ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the social and emotional needs of gifted students who are members of non-White racial groups in the US It presents some practical conceptual anchors to be considered when advising and counseling racially diverse gifted students. Among gifted students from racial and ethnic minority groups, the achievement-affiliation conflict further can be exacerbated by racial identity conflict. Conformity/pre-encounter is the least mature status in racial identity development. Among the gifted and talented from visible racial and ethnic groups, the achievement-affiliation conflict intertwines with racial identity conflicts. The cases of Cedric Jennings and Mrs. Chen have shown that these conflicts can be experienced by racial groups that are underrepresented and over-represented in the gifted population. Beyond focusing on here-and-now intellectual development, gifted and talented educators should take into consideration the immediate and pervasive impact of placement in gifted programs on students’ racial identity development.
