Support for Culturally Relevant and Responsive Education
Support for Culturally Relevant and Responsive Education
Gifted and talented students possess a remarkable capacity to make new connections and insights – but only if they engage with meaningful and accurate content and materials. The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is committed to upholding its Core Policy Principle of expanding and providing equitable access to developmentally appropriate, advanced, culturally responsive coursework and enrichment opportunities for all gifted and talented students, inclusive of race, ethnicity, native language, disability, gender, sexuality, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, multi-exceptionality, or locality.
Children with advanced abilities often exhibit many distinctive characteristics and traits, including insightful, logical, and abstract thinking, a highly developed sense of curiosity, elevated empathy, and a notable concern for social justice issues. NAGC knows that restricting discussions and lessons on culturally responsive topics, such as race, religion, sexuality, and gender, and altering related curricular content can stifle growth and curiosity, constraining the intellectual development of children with advanced abilities. The free exchange of ideas in classrooms and libraries throughout our nation’s communities is critical to the growth of gifted children and the well-being of our country’s democratic principles, and we stand against any efforts to limit such discourse.
Restricting discussion on culturally responsive topics, adjusting curricular materials, and removing books from our nation’s libraries and classrooms stand in direct contrast with NAGC’s principles and the Association’s vision that all children have opportunities and support to realize their full potential.
NAGC upholds the rights of parents/guardians to have a voice in the education of their own children. While respecting this right, we do not support sweeping actions that limit all children’s access to developmentally appropriate ideas and materials. The Association upholds the importance of accurate curricula that allow students from diverse backgrounds to see themselves in readings, lesson plans, and other course work, which in turn can allow other students to learn about the life experiences and perspectives of others.
Approved by the Board of Directors, April 2024
