They are a very small percentage of the population and the percentage is consistent across all income levels and ethnic backgrounds. As LWolf said in a previous post these children are at very high risk for dropping out of school. The perception of gifted and talented is completely wrong in the US. These children are not "superior". Their minds work in different ways and are as different from one another as they are from other students. A child who is gifted and talented in art needs very different stimulation than a child who is gifted in empathy, math, science or language. GT are truly special needs children.
If a school district has all the children from the local doctors, lawyers and business people in the GT program then the district is doing it wrong. That is the case in my school district now. The GT program was started by a very smart woman who designed it and operated it correctly. When she retired the school board replaced her with the wife of a local unethical businessman. Turns out she is the same as her husband. The program is now run for the benefit of the politically well connected instead of all students. The GT program should have children from every ethnicity and socio-economic background as that is how GT is actually distributed in the population. When school districts skew the GT classes for political reasons they are doing a horrible disservice to the GT community and the education community at large. It makes the public resent GT programs because it is just giving the children of the well to do access to programs that are not of any real benefit to them.
GT children need special services to keep their minds functioning properly. These children do have many skills that can benefit society, but they are also at huge risk for dropping out of school and a whole myriad of problems as adults, if they are not guided properly as children. If I remember the number correctly, about 5% of the population is GT, but comprise 40% of school dropouts.
If the US would actually fund education properly class sizes would be no bigger than 12-15 children and every child would get the sort of individual attention they need. Teachers would have the time and support to serve every child. This would eliminate the resentment toward the gifted and talented children.
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