Gifted and Talented Programs and Racial Segregation

Abstract Racial segregation can occur not only between schools but also within schools, and there has been particular concern that gifted & talented (G&T) programs may increase within-school segregation at the primary school level. This paper evaluates the contribution of gifted & talented education to racial segregation using data on the presence and racial composition of G&T programs at virtually all U.S. elementary schools over a span of nine school years. I first show that, consistent with widespread perceptions, G&T programs do disproportionately enroll white and Asian students while Black, Hispanic and Native American students are underrepresented. Next, I calculate the changes in the Dissimilarity and Exposure Indices that occur when G&T programs are treated as fully separate schools, which provides a transparent measure of their contribution to overall racial segregation. These calculations indicate that accounting for the within-school racial sorting caused by G&T education increases the Dissimilarity Index by 10-20%, and has little to no impact on the Exposure Index. Finally, to study the potential effects of G&T programs on enrollments over time, I estimate event study models for schools initiating or discontinuing G&T programs, and find no large changes in white or Asian enrollment after programs are eliminated or initiated. I conclude that G&T education's impact on racial segregation in U.S. elementary schools is modest, although changes in G&T programming could still be one meaningful tool to increase integration.