ABSTRACT
This chapter provides in-depth consideration of reasons why special attention should be paid to these specific populations of identified gifted students. It also provides guidance for identification, programming, curricular, and instructional modifications designed to optimize the educational growth of students from these populations. Individual differences among gifted learners, and the means of addressing those differences, have been addressed in chapters on definition, identification, service delivery options, and curriculum. There are many ways of thinking about the subgroups of students who are identified as gifted. The subgroups identified in this section are groups defined by gender or achievement/underachievement patterns, geography, ethnicity, or cultural differences. Each of these groups is characterized by documented differences that affect engagement, achievement, and ultimate probability of its members achieving their full potential. While the screening and identification of gifted students does somewhat reduce the degree to which the resulting group varies, variability is not entirely erased.
