Addressing Equity Challenges and Expanding Opportunities in Gifted Education for Rural Multilingual Learners

Challenges related to gifted education in rural schools have been well-documented and include limited curricular opportunities and resources; inequitable gifted identification processes; the pervasive exclusion of students of color, multilingual learners (MLs), economically disadvantaged students, and students with disabilities in gifted programming; and a lack of gifted education resource teachers in rural schools. MLs are the fastest growing population of K-12 students in the United States, yet they remain proportionately less represented in gifted and talented programs than both students traditionally identified for gifted education as well as those from other underserved populations. Rural MLs are even less likely to be identified for gifted services and often face additional barriers even when referred for gifted programming by a teacher. This article includes an overview of the challenges and innovative responses to barriers for rural MLs in gifted programs, focusing especially on rural Latine multilingual populations.