#5 - Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students
#12 - The Power of Self-Advocacy
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Co-editors Dr. Joy Lawson Davis and Deb Douglas have brought together the voices of experts and students to help educators move closer to ensuring equity, access, and excellence in gifted education. By arming historically marginalized gifted students with self-advocacy strategies, these remarkable students will be better enabled to fulfill their dreams.
Gifted learners are full of potential, but sometimes they’re also frustrated, bored, and even disruptive in class. Many bright students struggle because they have never been taught how to ask for what they really need to improve their school experience. This research-based guide shows educators how to teach self-advocacy skills to gifted students in four essential steps.
Reviews
Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students: Voices from the Field
“One of the best new Gifted Students books" - BookAuthority
Latest review on Amazon: A Guide for Identifying Challenges, Empowering Students, and Facilitating Student Advocacy (Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2022)
“ This easy-to-read guide brought together a multitude of experts regarding the needs of gifted students who are often overlooked. The student stories and their voices provided first-hand accounts and supported the suggested strategies. Teaching students self-advocacy was the theme throughout the text and chapters included a focus on barriers, Black students, Hispanic learners, American Indian and Alaska Native learners, English Language Learners, low-income households, twice-exceptional students and LGBTQ+ students. Key concepts, discussion questions, recommended resources, websites, and books and articles were provided at the end of each chapter for further research and support. These additional resources extended the value of the text. A recommendation of advocating for the ABILITY of students was a key concept. The focus on student voices was especially powerful. A personalized checklist and action plan would be action-oriented "next steps" for school and district leaders who use this resource. “
"As a child, I was told and understood that there was something different about me.I was a little Black girl growing up in a military town in North Carolina with a vocal presence who asked tons of questions about almost everything. Once I was identified as gifted at a young age with a number of my Black friends, I gained more confidence in expressing my academic talents. Little did I know that I was much more fortunate than most Black and Brown children who demonstrate their advanced academic abilities, but never receive the support they need to flourish. Now, as the parent to a beautiful, Black, gifted daughter, thirty years since my time participating in gifted programs, we are still fighting the same social justice battles in gifted education. Not much has changed and we have to do better! Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students was written to change the tide and help educators support children who are historically under-identified for gifted programs reach their full academic potential." - Shawna L. Young, former executive director of Duke Talent Identification Program (TIP) and executive director of Scratch Foundation.
"The diversity of our gifted population cannot and must not continue to be ignored. Our gifted students come from a variety of backgrounds and social identities that make who they are, and as such they have unique needs. Advocating for these students and helping them grow into their own powers of self-advocacy is the goal of Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students. This book is a must-have for families, educators, and counselors who fight daily to ensure that these students are recognized for who they are and for the value of the stories that they bring to our classrooms. We can no longer sit on the sidelines as these students go unrecognized for their academic and social-emotional needs. We must do better; we can do better. This book is an important step on that journey." - C. Matthew Fugate, Ph. D., assistant chair, urban education, and assistant professor, educational psychology at University of Houston Downtown, and coeditor of Culturally Responsive Teaching in Gifted Education.
"Editors Dr. Joy Lawson Davis and Deb Douglas have brought together some of the greatest minds in the field of gifted education to help us empower underrepresented gifted students to advocate for educational justice. Each chapter is rich with the voices of students in their quest toward self-advocacy for equity, access, and excellence. The authors present the most current research and share strategies and techniques educators can use to make their gifted programs more inclusive and diverse. This text is a must-read for every educator!" - Richard M. Cash, Ed.D., educator, author, and consultant, nRich Educational Consulting, Inc.
"In Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students, Davis and Douglas have assembled an impressive array of diverse voices to discuss the urgent issue of representation and equity in gifted education. These expert contributors explore the change still needed, consider the challenges and opportunities ahead, and share their own stories of bright students whose talents went unrecognized for too long—and ultimately offer educators the tools and inspiration for empowering historically marginalized students to speak up for themselves and attain the visibility, respect, and education they deserve. I love their emphasis on the importance of self-advocacy. This is a truly timely and important book."—Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., cognitive scientist, author, podcaster, editor of Twice Exceptional
"An ideal selection as a textbook for school district teacher in-service training programs and a also for all classroom teachers of gifted students." - Midwest Book Review
"Every so often, a book comes along that presents fresh perspectives and understandings, reveals hard truths and facts, and offers clear and direct guidance for a wide audience seeking to enact change. Empowering Underrepresented Gifted Students is that book,taking the reader on a journey of the lived experiences of underrepresented and underserved gifted and talented students while simultaneously recommending tools, strategies, and ideas for educators. An absolute must for any personal or professional library!" - Jeff Danielian, teacher resource specialist, NAGC, and editor-in-chief, Teaching for High Potential.
The Power of Self-Advocacy for Gifted Learners
Reviews
WOW! A MUST HAVE for teachers of Gifted students!
(Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2022)
“This is an amazing informational book with specific and clear steps to help students become self-advocates of their learning. As a resource teacher of gifted students (1st - 6th grade), I highly recommend this book. I have always told my students they need to be self-advocates for their own learning, however, now I will be able to teach them the simple steps of how to do it! I can't say enough amazing things about this book. I will be using this to teach my 4th - 6th grade students in the fall. It is also helpful for teacher training and showing parents how to they can help their gifted children.”
"I wish I could do this back in my district! There are so many other gifted students I know who could be empowered this way."
These words from gifted coordinators, school counselors, and parents who attend the GT Carpe Diem Workshops were the impetus for this book.
It covers all the information that we need to share in order for our gifted children to feel comfortable speaking up for themselves. It's the what, why, and who, as well as the how of guiding self-advocacy.
Plus, the digital content allows you to easily facilitate your own workshops, including :
step-by-step facilitators guide
presentation slides
student hand-outs
reproducible forms
If you share my dream of all gifted students creating their own unique paths through the educational system, this book is for you!
“This is a unique book that will change the lives of the students in your care and in your classroom. [It] provides the instructional and emotional guidance you and your students will need to help them be successful, challenged, and happy.”
“In this groundbreaking book, Deb Douglas has created a multilayered tool that ... has the potential to be a game changer in the field of gifted education.”
“Self-advocacy is the keystone that has been missing from the arch of gifted education. Deb Douglas offers a solid down-to-earth guide for gifted students to take charge of their education and development.”
“Ultimately, gifted and talented children are likely to become better prepared for finessing day-to-day challenges thanks to this outstanding book.”
“This book creates a plan for educating students about their own characteristics and providing them with bridges to reach mentors and others in their lives who can help them reach even further.”
“The author speaks from the heart and shares inspiring, real-life stories of young people who, with direct, systematic instruction in caring relationships, transitioned through the four steps of taking charge of their own learning and own lives.”
“Counselors, educators, and parents of gifted students will find this a helpful guide. Recommended.”