Content area
Rural gifted students live in a unique geographical and cultural environment due to geographic isolation and these students often share common ancestry, culture, and economic factors. Rural communities cannot be thought of as a homogeneous group as each community is unique depending on the geography, economic base, and demographics of the people who live there. Geographic isolation creates an environment where it is more challenging to meet gifted students’ needs due to funding limitations, availability of resources, and educational staffing. In this qualitative exploratory dissertation study, the phenomenon of gifted education in rural school districts from the perspective of district gifted and talented (GT) coordinators was examined. Using purposeful maximal sampling, district GT coordinator or administrator who oversees gifted education in rural school districts were interviewed. Additional data was collected from participant surveys and educational and community demographic data. During the interviews, participants discussed perceptions of giftedness, how their district meets the needs of GT students, and how community resources are utilized to meet the needs of students. All the school districts used GT-pullout programs, Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and career and technical education (CTE) to meet the needs of gifted learners and develop talents. Common concerns among the participants were adequate teacher training about defining and recognizing giftedness and lack of differentiated curriculum in the general education (regular) classroom. Thematic analysis of the interview transcripts revealed four major themes: (1) who defines giftedness?, (2) learning opportunities, (3) social capital, and (4) equity and access. Implications are discussed.