Unlocking Latent Potential: The Success of Latino Students in the Project Bright IDEA Gifted and Talented Education Model

Abstract

Project Bright IDEA II, a gifted and talented (GT) education model implemented in several North Carolina elementary schools between 2004 and 2009, aimed to increase minority group GT representation through teacher training and implementation of a gifted curriculum for all participating kindergarten through second grade students. This study examines the effects of Bright IDEA for Latino students. Bright IDEA’s structure may benefit Latinos more than other racial and ethnic groups by increasing teacher expectations and incorporating culturally-relevant materials. The program may benefit Latinos learning English as a second language (ESL) in particular by developing critical thinking skills, rather than focusing solely on English language development. Through statistical analysis of program results, this paper finds only weak evidence that Bright IDEA has different effects on improving skills for Latino students as compared to other racial/ethnic groups. There is stronger evidence that ESL Latinos show greater improvement as compared to non-ESL Latinos. The main predictors of improvement among all Latino students were school-level characteristics, suggesting variation in program implementation between schools.