Underrepresentation of Minority Students in Gifted Programs: Yes! It Matters!

The underrepresentation of minority students in programs for the gifted has been a source of concern for many years. Most recently, Van Tassel-Baska, Patton,- and Prillaman (1989) in a national survey found "... a clear underrepresentation of minority students, particularly Blacks, in gifted programs at the K-12 level ...." Because there are so few studies dealing with the absolute efficacy of gifted programming in general, it is not surprising that fewer studies assess the impact of gifted programming on minority students. This paper combines data from two midwest cities to suggest that gifted programming has an impact on drop-out rates and college enrollment. The data presented make it clear that minority students benefit from gifted programs and that their continuing underrepresentation in such programs is indefensible.