Black and Gifted in Rural America: Barriers and Facilitators to Accessing Gifted and Talented Education Programs

Abstract

Nationwide, Black students are underrepresented in gifted and talented education and advanced learner programs. These tragic outcomes occur in all demographic communities: urban, suburban, and rural. As a result, the academic and psychosocial supports needed by gifted Black students are overlooked, disregarded, and underdeveloped. Rural communities are frequently depicted as remote, lacking in social and academic experiences and opportunities, and predominantly White and economically disadvantaged. For gifted and talented Black students, these characterizations contribute to feelings of isolation and alienation in school on a daily basis. Despite their high intellectual potential, they are constantly victimized by racially oppressive conditions in society that cause stress and anxiety. The Black rural community, including Black gifted and talented students, is almost invisible in scholarship that discusses rural education in the United States. This article explores the nature of the rural communities where these students reside; shares intellectual, academic, and cultural characteristics that make Black gifted students from rural communities unique; and delineates recommendations for research, curriculum, and specific programming to meet their intellectual, academic, cultural, and psychosocial needs with an emphasis on access, equity, and excellence.