Defend Gifted Education. And Then Do Much More - Article Review

The November 8, 2021 article by Frederick Hess, director of educational policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, entitled
Defend Gifted Education. And Then Do Much More,
is a must-read for parents, educators, and advocates for the gifted student population. Summarizing the article fails to give justice to its eloquent defense of our students. This snippet, however, manages to capture the understanding that equity includes ALL gifted children.  

Three years ago, in a
“Culturally Responsive Equity-Based Bill of Rights for Gifted Students of Color,” a group of equity scholars  including Donna Y Ford, Kenneth T. Dickson, Joy Lawson Davis, Michelle Trotman Scott, and Tarek C. Grantham argued that “gifted students of color need skilled gifted educators, gifted programs committed to recruiting and retaining them, and access to gifted programs and services, including Advanced Placement, accelerated, magnet schools, early college, and other programs for advanced students/learners. 

They’re right. In fact, when equity is understood in this way, there are endless opportunities for simultaneously pursuing both equity and excellence.    


Dr. Maria Katsaros-Molzahn, Ed.D. and the Justice For All Taskforce