ERIC Number: EJ1447680
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1557-3060
EISSN: EISSN-1557-3079
Gifted & Talented Programs and Racial Segregation
Owen Thompson
Education Finance and Policy, v19 n4 p692-715 2024
Racial segregation can occur not only between schools but also within schools, and there has been particular concern that gifted & talented (G&T) programs may increase within-school segregation at the primary school level. This paper evaluates the contribution of G&T education to racial segregation using data on the presence and racial composition of G&T programs at virtually all U.S. elementary schools over a span of nine school years. I first show that, consistent with widespread perceptions, G&T programs do disproportionately enroll White and Asian students while Black, Hispanic, and Native American students are underrepresented. Next, I calculate the changes in the Dissimilarity and Exposure Indices that occur when G&T programs are treated as fully separate schools, which provides a transparent measure of their contribution to overall racial segregation. These calculations indicate that accounting for the within-school racial sorting caused by G&T education increases the Dissimilarity Index by 10 to 20 percent, and has little to no impact on the Exposure Index. Finally, to study the potential effects of G&T programs on enrollments over time, I estimate event-study models for schools initiating or discontinuing G&T programs, and find no large changes in White or Asian enrollment after programs are eliminated or initiated. I conclude that G&T education's impact on racial segregation in U.S. elementary schools is modest, although changes in G&T programming could still be one meaningful tool to increase integration.
Descriptors: Racial Segregation, Gifted Education, Talent, Elementary Schools, Minority Group Students, African American Students, Hispanic American Students, American Indian Students, Disproportionate Representation, Asian American Students, White Students, Intersectionality, Enrollment Trends
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A