English-language learners are severely underrepresented in gifted education programs in the nation鈥檚 K-12 schools.
While it鈥檚 something that ELL educators have likely long known, my colleagues Sarah Sparks and Alex Harwin delve into just how widespread the dilemma is in an exclusive 91制片厂视频 Week analysis.
Nationwide, the students who don鈥檛 yet communicate fluently in English account for about 10 percent of the nation鈥檚 K-12 students, but only 3 percent of those enrolled in gifted programs.
Providing equal opportunities and access for ELLs has long been an issue in K-12 education.
Recent research from Ilana Umansky at the University of Oregon found that even the practice of . Umansky found that the designation often leads to diminished teacher expectations and sets up a tiered education system that restricts ELLs鈥� access to a school鈥檚 or district鈥檚 full catalogue of courses and academic resources.
Apparently that extends to gifted and talented education because many schools don鈥檛 even test ELLs for giftedness.
Some school systems, including Tulsa, Okla. and , are trying to buck the trend. But while there鈥檚 a growing acknowledgement that students鈥� developing English skills can mask their academic talents, the problem is pervasive.
The gaps between the share of students who are English-learners and the percentage of English-learners in gifted education was largest in California, which .
The state isn鈥檛 alone. Sarah and Alex鈥檚 reporting found that ELLs are underrepresented in gifted programs in 49 states and the District of Columbia.
In West Virginia, the lone state where ELLs weren鈥檛 underrepresented, only one percent of students have limited English skills. So efforts to get more support for gifted ELLs are almost nonexistent.
For Further Reading
Teaching America鈥檚 English-Language Learners: A Special Report