Fostering Inclusive School Communities for Gifted Black Students: Considerations for School Counselor Educators and Supervisors

Author Information

Brandy K. RichesonFollow

Conference Strand

Social Change, Leadership, and Advocacy

Abstract

The historical implications of gifted education are still prevalent today, with Black students being underrepresented within gifted programming. To meet the unique needs of gifted Black students (GBS), school counselor educators and supervisors must inform school counselors-in-training of academic disparities, their ethical obligations for advocacy, and prepare them to explore the social/emotional needs of GBS in a culturally responsive manner.

Description

This presentation will provide insight into ethical issues, social change, leadership, and advocacy; practice, strategies, techniques, and interventions; and teaching, training, and supervision, based on research and experiential knowledge of best practices when working with gifted Black students.

Objectives:

Attendees will identify unique challenges and cultural considerations of gifted Black students.

• Attendees will learn the ethical obligation of school counselors in supporting the academic, career, and social-emotional development of gifted Black students.
• Attendees will discuss the impact of school counselor educators/supervisors’ instruction on the ability of school counselors in training to appropriately meet the needs of gifted Black students.

Black gifted students are often underrepresented in gifted programming and unidentified for screening or services (Luckey Goudelock & Grantham, 2023; NAGC Board of Directors, 2020). They experience negative effects on their mental health and wellness when their giftedness is misunderstood or devalued within the school setting. When their academic, social/emotional, and psychological needs are overlooked, gifted Black students (GBS) may become unmotivated and disengaged from the educational process. As a result, they often encounter unwarranted consequences such as disciplinary action, misdiagnoses, and referrals to special education. In addition, GBS often experience microaggressions (Stambaugh & Ford, 2015) and feelings of social isolation, depression, and anxiety (Ford et al., 2023). Gifted students also have unique educational and social/emotional needs. However, such needs are even more complex and multifaceted for GBS because they are members of a group that has encountered historical and current marginalization within education. For GBS, their intellectual, academic and social-emotional development must be viewed within the context of culture and various intersectionalities that are present (Weir, 2016).

The 2022 American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) Ethical Standards reveal how professional school counselors should structure their work to meet the needs of all students, including those who are members of marginalized groups. More specifically, ethical standard A.10.f asserts that school counselors are obligated to “advocate for the equitable right and access to free, appropriate public education for all youth in which students are not stigmatized or isolated based on race...and/or other exceptionalities or special need” (ASCA, 2022, p. 2).

The Recommendations

While school counselors have an ethical obligation to support the academic, career, and social-emotional development of all students (ASCA, 2022), many school counselor preparation programs do not provide SCITs with specific training or tools to meet the needs of gifted students or gifted students from marginalized groups (Ford et al., 2023; Peterson & Morris, 2010; Rinn et al., 2020). Due to this gap in knowledge within school counselor preparation, the following recommendations can assist school counselor educators (SCEs) and supervisors as they prepare SCITs to meet the needs of gifted Black students. It is recommended that SCEs first examine and understand these components for themselves, to best serve their students.

• Encourage SCITs to reflect on their own race/ethnicity/culture as well as their biases and assumptions related to gifted Black students.
• Ensure that SCITs understand their professional obligation to foster academic, career, and social/emotional development for all students, including those who are often marginalized by educational systems.
• Discuss definitions of key terms with SCITs such as “neurodiversity” and “twice exceptional” as they relate to gifted Black students.
• Teach SCITs how to use school data to identify disparities and inequities that impact gifted Black students (e.g., low enrollment in honors or advanced placement courses).
• Introduce SCITs to case conceptualizations that involve gifted Black students and assist SCITs in developing appropriate questions for consultation, strategies, or interventions.
• Provide opportunities for SCITs to connect with gifted Black students to better understand their lived experiences, perceptions, and cultural implications associated with their giftedness.
• Strategize specific ways that SCITs can foster inclusive school communities and school connectedness for gifted Black students (e.g., community involvement, mentorship programs, focus groups, family engagement activities).
• Require SCITs to engage in research about gifted Black students and develop a presentation that can be used to educate school personnel and parents about their specific needs as well as recommendations to meet those needs.
• Demonstrate how SCITs can advocate for gifted Black students by challenging policies and procedures that lead to racial inequity within gifted programs (e.g., questioning the use of biased tests).
• Provide SCITs with tools to address microaggressions and other acts of bias, discrimination, or racism that impact gifted Black students and others from marginalized groups.
• Expand the knowledge of SCITs to include cultural and learning differences and multiple areas of giftedness.
• Teach SCITs how to advocate for Black students and others from marginalized groups by considering alternate indicators of giftedness aside from testing.

Evidence

References

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counselors. Author. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-SchoolCounseling/Ethical-Responsibilities/ASCA-Ethical-Standards-for-School-Counselors-(1)

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2. Ford, D. Y., Middleton, T. J., Hines, E. M., Fletcher, E. C., & Moore, J. L. (2023). Theories and models: Anti-racist, culturally competent counselors for black gifted and talented students. Gifted Child Today Magazine, 46(1), 63-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/10762175221131063
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NAGC Board of Directors (2020). Championing equity and social justice for black students in gifted education: An expanded vision for NAGC (statement from the NAGC Board of Directors). National Association for Gifted Children. https://nagc.org.442elmp01.blackmesh.com/championingequity-and-supporting-social-

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Format

Individual Presentations

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Brandy K. Richeson is an Assistant Professor and the Co-Chair of the Faculty of Color Connections Committee (Fo3C) in the Counselor Education and Family Studies department at Liberty University. Before beginning her work in higher education, Dr. Richeson served as a professional school counselor for eleven years in the state of Virginia. She is a Licensed School Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor, a National Certified Counselor and an Approved Clinical Supervisor in the state of Virginia. She has served as a board member for the Virginia Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (VACES) for the last several years and is an immediate past member of the Standards Revision Committee for the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). During her time as an educator, she has had presented at local, state, national and international conferences. Dr. Richeson also serves clients in private practice. Her areas of interest include school counseling, social/emotional health in children, anti-racist practices, epigenetics, continuous traumatic stress in marginalized populations, depression, anxiety, sexuality, and substance abuse.

Location

Room 155

Start Date

3-7-2024 9:00 AM

Recommended Citation

Richeson, Brandy K., "Fostering Inclusive School Communities for Gifted Black Students: Considerations for School Counselor Educators and Supervisors" (2024). National Cross-Cultural Counseling and Education Conference for Research, Action, and Change. 4.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/ccec/2024/2024/4