This paper investigates the relationship between funding for gifted and talented (G/T) programs and short-term academic growth of G/T students as well as predictors of G/T growth and G/T costs. Using district finance data in Arkansas from the 2017–2018 through 2022–2023 fiscal years (with the exception of 1 year due to COVID-19), we employed multiple modeling approaches to assess whether the findings were robust rather than statistical artifacts. Across 5 years of data, findings indicated no statistically significant association between G/T expenditure and changes in test scores. School districts with a higher proportion of G/T students or non-White students tended to have lower test scores and spent less per G/T student, underscoring that funding disparities across districts may play a role in limiting G/T growth outcomes. These findings add to the literature on G/T and education finance as well as add novel considerations to policy discussions surrounding G/T funding and its allocation.
The aim of this study was to examine the depression levels of gifted adolescents and to investigate the predictive roles of self-regulation skills, peer relationships, parental attitudes, and self-compassion. The research sample consisted of 497 gifted adolescents (265 females, 206 males, and 26 participants who did not report their gender) attending Science and Art Centers in Turkey. Findings showed that depression levels were moderate and significantly differed by gender, with gifted females reporting higher levels of depression than gifted males. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that depression levels were predicted by psychological autonomy, self-coldness, and the peer relationship dimensions of help, protection, and conflict. These variables collectively explained approximately 62% of the variance in depression levels. Further analyses indicated gender-specific patterns. For gifted male adolescents, depression levels were primarily predicted by self-coldness and protection (negatively), accounting for 66% of the variance. In contrast, for gifted female adolescents, depression levels were predicted by self-coldness, help (negatively), and conflict (positively), explaining 60% of the variance. Across both genders, self-coldness emerged as the strongest predictor of depression levels.
Like other children from underserved populations, Bedouin children are severely underrepresented in gifted education. Although socioeconomic and educational disparities in Bedouin society are well recognized, very little is currently known about the role of families and schools in the identification and participation of Bedouin children in gifted education. Guided by a culturally responsive perspective on giftedness, we examined how Bedouin parents and school principals perceive giftedness and how such perceptions shape decision-making processes regarding children's referral to and participation in gifted education. The study included semi-structured interviews with 11 parents (6 mothers and 5 fathers) and 5 primary school principals (3 men and 2 women). Thematic analysis was used to identify patterns of meaning across the dataset. Our results suggest that economic barriers to Bedouin children's participation in gifted education intersect with sociocultural perceptions, such as constructing giftedness as an innate trait and as a form of Whiteness. We conclude with recommendations for interventions to reduce social disparities in gifted education.
Educational systems worldwide grapple with persistent geographic inequalities in access to advanced learning opportunities, coupled with a growing international recognition of how geographic location shapes access to science excellence programs for high-school students. This article examines Israel’s Alpha and Odyssey elite science programs, which uniquely established branches in peripheral universities alongside central locations, offering a critical test case for whether physical expansion translates into educational equity. Drawing on Bourdieu’s cultural capital framework and Archer’s theory of science capital, we examine how selection mechanisms might reproduce center–periphery hierarchies despite geographic diversification. The study uses a qualitative methodology, incorporating interviews with 20 Program directors (senior managers from the Ministry of Education, university coordinators, and military personnel), and analysis of 24 policy documents, to trace how these programs operate across different geographic contexts. We reveal systematic patterns in recruitment strategies, selection processes, and resultant cohort compositions. Although the Alpha and Odyssey programs maintain a physical presence in peripheral universities, they fail to deliver geographic equity. This study illuminates the tension between geographic expansion and equal access, enhancing understanding of how merit-based excellence programs can paradoxically reproduce spatial stratification in educational opportunity.
Persistent underrepresentation of students who are Black and Hispanic in gifted education may stem not only from biased referral and testing practices but also from overlooked features of school climate. Using 2020–2021 Civil Rights Data Collection records for 37,962 campuses (Black models) and 40,944 campuses (Hispanic models), we examined whether school-based security staffing is associated with proportional gifted representation, after controlling for socioeconomic status, locale, enrollment, student–teacher ratios, and racial composition. Multilevel models nested campuses within districts to account for policy differences in identification and security spending. The full models explained 15.7% of variance in Black representation and 11.0% in Hispanic representation. Final models suggested mixed but limited practical effects of full-time equivalent (FTE) security guard staffing and no effect of FTE law enforcement staffing on proportional representation. No causal claims are advanced; results highlight the need to scrutinize how security practices intersect with equity initiatives in talent identification.
