Call for Papers

Abstract

Special Issue 38(3) Call for Proposals: Young, Gifted, and Black

Guest Editors: Keishana Barnes, Michael Butts, Kristina Henry Collins, Ty’Bresha Glass, Telekia Grubbs Williams JoAA AE: Annessia (Aj) Bullard

Young, gifted and black; Oh what a lovely precious dream; To be young, gifted and black; Open your heart to what I mean.

—Nina Simone (1970, para 1)

Call for Papers

This special issue, Young, Gifted, and Black, seeks to center the lived experiences, cultural assets, and intellectual brilliance of Black youth who are navigating and thriving within advanced academics. Despite longstanding systemic inequities in gifted identification and access to enrichment opportunities, Black students continue to demonstrate high potential and achievement, particularly when provided with culturally affirming, rigorous, and responsive educational contexts (Ford, 2021; Grantham et al., 2016). Their identities—both racial and intellectual—often intersect in ways that challenge prevailing deficit-based narratives in gifted education and demand more inclusive models of giftedness. This issue builds on the growing body of research advocating for equity in advanced learning and seeks to amplify voices, stories, and scholarship that disrupt traditional paradigms while highlighting the promise and resilience of Black gifted learners. We invoke Nina Simone's iconic declaration—to be young, gifted, and Black—as both a celebration and a call to action.

JoAA welcomes submissions from scholars and practitioners that explore the lived experiences, needs, and potential of Black gifted youth in advanced academic settings. Manuscripts should align with the journal's focus on strategies, services, and programs that extend beyond typical classroom offerings to support, engage, and challenge diverse learners—especially those whose exceptional abilities or promise may be overlooked due to systemic barriers. Review JoAA's manuscript guidelines for more information. We encourage empirical, conceptual, and praxis manuscripts including, but not limited to topics such as:

Identification and talent development of Black students in gifted education

Underrepresentation and equity in access to advanced academic programs

Culturally responsive pedagogies for Black gifted learners

Social-emotional needs and twice-exceptionality among Black youth

Family, community, and cultural influences on giftedness

Anti-racist frameworks in advanced academic settings

Critical race theory and intersectionality in gifted education research

Historically Black schools and culturally specific models of gifted education

Collaborative historical analyses of race and gifted education (e.g., historians and education scholars)

Youth voice and participatory action research with Black gifted students

Barriers and breakthroughs in policy, leadership, or teacher preparation

References

Ford, D. Y. (2021). Recruiting and retaining culturally different students in gifted education (2nd ed.). Prufrock Press.

Grantham, T. C., Hines, M. E., Dennis, A., Solomon, M., & Anderson, B. N. (2016). Developing cultural competence in gifted and advanced students using community problem solving. In J. L. Davis & J. L. Moore III (Eds.), Gifted children of color around the world. Emerald. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2051-231720160000003002

Simone, N. (1970). To be young, gifted, and Black [Song]. On Black gold. RCA Victor.

Proposal Submission Process

Due to the timeline, please note that your study/analysis should be complete or close to completion. Prospective authors should submit a proposal that contains an abstract and outline by January 5, 2026 to this google form (see Figure 1).

Figure 1.

QR code for submission site.

Outline: A well-developed outline of 1000 words that shows the development of your “why” or “so what”, the theoretical grounding and purpose of your study, and how it was carried out:

Introduction (Perspectives) and Methods.

Literature review (funnel down to the study purpose)

Method section (for Praxis submissions, substitute context and praxis; for Theoretical submissions, substitute theoretical background and concept/theory)

Additional notes:

Manuscripts by multiple authors are welcome; only the lead author needs to submit the proposal.

All manuscript authors should create accounts at Manuscript Central and link their ORCiD ID and Web of Science accounts prior to submission of the completed manuscript (7/1/26). Authors should share with the submitting author the email address with which they created the JoAA account as this will enable the submitting author to seamlessly add everyone to the submitted manuscript.

Editorial acceptance of a proposal does not guarantee the acceptance of a peer reviewed manuscript.

Email the Guest Editors or JoAA Contact with questions:

Kristina Henry Collins (Mentor Guest Editor; khc256@uw.edu), Keishana Barnes (keishana.barnes@gmail.com), Michael Butts (mdbesquire@gmail.com), Ty’Bresha Glass (glass29@purdue.edu), Telekia Grubbs Williams (tmg63899@uga.edu), Annessia (Aj) Bullard (JoAA Contact; annessia.bullard@gmail.com)

Timeline

The special issue on Young, Gifted, and Black will be published in JoAA 38(3), August, 2027.

Manuscript Preparation and Submission

Notification of Proposal Acceptance–February 15, 2026 (via email- check spam folders!)

Use APA JARS and JoAA's submission guidelines to fully craft your manuscript; place tables and figures in your preferred location; follow APA 7th guidelines. Font: Gill Sans for figure content, Times New Roman for manuscript.

Please note, the JoAA manuscript abstract is shorter than the proposal abstract at 150 words.

Submit completed praxis, theoretical, or empirical manuscript to Manuscript Central –July 1, 2026**

Double Anonymized Peer Review–July-August, 2026

Editorial review board members, ad hoc reviewers, and special issue authors will conduct anonymized peer reviews via Manuscript Central . All special issue authors are responsible for reviewing and providing quality feedback on an anonymized manuscript of their peers in order to be included in the special issue.

Guest editors will send decisions and feedback to lead authors on or around August 30, 2026.

Decisions and Revisions–September, 2026

Manuscripts categorized as Accept -Submit Final Draft (ASF), Accept Pending Minor Revisions (APR), or Revise and Resubmit (R/R) will have variable due dates reflecting these decisions (two weeks to three months), no later than November 30, 2026**.

Authors may receive a Major Revise and Resubmit decision; authors may try to turn around their revisions quickly (resubmit by 11/30/26); praxis and empirical authors only may use the full 6 months provided and resubmit for potential publication to JoAA, outside of the special issue (theoretical/conceptual manuscripts are accepted for special issues only).

Authors may receive a Reject decision; proposal acceptance does not guarantee manuscript acceptance.

Double Anonymized Peer Review of Revisions—December 2026–January 2027

Guest Editors will send decisions and feedback to lead authors on or around January 31, 2027.

Manuscripts categorized as ASF or APR will have variable due dates reflecting these decisions (two weeks to one month), no later than March 1, 2027**.

Authors who receive an R/R decision may try to turn their revisions around quickly (resubmit by 2/15/26) to potentially make the special issue timeline; praxis and empirical authors only may use the full 3 months provided and R/R for potential publication to JoAA, outside of the special issue (theoretical/conceptual manuscripts are accepted for special issues only). Authors may receive a decision of Reject, even if the previous communication was R/R; an R/R decision does not indicate eventual acceptance, but reconsideration through peer review.

**Early submission at any point is acceptable; this may allow for a second round of revise/resubmit.

Final Manuscripts Due—April 1, 2027

The editorial team will conduct editorial reviews, offering final suggestions on the manuscripts submitted in the previous step. Editors will return these manuscripts to authors for final edits and un-anonymization.

Figures not created in Word must be individually uploaded in manuscript central as .tiff, .jpf, or .gif files.

Your manuscript acceptance letter (Accept, no additional words, signifies your manuscript is off to production) will include information regarding next steps, e.g., the timeline of proofs and Online First publishing of your article.

Final manuscripts are due no later than April 1, 2027.