Blending Research-Based Practices and Practice-Embedded Research: Project Excite Closes Achievement and Excellence Gaps for Underrepresented Gifted Minority Students

Abstract

In this article, we advocate for a new movement in education, particularly an approach emphasizing blending research-based practice with practice-embedded research. We do so by describing and discussing Project Excite, a working example that demonstrates such a model in the context of gifted education. We first trace the history, the impetus, and key design elements of Project Excite, a front-loading intervention aiming to develop the potential of underrepresented students for advanced science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning from early grades. We review a line of past research and key findings on Project Excite over its 14-year journey. We then discuss the implication of Project Excite for gifted programming in gifted education. Last, we pinpoint some questions to inspire future research and practice.

Keywords

achievement gap minority students front-loading strategy research-based practice practice-embedded research

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Briggs

C. J.

Reis

S. M.

Sullivan

E. E.

(2008). A national view of promising programs and practices for culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse gifted and talented students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 52, 131-145. doi:10.1177/0016986208316037

Bryk

A. S.

(2015). 2014 AERA distinguished lecture: Accelerating how we learn to improve. Educational Researcher, 44, 467-477. doi:10.3102/0013189x15621543

Donovan

M. S.

Wigdor

A. K.

Snow

C. E.

(2003). Strategic education research partnership. Committee on a strategic education research partnership. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

Evanston Township High School District 202. (2017). Evanston Township High School Report Card. Retrieved from https://illinoisreportcard.com/School.aspx?schoolid=050162020170001

Horn

C. V.

(2015). Young scholars: A talent development model for finding and nurturing potential in underserved populations. Gifted Child Today, 38, 19-31. doi:10.1177/1076217514556532

Lee

S.-Y.

Olszewski-Kubilius

Peternel

(2009). Follow-up with students after 6 years of participation in Project EXCITE. Gifted Child Quarterly, 53, 137-156. doi:10.1177/0016986208330562

Lee

S.-Y.

Olszewski-Kubilius

Peternel

(2010). The efficacy of academic acceleration for gifted minority students. Gifted Child Quarterly, 54, 189-208. doi:10.1177/0016986210369256

Morgan

P. L.

Farkas

Hillemeier

M. M.

Maczuga

(2016). Science achievement gaps begin very early, persist, and are largely explained by modifiable factors. Educational Researcher, 45, 18-35. doi:10.3102/0013189X16633182

National Assessment of Educational Progress. (2015). The Nation’s Report Card. Retrieved from http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_2015/#?grade=4

10.

National Research Council. (1999). Improving student learning: A community approach to improving youth outcomes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

11.

National Summer Learning Association. (n.d.). Resources for communities. Retrieved from http://www.summerlearning.org/summer-opportunity-project/resources-communities/

12.

Olszewski-Kubilius

Clarenbach

(2012). Unlocking emergent talent: Supporting high achievement of low-income, high-ability students (National Association for Gifted Children). Retrieved from http://www.jkcf.org/assets/1/7/Unlocking_Emergent_Talent.pdf

13.

Olszewski-Kubilius

Lee

S.-Y.

Ngoi

(2004). Addressing the achievement gap between minority and nonminority children by increasing access to gifted programs. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 28, 127-158. doi:10.1177/016235320402800202

14.

Olszewski-Kubilius

Steenbergen-Hu

Thomson

Rosen

(2016). Minority achievement gaps in STEM: Findings of a longitudinal study of its impact on student achievement. Gifted Child Quarterly, 61, 1-20. doi:10.1177/0016986216673449

15.

Plucker

J. A.

Burroughs

Song

(2008). Mind the (other) gap! The growing excellence gap in K-12 education. Bloomington, IN: Center for Evaluation and Education Research.

16.

Plucker

J. A.

Hardesty

Burroughs

(2013). Talent on the sidelines: Excellence gaps and America’s persistent talent underclass. Storrs: Center for Education Policy Analyses, University of Connecticut.

17.

Reardon

S. F.

(2008). Differential growth in the Black-White achievement gap during elementary school among initially high- and low-scoring students (Stanford University’s Institute for Research on Education Policy & Practice). Retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/group/cepa/workingpapers/WORKING_PAPER_2008_07.pdf

18.

Snellman

Silva

Frederick

C. B.

Putnam

R. D.

(2015). The engagement gap: Social mobility and extracurricular participation among American youth. ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 657, 194-207. doi:10.1177/0002716214548398

19.

Snow

C. E.

(2015). 2014 Wallace Foundation Distinguished Lecture—Rigor and realism: Doing educational science in the real world. Educational Researcher, 44, 460-466.

20.

U.S. Department of Education. (2000). National Center for Education Statistics: America’s kindergartners. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2000/2000070.pdf