Do We Change Gifted Children to Fit Gifted Programs,or Do We Change Gifted Programs to Fit Gifted Children?

In this article, I present a framework that can be used in our work with special groups of gifted students—one that recognizes the effects of socioeconomic status (SES), racism, and other limiting factors on educational achievement and provides a blueprint for interventions. This framework stems from Urie Bronfrenbrenner's ecological theory of development and emphasizes the role of social support systems in the development of talent. I then argue that two important reasons to retain a strong focus on programs that serve minority students include the fact that the gap in achievement between minority and nonminority children is pervasive and exists even at high socioeconomic levels and that minority students' underachievement is largely attributable to cultural factors within our society.