PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF GIFTED AND TALENTED LATINO STUDENTS

Date

2021-05

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Abstract

Considered an educational opportunity of accelerated learning, higher academic achievement, and rigor, students admitted into the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program only make up a small percentage of the student population. For minorities such as Latino students, this number is even smaller. Despite a continuous increase of the Latino population, Latino students continue to be underrepresented and under identified as gifted and talented. While teachers, parents, or even students themselves can refer individuals for GATE testing and possible identification, many minority parents lack the awareness of the significant role they can play in the identification of their gifted students. Insufficient research exists in the area of parental involvement and the identification of Latino GATE students. This study sought to find whether a relationship between home and school-based parental involvement and Latino student GATE identification existed. Having collected data from a predominantly Latino district with an 8% GATE identification rate, data from minority parents who have GATE identified students can serve to promote equitable access to GATE programs in other districts with minority students. A mixed-methods approach was used to compare GATE and non-GATE home and school-based parental involvement. Through the use of a parent survey and interviews, it was revealed that GATE parents are more likely to be involved in their child’s education, seek support from the school, and advocate for opportunities for their children within the GATE program. It is this active participation in their students’ lives that could have contributed to their children being identified as gifted.

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Keywords

GATE, latinos, parental involvement

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