Abstract:
This qualitative study was conducted to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of gifted Black students in a rural Georgia school district. Gifted education programs are often touted as providing high-ability students access to challenging and engaging curriculum that builds on their curiosity, creativity, and persistence. However, Black students face obstacles, which prevent them from being identified for and retained in gifted education programs, making them the most underrepresented non-White group in gifted education. As a result of this educational inequity, gifted Black students are subordinated by race, underserved, overlooked, and denied access to the challenging education they deserve. Related existing research and theory included past studies on the recruitment and retention of Black students in gifted education programs. This study was designed to provide an original contribution to the research base by sharing first-person portraits of six gifted Black students who recently graduated from high school. A series of three interviews was completed with each participant, and these interviews were transcribed and then analyzed using in vivo coding. Once analysis was complete, counterstories were created for each participant, spotlighting the good in each story. Four main themes were determined: Relationships are important to the participants’ social and academic lives; Participants share the characteristics of a strong racial identity; Participants possess a love of learning and of academic challenge; and Participants have a strong need for achievement. Each theme was then broken into subcategories with supporting commentary from participants’ stories.