"actually I want most of the children to be from broken homes or low incomes."
I remember reading an article, a few years back, about why low income & minorities tend to score lower on IQ test.
It seemed to say that the verbal language of the tests were more directed to the white, English, speaking, upper middle class.
Types of examples it listed: comparing a crock pot to a roast OR waiter to restaurant
Lower income children were less likely to have seen a crock pot, go out to restaurants and therefore less likely to get those questions right.
It stated that background and home situation are allowed to be taken into consideration by the tester, but very often it does not happen.
It went on to state that the gifted low income-minorities would benefit the best from gifted services, because they are the least likely to get support from home.
But all too often they don't get services because the family does not have the $ to test and if they do get tested they start off with a disadvantage.
I found this article very interesting & I wish I would have kept it.
I'll Google around and see if I can find it again.
I will also add that I think that another problem many low income gifted children face is their parents and community.
My brother is low income & has 5 kids. Last year he was asked, by his school, to test 1 of his children for giftedness his reply was "what for? she's doing fine its X & Y who need extra help, not her" He blames the school for the fact that 2 of kids are struggling and yet complains if he has to help them with reading or homework. His opinion is that it's the schools job not to teach his children, not his.
I'm pretty sure his daughter would have made into the gifted program, but he refused to allow testing because she's doing fine and she would get made fun of if she got into the "nerd program"..his words not mine.
How many gifted children are being left out because their parents and community members think that being smart is not cool and that mediocrity should be the goal?
