Opportunities Provided, Opportunities Taken: Providing Early …

Wallace Research Symposium on Talent Development

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Opportunities Provided, Opportunities Taken: Providing Early Talent Development Opportunities is Critical for Diversifying Gifted Education — Frank C. Worrell

Monday, May 20, 2024, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm, Lawrence D. McHugh Hall, Room 101

Gifted education is frequently criticized for its lack of diversity, with explanations ranging from structural racism to teacher bias and unfair tests. Indeed, several universities, including the University of California system, have dropped the SAT and ACT from their admissions criteria. The individuals who focus on test bias frequently ignore the fact that the educational disparities present in tests like the SAT and ACT are also present in all educational outcomes including achievement tests and GPA. The recent Supreme Court decision outlawing the use of race in college admissions has once again highlighted the issue of educational disparities generally and showcased the need to tackle the issue of underrepresentation of people of color and low-income individuals in selective educational contexts. In this presentation, Dr. Worrell will discuss the issue of educational disparities in selective contexts, showcase the commonly accepted explanations and show why they are incomplete, and argue for the use of a talent development approach from early in the educational trajectory to begin to address the difficult and long-term task of diversifying gifted education programs.

Frank Worrell Picture
Frank C. Worrell, Ph.D., a Distinguished Professor and Director of the School Psychology Program in the School of Education at the University of California, Berkeley, is also an Affiliate Professor in the Social and Personality Area in the Department of Psychology and Faculty Director of the Academic Talent Development Program. A certified school psychologist and licensed psychologist, his areas of expertise include at-risk youth, cultural identities, talent development, psychosocial development, scale development and validation, time perspective, and the translation of psychological research findings into practice. Dr. Worrell is a former Editor of Review of Educational Research and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and five Divisions of the American Psychological Association. Author of over 300 scholarly works, Dr. Worrell is a recipient of the Distinguished Contributions to Research Award from Division 45 of APA, the Outstanding International Psychologist Award from Division 52 of APA, the Distinguished Scholar Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, and the Palmarium Award in Gifted Education. He is a member of the Society for the Study of School Psychology and the National Academy of Education and was the 2022 President of the American Psychological Association.