The Potential of the Young, Gifted, and Black: Exploring Educational Disparity in 2023
In 1969, the extraordinary Nina Simone released a song that encapsulated the essence of the Civil Rights Movement, "Young, Gifted, and Black". The song's lyrics reverberated with a profound truth: there are millions of boys and girls who are young, gifted, and Black. Simone's song still rings true, but sadly, the representation of gifted Black students in America's public schools tells a different story.
Disproportionality is a term that, although originally used to discuss special education representation, is just as crucial when considering gifted education. Today, 56% of students in America's public schools are White, yet they constitute 68% of those identified for gifted programs. Meanwhile, Black students, making up 17% of the total student population, represent a mere 9% in gifted classifications.
Flashback to 1969, the same year Simone's hit song was released, and you'd find a seven-year-old Black girl later identified as gifted at age eight. That was me. As I grew, so did my understanding of the educational disparity within our systems, the severe excellence gap that favors the privileged.
“The difference doesn’t lie in natural intelligence, but factors including teaching methods, expectations, and the wealth-based opportunity to access extracurricular tutoring. Wealth doesn’t confer giftedness, but it does offer a pathway to enhanced learning.”
This discrepancy isn't merely about numbers, but also the methodologies used to identify and teach gifted students. My early experience as an itinerant gifted teacher highlighted this flaw. I worked in a school district that operated on parity, meaning the demographic proportion of students should align with that of the gifted program, irrespective of their true giftedness. In practice, this often led to children with low reading levels being placed in gifted programs, and the truly gifted were overlooked.
Today, this systemic inequity pervades schools serving marginalized learners, especially Black and Brown students. Here, the excellence gap becomes clear, as advanced students from low-income households fail to meet the performance of their middle-class White counterparts. The difference doesn't lie in natural intelligence, but factors including teaching methods, expectations, and the wealth-based opportunity to access extracurricular tutoring. Wealth doesn't confer giftedness, but it does offer a pathway to enhanced learning.
Our society seems to accept grade-level achievement as sufficient for Black and Brown children. Yet, this complacency overlooks the need for challenge and the potential for excellence. In schools populated predominantly by students of color, high expectations are rare, and opportunities for growth are stifled.
In the late 60s and early 70s, there was a national fear of the "Soviet threat," and a substantial amount of resources was allocated to nurture academic talent in America. Fast forward to today, and we see a strong link between children's beliefs about themselves, their race, and their academic achievements.
Children without a positive racial identity often succumb to peer pressure, causing them to suppress their true abilities to fit in. The pressure for Black children to "do it ten times better" and adopt White, middle-class behaviors can also be damaging, leading to stress, perfectionism, and hindered intellectual growth.
To close the excellence gap, we need to create safe spaces where educators can discuss race and social justice openly. It's imperative to guide students to understand and feel pride in their racial identities, to embrace their heritage, and to understand the profound contributions made by people of color in all fields.
Programs like African American studies, Mexican American (or Chicana/o) studies, and other ethnic studies are crucial in teaching children that they do not need to conform to White, middle-class standards. They come from rich cultures that have significantly contributed to our country and the world.
Ultimately, to foster an environment of true educational equity, we must recognize and cherish the gifts and potentials of all our children, irrespective of their racial backgrounds. Nina Simone sang it over half a century ago, and it's time we all heard it: there are millions of boys and girls who are young, gifted, and Black, and that is an undeniable fact.
