ABSTRACT
Cultural competency begins with the process of revelation and truth about who the people are and what they know or do not know about themselves, and their relationship with others. This chapter educates the reader on the relationship between cultural competency and gifted education. The implications for educational and instructional leaders in gifted education are clear. The Institute for Educational Leadership is one professional organization that promotes the idea of cultural competency and links it to effectiveness, equitable opportunities for students, and a positive, accepting school environment. Educational and instructional leaders in gifted education have a duty to promote equity and opportunity to gifted students of diverse backgrounds who have historically been underrepresented and underserved. Addressing the educational needs of low-income, culturally, and linguistically diverse gifted students from a cultural competency framework allows for infusing student diversity issues throughout a program's curriculum, instruction, and assessment components.
