Abstract
This article presents a study of a program in Peoria, Illinois for the gifted and talented that serves as a national test case for gifted education and minority enrollment. An analysis of the program, and the referral, identification, and selection mechanisms, was conducted. This case study concludes that low minority enrollment need not suggest that the local school district engages in discriminatory practices or that low enrollment is explained by genetic differences between races. Instead, the study points to the impact of the community’s socioeconomic characteristics on gifted enrollment. Fundamentally, the study addresses the issues of equal opportunity, ability, and achievement in American education.
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