21 A World of Possibilities: Gifted Hispanic Students Overcoming Barriers to Advanced Placement

Prior studies have repeatedly extolled the advantages of Advanced Placement participation for high school students. This research, however, has primarily focused on the typical student population, ignoring both the needs and the unique characteristics of gifted learners in general, and gifted learners from underrepresented populations in particular. This research examined factors that were potentially predictive of success on Advanced Placement exams for Hispanic gifted students at a high school that received grant funding to increase diversity in its Advanced Placement courses. Findings, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research will be discussed.

Author(s):

Amy Graefe
amy.graefe@unco.edu
University of Northern Colorado
United States

Amy is a professor and co-coordinator of gifted education at the University of Northern Colorado, where she teaches graduate-level courses in gifted education. She is also the co-director of the Summer Enrichment Program, a nationally recognized summer program for gifted learners in grades pre-K-12 that focuses on the whole gifted child. In addition, she serves on her local school district’s Gifted and Talented Advisory Council and on the Gifted Education State Advisory Committee for the Colorado Department of Education. Her primary research interests include secondary gifted education, creativity, and underserved gifted learners.