The Influence of Identification Practices, Race and SES on the Identification of Gifted Students

Identification procedures for gifted programs reinforce social inequalities while missing some of our most promising students. This study reports, a survey of 461 (82.5%) New Jersey school districts. The results show that there are significant relationships between G/T participation rates and 1) race,2) spending per pupil, 3) property value per pupil and 4) the socioeconomic status of school districts. The study also found excessive reliance on standardized tests. The author calls for a broadened, developmental definition of giftedness.