Underachievement among gifted students of color: implications for educators

Theory Into Practice, Spring, 2005 by James L. Moore, III, Donna Y. Ford, H. Richard Milner

On a daily basis, teachers, school, counselors, and administrators are troubled by the unfortunate reality that a significant number of students of color (e.g., African American, Hispanic American, and Native American), including those identified as gifted, are not reaching their academic potential in school settings. This article presents an overview of social and psychological barriers that commonly impede the academic performance of gifted students of color. The authors assert that efforts to reverse underachievement among students of color have failed because these students have been misguided. It is argued that, until the needs and issues surrounding cultural diversity are addressed, gifted students of color will continue to underachieve academically. Implications are provided to teachers, counselors, and others to reverse the systemic cycle of failure that is too often prevalent among students of color in general and gifted students of color in particular.

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NUMEROUS REPORTS, ARTICLES, and books have highlighted the reality that students of color (e.g., African American, Hispanic American, and Native American) are often underachievers and low achievers in American school settings (Diaz, 1999; Ford, 1995; Grantham & Ford, 2003; Moore, 2003; Ogbu, 2003; Pewewardy, 1993). In comparison to their White student counterparts, students of color are likely to perform poorly on high-stakes tests, earn lower grades, drop out of school at unreasonable rates, and otherwise fail to achieve at levels commensurate with their academic ability (Denbo, 2002; Shaffer, Ortman, & Denbo, 2002). When students are underachievers or low achievers, educational professionals (i.e., teachers, school counselors, administrators, etc.) often become alarmed and intensively attempt to explain the negative educational outcomes and to identify effective educational practices to remedy the underachievement and low achievement of students of color. Despite decades of efforts (e.g., preschool programs, afterschool programs, summer programs, academic supports, etc.), many students of color still lag significantly behind their White counterparts academically. These educational outcomes are often referred to as the "achievement gap."

For a student to be perceived as an underachiever, someone, like a teacher, school counselor, or administrator, must first notice that the student is performing below his or her academic ability; but, when a deficit orientation exists, the teacher, school counselor, or administrator is often unable to recognize the student's true academic ability (Ford, Harris, Tyson, & Frazier Trotman, 2002). Cloudy thinking often prevents them from seeing beyond the student's current level of performance (Flowers, Milner, & Moore, 2003; Ford et al., 2002) and seeing the possibility that a student can do better. For example, if Malik receives low grades in school, educators who espouse deficit thinking may not consider the possibility that he can do better or might be a "gifted underachiever."

There are a number of factors that contribute to these negative school outcomes. In this article, we focus on four common factors: (a) cultural factors, (b) social factors, (c) school factors, and (d) psychological or individual factors. The research literature (Flowers et al., 2003; Howard, 2003; Moore, 2003; Ogbu, 2003) appears to suggest that these factors significantly influence academic outcomes for students of color in American schools. The family (e.g., lack of family involvement, poverty, low educational attainment, etc.), school system (e.g., low teacher expectations, teaching styles, inadequate resources, etc.), and society at-large (e.g., peer pressures, prejudice and discrimination, etc.) are specific variables used to explain the achievement gap for students of color. Individual factors (e.g., self-concept, racial identity, lack of academic motivation, test-taking skills, learning styles, etc.), unique to the student are also used to investigate underachievement. It is clear that, in isolation or some combination, these variables play a major role in the educational outcomes for students of color. To improve the achievement of students of color, it is critical that researchers examine all of the obstacles that impede their educational outcomes.

To understand, prevent, or reverse underachievement and low achievement of gifted students of color, researchers need to investigate these educational concerns from a cultural lens paradigm, a perspective that considers and centralizes culture in one's thinking and evaluation of underachievement and low achievement. When investigating issues centered primarily on students of color, it is helpful to utilize a culturally relevant framework, based on students' strengths rather than their deficits. Students of color may be both gifted and culturally diverse. In terms of meeting their needs, it is essential that educational professionals use a holistic approach that considers students' cognitive, academic, affective, psychological, cultural, and social needs and development. Furthermore, educators should not only be concerned with challenging gifted students cognitively and academically but should also focus their attention on students' identity, friends, belonging, and safety.