Excellence and Equity

1. Excellence and Equity • Gifted education policies are partly defined by the balance they strike between excellence and equity • Excellence is associated with achieving the highest standards regardless of the learners' backgrounds • Equity is associated with reducing achievement gaps between disadvantaged and advantaged gifted learners • This must be done by improving the achievement of the disadvantaged at a relatively faster rate (and not by depressing the achievement of the advantaged)

2. The Excellence Gap • Most countries (all?) struggle to secure a gifted population representative of their national population • There may be under-representation by gender, ethnic or socio-economic background – or any combination of these • Other factors, eg class, language, racism, may also impact • This may reinforce unhelpful impressions of G&T education as inequitable and elitist • It may be partly attributable to confusion of ability and achievement/attainment • While achievement is not evenly distributed within the population, ability may be;

3. Social Mobility • Opportunity is not evenly distributed; social mobility is restricted • Gifted education can be an engine of social mobility, helping to create a more balanced society • It can supporting progression to top universities and professions • Conversely, if some groups are badly under-represented, this can reinforce existing gender, ethnic, socio-economic disadvantage • Additional support and special treatment may be necessary to correct such imbalances • But this may create a negative reaction from those seeking to protect their advantaged position

4. Economic Considerations • Achievement gaps have a significant economic cost: McKinsey Study • Attention is often focused on low achievers and those below national benchmarks , but there are also significant costs attributable to 'excellence gaps' • International benchmarking studies – eg PISA – suggest that 'high equity' education systems tend to be higher performers • Knowledge-based economies will often invest in high achievers to feed their STEM, IT, research, innovation 'pipelines'

5. What Can We Do? • Target specifically the most under-represented populations • Design interventions that provide long-term holistic support, not short-term 'quick fixes', ideally from an early age • This should help to: • Increase achievement, aspirations, self-esteem • Develop social and cultural capital • Provide information and support at key transition points • Engage the parent/carer, family and wider community • Justify the significant cost by reference to the significant economic and social benefit.

6. Collaboration? • How can EU interests work together to improve the education and life chances of disadvantaged gifted learners? • How can EU agreements and funding support that process? • What fruitful connections can we make with wider EU education and social policy? • Can we agree our priorities? • What are the immediate next steps? • How will we define success?