A Model for Growing Teacher Talent Scouts: Decreasing Underrepresentation of Gifted Students

Underrepresentation of some talented students of promise has been an intractable issue in US public schools (Boothe & Stanley, : Ford, ). Because giftedness as a concept is culturally bound, it is no surprise that the values of a culture contribute to the identification of who the gifted and talented are as well as the special educational services they receive. Access for high-ability students to programs and classes can positively impact an individual’s future education and professional opportunities. Teacher development as an approach for opening access and opportunity and growing diverse learners’ academic potential is addressed in this chapter. An overview of theories, models, and effective practices shown to develop teachers’ knowledge and skills to recognise and grow emergent talent of students from diverse backgrounds (Olszewski-Kubilius & Clarenbach, 2012; Subotnik, Olszewski-Kubilius, & Worrell, ) provides grounding in what is known. The overview connects talent development to key research in educational psychology, for example, motivation, persistence, and grit (Duckworth, ; Dweck, ). Exemplars of successful teacher-focused programs and projects (Coleman, Coltrane, Harradine, & Timmons, : Gavin, Casa, Adelson, Carrolll, & Sheffield, ; VanTassel-Baska & Stambaugh, ) that raise rigor and challenge for all students via advanced curriculum and instruction translate theory into practice. The model of talent development that emerges consists of three primary components: cultural influences (Gay, ; Ladson-Billings, ), psychology of learning (e.g., Duckworth, ; Dweck, ), and powerful curriculum and instruction that utilises the Integrated Curriculum Model (VanTassel-Baska, ) with student-driven inquiry (Gavin, Casa, Adelson, Carrolll, & Sheffield, ). Research-based approaches (Swanson, Brock, & Kessler, ) used to advance professional learning of teachers, including whole group, small group, fidelity observations, and differentiated teacher learning, are shared. The chapter concludes with a discussion of a framework for growing student talent through focused teacher development and the implications for adoption of such a framework in the field, and potential directions for further research.