify these students — perhaps has never been more relevant.

The National Center for Research on Gifted Education (NCRGE), part of the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program, recently was awarded five years of funding to expand its research in identifying and serving gifted and talented students who have been traditionally underserved. This population includes “students from economically under-resourced schools such as those in rural areas as well as large urban areas with populations of first-generation students, minority students including African-American and Latinx students, and students who are twice exceptional,” according to representatives at the University of Iowa, which is participating in the program.

The focus of the grant will be improving diagnostic tools for underserved students, and implementing systems for more effective teaching strategies and enhanced student achievement in school and beyond.

“Our field has been plagued by its widespread failure to identify and serve underrepresented populations and limited data documenting ‘what works’ in gifted education,” said the University of Connecticut’s Dr. Del Siegle, the director of the program. “The new NCRGE Center and this remarkable team will be addressing these issues.”

The research team is being assembled from some of the best university programs in the country. In addition to Iowa and Connecticut, the team includes researchers from the Universities of Wisconsin–Whitewater, Californ...