Education of the Special Populations of the Gifted

Thanks to Title IX Legislation and other significant societal changes like the feminist movement, gender roles are changing, creating one of the most profound transformations in the history of human society. As gender roles change, the ways in which we guide and mentor gifted girls and boys need to also change. In the United States, there is little gender gap in many areas. For example, eighth grade girls have caught up with boys in math achievement, despite past predictions that biological differences between the sexes would limit girls’ achievements in mathematics. Bright girls are taking challenging biology, chemistry, and physics classes in almost the same numbers as bright boys. Thanks to a strong commitment in education, girls have raised their career aspirations, are enrolled in rigorous coursework, and are rising to leadership positions at a remarkable rate. Both genders now plan careers in medicine, law, and many other fields once dominated by males (Campbell, & Clewell, 1999). About eighty percent of high school leadership positions are now held by girls. Girls and women in athletics have captured the nation’s interest.

As this trend continues and increases, girls also now take on the problems that have traditionally been the province of males: substance abuse, violence, and self-destructiveness (Phillips, 1998). In addition to these newly acquired difficulties, achieving girls and women struggle with societal images of the “perfect” woman. Many gifted girls and women try to achieve impossible ideals of physical beauty. Ninety percent of people with eating disorders are women, and eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (National Institute of Mental Health, 1993). So these gains for women come at a heavy price.

The greatest gains that have been made in female achievement have been at the middle and high school level. But this has not translated too much into an increase in the numbers of girls preparing for careers commensurate with their performance in high school. The math achievement gap at the top range of scores has not changed much (Campbell & Clewell, 1999). College women still endure a virulent culture of romance that forces them into competition for relationships with high prestige males (Holland & Eisenhart, 1990). Once in the workplace, bright women often encounter the barriers of childcare, inflexible scheduling, and lack of mentoring support. Young professional women often find that their partners do not support their ambitions or goals. As a result, gifted women continue to subvert their own dreams, compromising their goals and aspirations in an attempt to compose a lifestyle that will work for all the members of their families (Tomlinson-Keasey, 1995).

The great gender revolution has also had a tremendous effect on gifted males. Gifted boys are often held to rigid stereotypes of masculinity, even as girls have been given the freedom to transcend these stereotypes (Kerr & Cohn, 2001). Underachievement continues to be a major problem for gifted boys; Colangelo, Kerr, Christensen, and Maxey (1993) found nine times as many male gifted underachievers as females in a national study. Boys who are held back and denied gifted education often become bored, difficult children. In addition, underachievement may be a way in which gifted boys define their masculinity. Many counselors have observed that gifted boys and young men appear to be disengaging socially. While females aspire to leadership positions in their schools, young men often detach, fearing the stigma of participating in girl-led and girl-dominated groups (Fiscus, 1997).

Therefore, both gifted girls and gifted boys experience conflicts between gender identity and achievement motivation. These conflicts can prevent gifted young people from attaining the education they need, from following through on career goals, and from forming satisfying and healthy relationships.

Gender

Many people might argue that gender should not be considered when discussing the special populations of the gifted, as males and females comprise all areas of education. However, there are specific struggles and experiences that are unique to each gender. Identification and expectations are also influenced by gender. The issues of gender and giftedness are explored in depth in the Guidance and Counseling of the Gifted course, but will be focused in this course, as well, as special populations.
Read the following articles regarding the issues revolving around gifted males and females:

• Social and Emotional Issues Faced by Gifted Girls in Elementary and Secondary School
• Mentors for Gifted Underachieving Males: Developing Potential and Realizing Promise

Most recently, Lesbians, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) gifted students have been recognized as a special population with unique identification and curricular needs. Read the following articles that address these needs:

• Defensive Masquerading for Inclusion and Survival Among Gifted Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Students
• Characteristics of Gifted LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) Students

For additional information and specific curriculum on how to meet the needs of our LGBT students, click here.