Historical and Current Trends in Gifted Education
Stereotypes vs. Diversity = Special Populations
Before we can begin assessing, we must first establish who these at-risk children are. Surprisingly, in this day where equality between men and women is accepted to be the norm by many, gifted girls still fall behind in many cultures. Many cultures continue to believe the woman’s place is in the home to serve her husband and family and any resources available for education should go towards male children.
Children who are second-language learners also fall into this group. Many times they arrive from countries where education takes a back seat to survival and for some, stepping into a public school is their very first experience of a formal education. Suddenly the child is in a room full of foreign speaking people, away from family and friends, sitting with books and supplies in front of him, and very much alone.
We also welcome children who are products of poverty. Their only meal may be the school lunch they are provided for free every day. Their clothes may be dirty, they may come to school exhausted because they do live in a situation where nobody is home to make sure they have a good night’s sleep. They may be required to take on responsibilities way beyond their childhood years.
The next group of potentially, at-risk children are the “underachievers.” These are students who perform well on standardized measures but demonstrate a great discrepancy in actual performance. There are times when a spark of brilliance shines through and then their work becomes mediocre again.
Children with disabilities are the final group of children in the underserved population. Many of these children have been labeled as LD (learning disabled), ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder), speech and language impaired, and/or autistic (specifically those with Asperger’s Syndrome).