Welcome!

Please take a moment to complete the myths and realities of gifted education survey you received at the door.

Presenter: Ms. Christina Allred Gifted and Talented Facilitator

Nathan Hale Magnet Middle School for Leadership and Social Justice

UNDERACHIEVEMENT OF GIFTED MINORITY STUDENTSNAG 2011 Ms. Christina Allred

Cultural Conflict Statistics

Although 68% of pupils in the nation’s 100 largest school districts are youths of color, approximately 87% of all teachers are white (National Center for Education Statistics, 1997, 2001).

Many researchers have speculated that cultural conflict precipitates school failure for students of color, particularly youths from low-income backgrounds (Byers & Byers,1972; Nieto, 1999, 2000; Gay, 2000).

Other People’s Children-Lisa Delpit

We live in a world where our nation is consistently becoming more diverse.

Minority students represent the majority in all but two of the twenty-five major cities in the U.S.

40% of the students in today’s classrooms are nonwhite students.

Think about communicating across racial, social, cultural, or lines of unequal power.

Coping in the Classroom

Students’ behavioral success is closely linked with their ability to decode implicit teacher expectations and cues. Code Switching

Disciplinary practices and understanding of those practices = success. Kagan

Lack of motivation looks like: Laziness, Defiance, Distraction/Disengagement, Procrastination, Passive aggression

Impact of Student Behavior

Prior Achievement Prior Behavior Prior Placement SES Language Ability Physical Attributes Gender Race/Ethnicity

Gagne – DMGT(differentiated model of giftedness and talent)

Epistemology

How we know what we know What we bring to the table Introduction to the Innocent Classroom: Alexs Pate

Identification

Media/Societal messages Stereotypical racial identity Mentoring programs

i.e. 100 Black Men of Omaha

Motivation

By 1999 one out of every four students dropped out of high school before graduation.

The drop out rate for Hispanic and African American students 16 and over is 50%.

Real world application is the key, raising the bar in all classes, not just honors classes. Low expectations breed minimal performance.

Honors by Contract-OPS pilot program

Ten Successful Tips for Student Achievement

Develop strong bonds with diverse students Identify and build on the strengths of all students Help students overcome their fear of failure Help students overcome their rejection of success Set short-term and long-term goals with and for

your students Develop teaching styles that are more congruent

with the learning styles of minority students

Tips Continued

Use homework and television to your advantage Communicate to see that your real intentions are

understood Establish a good school and classroom climate of

support and encouragement Strengthen relations between home and school

White-Black Achievement GapTen Theories

The deficit-deprivation theory The theory of structural inequality Tracking The theory of cultural discontinuity The “fourth grade failure system” The “acting white” theory The “peer pressure” and “lure of street life” theory The “parents are at fault” theory Unprepared teachers Low teacher expectations

Motivating the Gifted Child

Challenge Commitment Control Compassion

Love and Learning Dr. Carol Strip Whitney

Challenge

Raise the bar Critical thinking skills Blooms taxonomy Edupress Depth and Complexity Differentiated Instruction Ability grouping Acceleration

Commitment

Motivation: a desire for and a movement to a specific goal

Attribution Theory Goal Theory Self-determination Theory

Control

Choice in learning Creating a state of flow Including enough teacher guidance Gaining a sense of responsibility and ownership for

student learning

Compassion

60-90% of gifted children have admitted being bullied.

Gifted students are already stressed about others and their own expectations.

They struggle to make sense of cruelty and aggression.

Social/Emotional traits of gifted students

Myths and Realities

Revisit the myths and realities survey. What can we do as educators to dispel the myths

and implement the realities?

Email me with comments or questions at christina.allred@ops.org

Sources

A Love of Learning Dr. Carol Whitney Other People’s Children Lisa Delpit http://www.humanitieslearning.org/