How to make gifted and talented programs more equitable with Scott Peters

Release date: December 19, 2022

In the United States, 6.6% of public-school students are enrolled in gifted and talented programs, but enrollment is not evenly distributed. For example, 12.6% of Asian students are enrolled, but only 4.5% of Hispanic students and 3.6% of Black students are.* Scott Peters, my guest for this episode, has been studying and writing about these and other discrepancies for some time. Scott is a Senior Research Scientist at NWEA, where he specializes in educational assessment and data use. A series of articles he wrote about equity within gifted and talented programs is receiving a lot of attention, and I am grateful that he agreed to share his insights in this podcast. More information about Scott and his research can be found below.

Biography of Scott Peters

Scott J. Peters specializes in educational assessment and data use, gifted and talented student identification, equity within advanced educational opportunities, and effectiveness of educational policy. His research focuses on how schools can leverage assessment data for maximum school and student benefit. His ongoing projects relate to balancing cost, sensitivity, and equity in gifted and talented student identification, how to proactively screen students for advanced learning opportunities, examining growth trajectories for advanced learners, and how to ensure all students have access to advanced learning opportunities.

Prior to coming to NWEA, for 13 years, Dr. Peters served as a professor of assessment and research methodology at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. His scholarly work has appeared in the Australian Educational Researcher, AERA Open, Teaching for High Potential, the British Journal of Educational Psychology, Exceptional Children, and Gifted Child Quarterly, and many other publications. He received his PhD from Purdue University in educational psychology and applied research methodology.