ABSTRACT
The United States’ commitment to gifted education, and the relative importance the government has placed on it, has fluctuated throughout its compulsory education history. The presiding political and societal beliefs of the times have been reflected in how the construct of “giftedness” was defined and how this definition influenced both the identification process and the specialized education for gifted children and adolescents (Colangelo & Davis, 1997; Ross, 1997). The U.S. population is becoming increasingly diverse and is projected to increase by 50% among culturally and linguistically diverse groups in the year 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau, 1996). Therefore it is imperative to advance our understanding of giftedness and culture to develop procedures that will facilitate the identification of special gifts and talents among culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children and adolescents.
