Decreasing the Achievement Gap

Teaching to Diverse Populations

What is diversity?

On the paper in front of you list what diversity means

After 1 minute you will share with your group and write the consensus in the middle

After 3 minutes the group will share with the audience

Differences in…

AgeRaceHome lifeCultureGenderReligionLearning AbilityPhysical AbilitySocio-economic Status

The Achievement Gap in Numbers

Reading Ability

At a fourth grade level NAEP results showed that in 2003 …

75% of Whites read at a basic level or above

44% of Hispanics read at a basic level or above

40% of Blacks read at a basic level or above

By the time of graduation, Blacks and Hispanics read at the equivalent of White eighth graders

College

Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to graduate than Whites

From the 1998 to 2002 school term 59% of Whites graduated

36% of Latinos

40% of African Americans

In Berkeley County

There is an excess of students of color being referred for Special Education

Reasons for the Achievement Gap

In the Classroom

Students of colorReceive less instructional attention

Are called on less

Are not asked higher order thinking or probing questions

Are praised less

Are reprimanded more often

Are complimented for “acting nice” rather than their thinking ability

Reasons

The teacher mayBe impatient waiting for the child to come up with a responseBe intimidated by students of colorNot have experience dealing with students of colorHave difficulty understanding the child’s speechNot want to “waste” time on those students who are unprepared

Teacher Expectations

Expectations change consciously or unconsciously depending on race, gender, social class, home language, and physical appearance

Social interactions with the teacher have an effect on achievement

Expectations also change with students who do not speak politely, do not use standard grammar, or use few words when speaking

Trends in Teaching

“You cannot teach those children because they are not motivated to learn” (Gay, 2000, p. 57)

Teachers blame achievement on home life

Teachers spend less time with low achieving students

Teachers do not base expectations on reality, but instead preconceived beliefs

Changing Schools

Mismatch of School and Culture

ProblemIf students conform to school, they are isolated by their cultureIf students conform to culture, they are isolated by the schoolStudents may by used to working together at home, but never are able to do so in schoolStudents may not have been brought up to look at adults when they are being reprimandedSome cultures do not believe in interactions between students and teachersStudents culture may lead to students answering factual questions with stories that eventually get to the correct answer.

Mismatch of School and Culture

SolutionBuild a bridge between home culture and school culture

Train teachers in diversity

Get to know students and understand why they behave as they do

Approaches to Diversity

Contribution ApproachCelebrating special days and months such as Kwaanza, Cinco de Mayo, Black History Month, etc.Must make sure representations are accurate and not stereotyped

Transformation ApproachSchool looks at reality through many cultures, not just the “WASP” (White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant) viewpoint.Change of curriculumTeaching to students’ learning styles

School Climate

All students can succeed!

Develop every students’ potential

Safe and orderly

Feeling of respect and fairness

Code of conduct well publicized

Take responsibility for students rather than blaming home

Working with Parents

Encourage participation in the schoolProvide parents with basic skills, community, parent and job educationProvide guidance on how to help students with homework, organization, and study skillsTeach parents to have high expectations for the studentsEncourage parents to learn with the childGive parents an opportunity for input within the school system

Time to Focus

Spend at least 2.5 hours reading – incorporate it into other classesProvide instructional materials for individual needsProvide time for teachers to see how diversity is incorporated into others’ classroomsProvide teachers with training and time to discuss diversity

Teaching children in povertyTeaching English learnersTeaching analysis of reading skills

Teachers as Learners

“Cycle of Inquiry” (Legler, 2004)Teachers explore data

Ask questions

Try new approaches

Evaluate results

Start at the beginning of the cycle

Discussion

What does your school do at the present to promote diversity?

What could the administration do in the future?

Changing a Teacher at a Time

Teaching Styles

Use learning inventories, questionnaires and journaling to find cultural mismatches

Teach to different learning styles

Use cooperative learning

Create time to use discussion, appreciating all viewpoints

Reading teachers should concentrate on holistic methods rather than pronunciation

Teach learning strategies

Teaching Style (cont.)

Teach students to persist in problem solvingUse various forms of assessmentConnect learning with previous knowledgeBuild on student strengthsShow students how information can be appliedUnderstand the beliefs of the students so that one knows where the misunderstandings are

Curriculum

Change curriculum to teach from different view points such as teaching Columbus from an Indian viewpoint

Teach the World Wars from another country’s viewpoint

Read literature from other countries or about diverse populations

Discussion

How can you change your curriculum in order to make it more diverse?

Teaching Affect

Be sure not to devalue home language or cultureDo not ignore social aspects of educationShow patience, persistence, facilitation, validation, and empowerment towards the students Honor the humanity of the studentsMaintain high expectations for all studentsBe a “warm demander”acquire a knowledge base about ethnic and cultural diversity and using this information to relate to students

Teaching Affect (cont.)

Promote positive interactions between studentsdiscuss reflections with others and collaborate with them to improve teaching show concern for the whole student

psycho-emotional well being Moralitysocial actionsobligations and celebrationscommunity and individualityunique cultural connections

Your Turn

List three ways that you can use what we have talked about today and apply it in your classroom this week.List three ways that you can use what we have talked about today and apply it in your classroom next year.What can you do to get your entire school to become a diverse learning community?

Annotated Bibliography

Bennett, A., Bridglall, B., Cauce, A., Everson, H., Gordon, E., Lee, C., et. al. (2004). All students reaching the top: Strategies for closing academic achievement gaps. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved August 7, 2005 from http://www.ncrel.org/gap/studies/thetop.htm

This site concentrates on tips to move between low SES and minority students towards high levels of achievement. It consists of information for teachers, parents, community members and administration. It emphasizes the importance of critical thinking. The paper was written by members of the National Study Group for the Affirmative Development of Academic Ability.

Bowman, B. (1994). Cultural diversity and academic achievement. Pathways Home. Retrieved August 9, 2005, from http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/educatrs/leadrshp/le0bow.htm

This source emphasizes that all students come to school with different backgrounds. It focuses on how the home life influences school achievement and behavior.

Brandt, R. (May 1994). On educating for diversity: A conversation with James A. Banks. Educational Leadership 51(8) 28-31.

This is an interview with James A. Banks who discusses how to change the mainstream classroom to help students of all backgrounds deal with the school and home life more easily. He talks about the transformation approach to making school more diverse in addition to the contributions approach.

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research & practice. New York: Teachers College Press.

This is one of the course texts for ED838. It discusses using culturally responsive teaching in order to improve the performance of students of students of color. The book mostly concentrates on students of African American, Latino, and Asian background. This book may be borrowed from April Rearick at Martinsburg North Middle School.

Hollins, E., King, J., and Hayman, W. (1994). Teaching diverse populations: Formulating a knowledge base. New York: State University of New York Press.

This book concentrates on improving the quality of education for students of diverse backgrounds. It also presents background information on diversity and discusses current research and future research trends. This book can be borrowed from Shepherd Library.

Legler, R. (Ed.). (2004). Perspectives on the gaps: Fostering the academic success of minority and low-income students. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. Retrieved August 7, 2005 from http://www.ncrel.org/gap/studies/perspectives.htm

The paper summarizes four research studies that work to close the achievement gap. It highlights possible ways to close the gap and presets evidence to support each. It is full of very helpful information.

Riehl, P. (1993). Five ways to analyze classrooms for an anti-bias approach. In Todd, C.M. (Ed.), School-age connections, 2(6), pp.1-3. Urbana-Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved August 7, 2005 from http://www.nncc.org/Diversity/sac26_anti-bias.analyz.html#Anchor-6296#Anchor-6296

This website discusses five ways to be sure that your classroom is unbiased and accepts diversity. These five ways include making sure it happens everyday and everywhere, establishing positive self esteem, presenting diversity as a positive issue, making sure information is culturally appropriate, historically accurate and non-stereotypical, and promoting critical thinking.

Villegas, M. & Lucas, T. (2002). Educating culturally responsive teachers. New York: State University of New York Press.

This book gives information on how to teach culturally responsive teachers. It focuses on how to teach teachers information such as is presented in Gay’s book. This book is available through Shepherd Library.