CHALLENGING EXPECTATIONS - CASE-STUDIES OF HIGH-POTENTIAL, CULTURALLYDIVERSE YOUNG-CHILDREN

For an array of complex reasons, minority students and students from l ow-income backgrounds are typically underrepresented in programs for l earners identified as gifted. Project START, a university/school distr ict collaboration, identified and served high-potential, low-income an d/or minority, primary age students based on multiple intelligence the ory. Instructional and programmatic interventions also included multic ultural emphases, language immersion, use of manipulatives, participat ion in mentorships, and a family outreach program. This article report s findings from eight case studies of START learners, and provides ins ights into factors that promoted success and discouraged success for t hese learners, both in the regular classroom and in transition to spec ial services for gifted learners.