Educator perceptions regarding the identification and retention of African American students in gifted education programs

The purpose of the study was to compare the perceptions of administrators and classroom teachers regarding the unique barriers that African American students face in identification and retention efforts related to their underrepresentation in gifted education programs. Another purpose of the study was to determine if differences in perceptions exist between administrators and classroom teachers regarding how best to prioritize program supports designed to meet the unique needs of gifted African American students. A researcher-developed survey was used, and 1,052 surveys were collected from teachers and administrators in seven school districts in Maryland.;Statistically significant differences were found in the perceptions of administrators and classroom teachers regarding the unique barriers that African American students face in academic gifted and talented programming efforts. The differences were most significant for rural, elementary, and non-African American administrators and classroom teachers. The results showed that overall, administrators were more in agreement with what the literature reveals about meeting the intellectual, sociological, cultural, and psychological needs of gifted African American students so they are more equitably represented in gifted education programs. There were no significant differences found in the perceptions of administrators and teachers when asked to prioritize program supports designed to meet the unique needs of African American students. Both administrators and teachers ranked intellectual and cultural considerations as most important when addressing the unique needs of gifted African American students in gifted education programs, and they ranked sociological and psychological considerations as least important.