Gifted Students and Low Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Up until first grade, high achieving, or gifted students from lower income families reflect
the rest of the country despite their income disparity, location, or demographics. It is after first
grade the problems seem to arise in getting students from low-income families in a successful
gifted program (Wyner, J. S., Bridgeland, J. M., & DiIulio, J. J., n.d.). The problem once again
seems to lie in recognizing and identifying the student as gifted (Finn & Theaker, n.d.). The
considerable reason behind this is the lack of information or data on gifted students from lowincome families. By admitting this problem, we as a nation, as American educators, would have
to admit there is a bias in the system. There have also been limited studies isolating race from
income (Wyner, J. S., Bridgeland, J. M., & DiIulio, J. J., n.d.).
Low-income gifted children go through grade-school progressively falling behind, begin
to drag in high school, and struggle to graduate from college. Even fewer numbers obtain a
graduate degree (Wyner, J. S., Bridgeland, J. M., & DiIulio, J. J., n.d.). This creates a grouping
of students with unrealized potential; and thus, missed opportunities in the future. In society,
people "afforded" opportunities are from families that can afford such opportunities. So once
again it is up to the educator to identify these students from an early age. The system must admit
to bias and favoritism to those that are white, male, and from a family that can pay for
educational luxuries (Cross, n.d.).
I am a first-year teacher with a degree in anthropology. I understand bias and societal
norms and even I am learning material from this course. Education is paramount, especially for
the educator. I think the goal should be to look forward and to learn from our mistakes. The
winning outcome would be to identify these students early on and find the funding or
programming to give them the same opportunities as those that can pay out of pocket. Gifted
programs should include all children and not just those privileged enough to have the support to
remain in them until graduate school (Cross, n.d.).
Cross, T. (n.d.). Social Emotional Needs. On the Social and Emotional Lives of Gifted Students:
Using a Baseball Metaphor to Illustrate the Opportunities of Gifted Students From
Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds. Doral College. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from
https://doralcollege.instructure.com/courses/491/pages/module-2-overview-lowsocioeconomic-status-ses-families
Finn, C. E., & Theaker, R. (n.d.). Is There a Gifted Gap? Gifted Education in High-Poverty
Schools. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from
https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/research/there-gifted-gap-gifted-education-highpoverty-schools
Wyner, J. S., Bridgeland, J. M., & DiIulio, J. J. (n.d.). Achievement Trap. How America Is
Failing Millions of High-Achieving Students from Lower-Income Families. National
Association of Gifted Children. Retrieved January 13, 2022, from
http://www.nagc.org/sites/default/files/key%20reports/Achievement%20Trap%20%28JKC
%29.pdf