The White Kid Can Do Whatever He Wants: The Racial Socialization of a Gifted Education Program

Abstract

Drawing from a 14-month ethnographic study at an elementary school in the US South, I examine the role that the gifted and talented (GT) program played in racial socialization at the school. I use the principle of Whiteness as property (Harris, 1995) to analyze space as curriculum, the physical and social spaces of a school that structure how particular student bodies are positioned in relation to power and privilege. I argue that the segregated GT structure perpetuates racial inequities that young children are taught to accept and emulate. I conclude with implications for practice and future studies about the role of GT in racial socialization.

Notes

1. All names of people and places are pseudonyms.

2. Racial identifiers are capitalized throughout.

3. My son does not participate in a segregated GT program.

4. My interview of Otis and the story of Quinton were separate. Only after the study was complete did I make a connection between stories. The connection was unplanned, yet significant. That is that the racial inequities experienced by Otis and current inequities experienced by his great nephew changed form, but persisted over time in Lincoln.

5. Data were based on interviews with community members and various artifacts including school report cards.

6. IRB permission was granted with the approval of the building principal and district superintendent who approved the methods and focus of the study. A study announcement was presented to faculty, member-checks for observations (like the lunch room conversation) were conducted, and written consent was granted by all participants in interviews and focus groups.

7. I chose to use the title Assistant Principal and Principal for the sake of clarity, and to concentrate on their roles and positions in mediating the incident, rather than centering the individuals themselves.