Predictors of Access to Gifted Education: What Makes for a Successful School?

SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com

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Academically Gifted; Gifted Education; Access to Education; Predictor Variables; Enrollment; Socioeconomic Status; Achievement Gap; Parent Background; Educational Attainment; Elementary Secondary Education; Racial Bias; Social Bias; Disproportionate Representation; Student Needs; State Policy; Student Characteristics

10.1177/00144029221081092

0014-4029

A wide research base has documented the disproportional enrollment in K-12 special education and gifted and talented services across racial and socioeconomic lines. This study extends that knowledge base by integrating multiple population-level datasets to better understand predictors of access to and enrollment in gifted and talented services and tested whether these variables remained predictive after controlling for state mandate to provide services, average district achievement, and average school achievement. Results showed that states varied, with some serving 20% of their students as gifted and others serving 0%. Similarly, within-district income segregation, income-related achievement gaps, and parental education were dominant predictors of a school offering gifted and talented services and the size of the population served, even after controlling for achievement and the presence of a state mandate. These findings suggest that gifted and talented programs are often made available based on school or community demographics rather than the needs of the students.

As Provided

2022

EJ1338945