Mi Primer Idioma es Español: A Systematic Review of Gifted Access for Multilingual Students

Abstract

This 2024 CEC Conference Poster Proceedings manuscript was based on my systematic literature review (SLR). Students whose first language is not English, labeled English learners (EL; or some othering variation of that term), are disproportionately underrepresented in gifted/enrichment/advanced education. Despite this growing demographic representing approximately 10% of the student population, they only represent approximately 2% of gifted and talented programs. Based on articles identified for this SLR, I highlight components of the referral process for multilingual students to gifted/enrichment/advanced education, along with potential biases. Findings included the connection between academic success and access/support to and within advanced education, as well as how teachers hold an enormous responsibility as gatekeepers for opportunities to learn.

Keywords

multilingual multicultural multiply marginalized bias enrichment gifted access advanced education English learner schoolwide enrichment

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Allen

J. K.

(2017). Exploring the role teacher perceptions play in the underrepresentation of culturally and linguistically diverse students in gifted programming. Gifted Child Today, 40(2), 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217517690188

* Allen

J. K.

Robbins

M. A.

Payne

Y. D.

Brown

K. B.

(2016). Using enrichment clusters to address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Gifted Child Today, 39(2), 84–97. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217516628568

Barajas-López

(2014). Mexican Immigrant students’ schooling experiences and the construction of disengagement in mathematics learning contexts. Journal of Latinos and Education, 13(1), 14–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2013.800818

Bilingual Education Act of 1968 Elementary and Secondary Act Amendments, Pub. L. No. 90–247, title VII, §702, 81 Stat. 816. (1968). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-81/pdf/STATUTE-81-Pg783.pdf#page=32

* Bjorklund

(2019). “Whoa. You speak Mexican?”: Latina/o high school students’ sense of belonging in advanced placement and honors classes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 24(2), 109–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/10824669.2019.1570202

* Booth

Shields

Carle

(2017). Advanced course completion rates among New Mexico high school students following changes in graduation requirements. REL 2018-278. Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest. Social Science Premium Collection https://www.proquest.com/reports/advanced-course-completion-rates-among-new-mexico/docview/1968430480/se-2

Card

Giuliano

(2016). Universal screening increases the representation of low-income and minority students in gifted education. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(48), 13678–13683. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1605043113

Carlone

H. B.

Huffling

L. D.

Tomasek

Hegedus

T. A.

Matthews

C. E.

Allen

M. H.

Ash

M. C.

(2015). “Unthinkable” selves: Identity boundary work in a summer field ecology enrichment program for diverse youth. International Journal of Science Education, 37(10), 1524–1546. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2015.1033776

* Catapano

Gray

(2015). Saturday school: Implementing project-based learning in an urban school. Penn GSE Perspectives on Urban Education, 12(1), 1–12. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1056672.pdf

10.

Cumming

M. M.

Bettini

Chow

J. C.

(2023). High-quality systematic literature reviews in special education: Promoting coherence, contextualization, generativity, and transparency. Exceptional Children, 89(4), 412–431. https://doi.org/10.1177/00144029221146576

11.

* Curwen

M. S.

Colón-Muñiz

(2013). Educators challenging poverty and Latino low achievement: Extending and enriching the school day. Journal of Urban Learning, Teaching, and Research, 9, 65–77. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1027061.pdf

12.

* Damiani

V. B.

(1996). The individual family support plan: A tool to assist special populations of gifted learners. Roeper Review, 18(4), 293–297. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/individual-family-support-plan-tool-assist/docview/62695379/se-2

13.

Davis

A. M.

(2018). Not so gifted: Academic identity for Black women in honors. Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council, 19(2), 47–71. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nchcjournal/582

14.

Davis

J. L.

(2024). Intentionally opening the world of twice exceptionality for culturally diverse learners. Teaching for High Potential, 17(1), 1–16.

15.

De Jong

(2011). Foundations for multilingualism in education. In Language policy in the United States (pp. 126–138). Caslon Publishing. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/return-bilingual-education

16.

Dixson

D. D.

Worrell

F. C.

Olszewski-Kubilius

Subotnik

R. F.

(2016). Beyond perceived ability: The contribution of psychosocial factors to academic performance. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1377(1), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.13210

17.

* Fenty

N. S.

Allio

(2017). Using distance learning to impact access of diverse learners to advanced placement programs. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 18(2), 39–56. https://research.ebsco.com/c/vc3evs/viewer/pdf/z7vulhxkhb. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/using-distance-learning-impact-access-diverse/docview/2009558659/se-2

18.

Fish

R. E.

(2017). The racialized construction of exceptionality: Experimental evidence of race/ethnicity effects on teachers' interventions. Social Science Research, 62, 317–334. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.08.007

19.

Foley-Nicpon

Teriba

(2022). Policy considerations for twice-exceptional students. Gifted Child Today, 45(4), 212–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/10762175221110943

20.

Ford

D. Y.

(2010). Multicultural issues: Underrepresentation of culturally different students in gifted education: Reflections about current problems and recommendations for the future. Gifted Child Today, 33(3), 31–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/107621751003300308

21.

Ford

D. Y.

(2015). Multicultural issues: Recruiting and retaining Black and Hispanic students in gifted education: Equality versus equity schools. Gifted Child Today, 38(3), 187–191. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217515583745

22.

Ford

D. Y.

Wright

B. L.

Trotman Scott

(2020). A matter of equity: Desegregating and integrating gifted and talented education for under-represented students of color. Multicultural Perspectives, 22(1), 28–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/15210960.2020.1728275

23.

Ford

D. Y.

Young

J. L.

(2021). Underrepresented culturally and linguistically diverse gifted students: Recommendations for equitable recruitment and retention. In Roberts

J. L.

Inman

T. F.

Robins

J. H.

(Eds.), Introduction to gifted education (pp. 337–352). Routledge.

24.

Gentry

Gray

Whiting

G. W.

Maeda

Pereira

(2019). Access denied/system failure. Gifted education in the United States: Laws, access, equity, and missingness across the country by locale, Title I school status, and race. Report cards, 78 S. E. HENSHON technical report, and website. West Lafayette, IN; Lansdowne, VA: Purdue University; Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. https://www.education.purdue.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/access-denied-abstract.pdF

25.

* Giacchino-Baker

Piller

(2006). Parental motivation, attitudes, support, and commitment in a Southern Californian two-way immersion program. Journal of Latinos and Education, 5(1), 5–28. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532771xjle0501_2

26.

Gonzales

S. M.

Baier

S. T.

Brammer

E. C.

(2022). Are you HIP?: How one Latinx learning community integrates ten high-impact practices to foster student success. A practice report. Student Success, 13(1), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.1907

27.

* Graefe

A. K.

Ritchotte

J. A.

(2019). An exploration of factors that predict advanced placement exam success for gifted Hispanic students. Journal of Advanced Academics, 30(4), 441–462. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X19853194

28.

Gubbins

E. J.

Siegle

Peters

P. M.

Carpenter

A. Y.

Hamilton

McCoach

D. B.

Puryear

J. S.

Langley

S. D.

Long

(2020). Promising practices for improving identification of English learners for gifted and talented programs. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 43(4), 336–369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353220955241

29.

*Hafenstein

N. L.

Boley

Lin

(2022). State policy and funding in gifted education. Gifted Child Today, 45(4), 226–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/10762175221110938

30.

* Henderson

K. I.

(2019). The danger of the dual-language enrichment narrative: Educator discourses constructing exclusionary participation structures in bilingual education. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 16(3), 155–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/15427587.2018.1492343

31.

* Hertberg-Davis

Callahan

C. M.

(2008). A narrow escape: Gifted students’ perceptions of advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs. Gifted Child Quarterly, 52(3), 199–216. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986208319705

32.

Hodges

Tay

Maeda

Gentry

(2018). A meta-analysis of gifted and talented identification practices. Gifted Child Quarterly, 62(2), 147–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986217752107

33.

* Horn

C. V.

(2015). Young scholars: A talent development model for finding and nurturing potential in underserved populations. Gifted Child Today, 38(1), 19–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/1076217514556532

34.

* Kanno

Kangas

S. E. N.

(2014). “I'm not going to be, like, for the AP”: English language learners’ limited access to advanced college-preparatory courses in high school. American Educational Research Journal, 51(5), 848–878. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831214544716

35.

* Kettler

Shiu

Johnsen

S. K.

(2006). AP As an intervention for middle school Hispanic students. Gifted Child Today, 29(1), 39–46. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/ap-as-intervention-middle-school-hispanic/docview/62108222/se-2

36.

* Kibler

A. K.

Atteberry

Hardigree

C. N.

Salerno

A. S.

(2015). Languages across borders: Social network development in an adolescent two-way language program. Teachers College Record, 117(8), 1–48. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146811511700805

37.

Klimecká

(2022). Advantages and disadvantages of being “gifted”: Perceptions of the label by gifted pupils. Research Papers in Education, 38(6), 1–22, https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2022.2065523

38.

Krogstad

J. M.

(2023, September 22). Key facts about U.S. Latinos for National Hispanic Heritage month. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/09/22/key-facts-about-us-latinos-for-national-hispanic-heritage-month/#:∼:text=The%20U.S.%20population%20grew%20by,other%20racial%20or%20ethnic%20group

39.

Kundu

(2020). The power of student agency: Looking beyond grit to close the opportunity gap. Teachers College Press.

40.

Ladson-Billings

Tate

W. F.

(1995). Toward a critical race theory of education. Teachers College Record, 97(1), 47–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/016146819509700104

41.

Lafer

(2017). The one percent solution. Cornell University Press.

42.

* La Porte

A. M.

(2016). Efficacy of the arts in a transdisciplinary learning experience for culturally diverse fourth graders. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 8(3), 467–480. https://iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/126. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/efficacy-arts-transdisciplinary-learning/docview/1826529909/se-2

43.

* Matthews

M. S.

Rhodes

H. A.

(2020). Examining identification practices and services for young advanced and gifted learners in selected North Carolina school districts. Journal of Advanced Academics, 31(4), 411–435. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X20908878

44.

* Matthews

P. H.

Mellom

P. J.

(2012). Shaping aspirations, awareness, academics, and action: Outcomes of summer enrichment programs for English-learning secondary students. Journal of Advanced Academics, 23(2), 105–124. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X12439197

45.

* Miller

Gentry

(2010). Developing talents among high-potential students from low-income families in an out-of-school enrichment program. Journal of Advanced Academics, 21(4), 594–627. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X1002100403

46.

* Morita-Mullaney

Renn

Chiu

M. M.

(2020). Obscuring equity in dual language bilingual education: A longitudinal study of emergent bilingual achievement, course placements, and grades. TESOL Quarterly: A Journal for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages and of Standard English as a Second Dialect, 54(3), 685–718. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.592

47.

Mun

R. U.

Ezzani

M. D.

Lee

L. E.

(2020a). Culturally relevant leadership in gifted education: A systematic literature review. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 43(2), 108–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353220912009

48.

Mun

R. U.

Hemmler

Langley

S. D.

Ware

Gubbins

E. J.

Callahan

C. M.

McCoach

D. B.

Siegle

(2020b). Identifying and serving English learners in gifted education: Looking back and moving forward. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 43(4), 297–335. https://doi.org/10.1177/0162353220955230

49.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2023a). English learners in public schools. Condition of education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgf

50.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). (2023b). Characteristics of public school teachers. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved July 8, 2023, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/clrhttps://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/clr

51.

Novak

A. M.

(2022a). Not white saviors, but critical scholars: The need for gifted critical race theory. In Nyberg

J. L.

Manzone

J. A.

(Eds.), Creating equitable services for the gifted: Protocols for identification, implementation, and evaluation (pp. 246–262). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/pdf.aspx?tid=290604&ptid=268283&ctid=4&oa=true&isxn=9781799881537

52.

Novak

A. M.

(2022b). Peter Parker principle: From White privilege to gifted critical discourse. Gifted Child Quarterly, 66(2), 128–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862211037704

53.

Office of English Language Acquisition. (2019). The top languages spoken by English learners (ELs) in the United States. https://ncela.ed.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/files/fast_facts/olea-top-languages-fact-shee t-20191021-508.pdf

54.

Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). (2022, April 8). OSEP fast facts: Students with disabilities who are English learners served under idea part B. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/osep-fast-facts-students-with-disabilities-english-learners

55.

* Parkes

(2008). Who chooses dual language education for their children and why. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 11(6), 635–660. https://doi.org/10.2167/beb470.0

56.

* Pereira

Gentry

(2013). A qualitative inquiry into the experiences of high-potential Hispanic English language learners in Midwestern schools. Journal of Advanced Academics, 24(3), 164–194. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X13494204

57.

Peters

Engerrand

K. G.

(2016). Equity and excellence: Proactive efforts in the identification of underrepresented students for gifted and talented services. The Gifted Child Quarterly, 60(3), 159–171. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986216643165

58.

Peters

S. J.

(2022). The challenges of achieving equity within public school gifted and talented programs. Gifted Child Quarterly, 66(2), 82–94. https://doi.org/10.1177/00169862211002535

59.

* Ray

J. M.

(2009). A template analysis of teacher agency at an academically successful dual language school. Journal of Advanced Academics, 21(1), 110–141. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/template-analysis-teacher-agency-at-academically/docview/742873949/se-2

60.

Reis

S. M.

Peters

P. M.

(2021). Research on the schoolwide enrichment model: Four decades of insights, innovation, and evolution. Gifted Education International, 37(2), 109–141. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261429420963987

61.

Renzulli

J. S.

Reis

S. M.

Brigandi

(2021). Enrichment theory, research, and practice. In Plucker

Callhan

(Eds.), Critical issues and practices in gifted education (pp. 185–199). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003233961-15/enrichment-theory-research-practice-joseph-renzulli-sally-reis-carla-brigandi

62.

Renzulli

J. S.

Renzulli

S. R.

(2010). The schoolwide enrichment model: A focus on student strengths and interests. Gifted Education International, 26(2–3), 140–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/026142941002600303

63.

* Ricciardi

Winsler

(2021). Selection into advanced courses in middle and high school among low-income, ethnically diverse youth. Journal of Advanced Academics, 32(3), 291–323. https://doi.org/10.1177/1932202X21990096

64.

Russakoff

(2015). The prize: Who's in charge of America's schools? Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

65.

* Solano-Campos

(2017). Language ideologies in a U.S. state-funded international school: The invisible linguistic repertoires of bilingual refugee students. Journal of Research in International Education, 16(1), 36–54. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240917692759

66.

Solórzano

D. G.

Bernal

D. D.

(2001). Examining transformational resistance through a critical race and LatCrit theory framework: Chicana and Chicano students in an urban context. Urban Education, 36(3), 308–342. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085901363002

67.

Talbott

Maggin

D. M.

Van Acker

E. Y.

Kumm

(2017). Quality indicators for reviews of research in special education. Exceptionality, 26(4), 245–265. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2017.1283625

68.

U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE). (2016). Civil rights data collection: gifted and talented enrollment. https://ocrdata.ed.gov/estimations/2015-2016

69.

U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE). (2018a). Civil rights data collection: gifted and talented enrollment. https://ocrdata.ed.gov/assets/downloads/2017-2018/School-Programs/Gifted-and-Talented/Gifted-Talented-Enrollment

70.

U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE). (2018b). Civil rights data collection: overall student enrollment. https://ocrdata.ed.gov/assets/downloads/2017-2018/Student-Enrollment/All-Enrollment/Enrollment-Overall.xlsx%E2%80%8B

71.

U.S. Department of Education (U.S. DOE). (2021). Civil rights data collection: National summary for 2020-21 school year. https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov/profile/us?surveyYear=2020

72.

Wright

B. L.

Ford

D. Y.

Young

J. L.

(2017). Ignorance or indifference? Seeking excellence and equity for under-represented students of color in gifted education. Global Education Review, 4(1). 45–60. https://doaj.org/article/74103e5e147341ae90ee8cb1548505d0. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1137997.pdf