April Wells

As an introduction to someone unfamiliar with issues of equity in gifted education, it's not a bad text; however, this book adds little to the literature besides to repackage it in more popular current terminology. Among the biggest oversights, which admittedly is rather common in books about gifted education, are a lack of clarity early in the text on the particular conception of giftedness the author holds and a limited exposition of the relationship between the purpose of gifted education programming and the identification process. Some of the recent research on identification, especially as it relates to issues of equity, is also not addressed.… (más)

This book is an excellent resource for districts, schools, or individual educators beginning the journey of achieving equity. While centered around one district's restructuring of their gifted program, this book offers important guideline for beginning the discussions around race, privilege, & bias that are engrained in American culture (& thereby the education system).

Wells' dedication to & experience in this area comes through in each chapter, & she lays out how her district approached meeting students' individual needs through their gifted program. While much of the book focuses on identification & support in elementary years, there's plenty here for secondary teachers & administrators to pull from.

Overall, this book is an honest look at & pragmatic guide to building equity in gifted programs, that is sure to benefit students across the country.… (más)