ABSTRACT
Gifted children come from all segments of society, including from diverse cultural backgrounds. “Culturally different refers frequently to gifted student from specific ethnic groups including, but not limited to, Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans, and Asian Americans”. It is important that educators understand that being different does not preclude one from being gifted and that educators must be responsive to their needs. Culturally diverse gifted and talented children are often underrepresented and underserved in gifted programming. Culture can be defined as “any group of people who share a common structure of values, system of beliefs, set of traditions, language, and/or worldview”. A convincing body of evidence suggests that an achievement gap exists at higher levels of academic performance. Standardized programming can be another impediment when schools and districts impose the same programming for all gifted students regardless of students’ strengths or areas of talent.
