Review: Gifted and Advanced Black Students in School: An Anthology of Critical Works edited by Tarek C. Grantham, Donna Y. Ford, Malik S. Henfield, Michelle Trotman Scott, Deborah A. Harmon, Sonya Porcher, and Cheryl Price

Abstract

The history of American schools is littered with well-documented examples of unequal access to educational opportunities for various targeted groups, most notably students who identify as non-white. Black students, in particular, have historically encountered — and continue to face — both overt and covert forms of racism that marginalize them at all levels of the educational pipeline. For example, educators perpetuate stereotypes about the abilities of Black students by continuing to deny them access to advanced learning opportunities (e.g., Strayhorn & Terrell, 2010). Tarek C. Grantham and colleagues have compiled a comprehensive anthology that seeks to challenge this underrepresentation of Black students as gifted and advanced students. In Gifted and Advanced Black Students in School: A Critical Anthology, the editors present a collection of carefully selected narratives and original research that reframe the discourse associated with advanced and gifted students. As aptly stated in the text’s prologue, “Everyone suffers when gifted Black students are overlooked or denied, regardless of the reason — all students should be given an opportunity to reach their potential and to participate in high-quality gifted programs” (p. xvi). This philosophy clearly guided the editors as they compiled a volume of seminal works that is as powerful as it is practical.