Gifted Native American Students

Abstract

A national research agenda focused on gifted/creative/talented Native American students is needed, as this population remains one of the least researched, most overlooked, and most underserved in the field. Literature-based assumptions surrounding Native American students’ talent development, culture and traditions, cognitive styles and learning preferences, and communication were generated and then reviewed by educators and tribal members for relevance and accurace. This article has three purposes. The first is to analyze the literature-based assumptions concerning gifted education in three Native American communities—Diné, Lakota, and Ojibwe. The second is to call on gifted education researchers to include Native American students in their research. The third is to suggest a research agenda based on data gathered within these communities