Cultureblindness Must End to Reverse Underrepresentation Among Black and Hispanic Students in Gifted and Talented Education

Abstract

To cultivate the best and brightest, educators (e.g., teachers, administrators, school counselors) must see and be responsive to the gifts and talents in students from all cultural backgrounds. Specifically, it must be understood and accepted that students come from diverse backgrounds and communities enrich the school culture when educators are culturally responsive. Unfortunately, every student does not get the opportunity to become the best version of themselves because they may encounter roadblocks to being properly assessed for academic talent. We interrogate such barriers, particularly educators’ dispositions and biases, and merge a few gifted and talented theories with culture to promote and endorse culturally responsive gifted and talented to reverse/end underrepresentation.