Creating the Opportunity to Learn:

Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap

A. Wad e Boykin H ow ard University Ped ro A. N ogu era, Ph.D. N ew York University

Why this Book Project?

Achievem ent Gaps are not su fficiently ad d ressed Schooling challenges are m u lti-faceted and m u lti-layered Research evid ence is not su bstantially consid ered Converging of d isciplinary lenses is need ed

Goal of the Project

Challenge expectations: We have never before expected all child ren to achieve Change Beliefs: We have assu m ed that intelligence is an innate property. Schools m u st focu s on cu ltivating talent in all child ren. Skills and Strategies: Many ed u cators d ont know how to serve all child ren

I. What w e know about the achievement gap

It m irrors other d isparities (health, incom e, em ploym ent) Tend s to follow consistent patterns w ith respect to the race and class of stu d ents External cond itions affect acad em ic perform ance (e.g. health, hou sing stability, poverty) Influ enced by a history of p erceiving race and intelligence as linked We have historically seen the pu rsu it of excellence and equ ity as conflicting goals

Confronting the Achievement Gap

Manifest on m ost ind icators of achievem ent (grad es, test scores, grad u ation rates, d iscipline p atterns), key areas:

Discipline - pu nishing the need iest stu d ents Special ed u cation - rem oving stu d ents d u e to ou r inability to m eet their need s English as a second langu age - perceiving nonEnglish speakers as d eficient

N ormalization of Failure

Tend ency for staff to treat patterns of achievem ent as norm al You know norm alization of failu re is a problem if: Staff has grow n accu stom ed to the pred ictability (p articu larly w ith respect to race and class) of acad em ic ou tcom es Teachers and ad m inistrators rationalize low achievem ent by pointing the finger at their - parents, stu d ents, com m u nity Staff believes that cu ltu re and biology d eterm ine intelligence rather than access to resou rces and ed u cational opportu nity Theres no sense of u rgency abou t ad d ressing low achievem ent

We know w e are succeeding in closing the gap w hen the backgrounds of students (race and class) cease to be predictors of achievement.

II. The N eed for EvidenceBased Practices

Did w e get these resu lts becau se of w hat w e d id ? Can w e repeat this and get the sam e resu lts again? Can w e or others get the sam e resu lts elsew here in sim ilar settings?

Transactional Along w ith Technocratic Solu tions

Research-Based Scheme for Promoting Enhanced Teaching and Learning

Student Guiding Functions Asset-Focused Strategies

Student Engagement

Achievement-Raising/Gap Closing Outcomes

Note: Although arrows between boxes are bidirectional, the larger arrowheads indicate the more typical direction of influence.

Engagement

Behavioral Engagem ent

Effort Persistence Instru m ental H elp -seeking Deep Processing Metacognition

Interest Valu e Affect

Cognitive Engagem ent

Motivation Engagem ent

The Progression of D isengagement (Trajectory of Marginalization)

Structural Disenfranchisem ent

School Disengagem ent

Subject Matter Disengagem ent

Task Disengagem ent

Guiding Functions (Impact Engagement & Academic Outcomes)

Self-Efficacy
(Confid ence that one can d o w hat it takes to accom plish the d esired ou tcom e)

Self-Regu lated Learning

(Planning, m onitoring & assessing ones ow n learning)

Belief Change
(From Sm artness as Fixed to Sm artness as Increm ental)

Borman & Overman (2004)

Resilient Stu d ents are higher than non-Resilient stu d ents in term s of:
More positive attitu d es tow ard school Engagem ent (Teacher Rating) Efficacy

Asset-Based Strategy Types that Impact Guiding Functions, Engagement, and Achievement

Inform ation Processing Qu ality Classroom Interpersonal Relationship Qu ality (TSRQ) Enabling Learning Goals Stu d ent Collaboration Meaningfu l Learning (Ind ivid u al, Social) Cu ltu ral Resou rces

Active Learning

Information Processing Quality

Automaticity Schema Based Instruction Direct Teaching of Critical Thinking Skills

TSRQ Elements

Caring (Genu ine) Em pathy Affective Su pport Instru ctional Su pport Encou raging the Best H old ing Optim istic view of stu d ent(s) N on-Patronizing

High Emotional Support Can Lead to Gap Closing Outcomes

High emotional support inclu d es factors such as (1) Teacher sensitivity to child s need s e.g. m ood , interests etc. (2) Teacher relu ctance to im pose her/ his agend a u nilaterally onto the child (3) Teacher creation of a positive affective clim ate (4) Teacher d eploym ent of classroom m anagem ent m arked by clear yet flexible expectations and behavioral gu id elines.
(H am re and Pianta, 2005)

Academy of Leadership and Technology

Teacher Expectations and Math Performance

Dependent Variable 4th Grade Pre-Test Independent Variable Low Expectations High Expectations M

5.31 4.68

4th Grade Post-Test

Low Expectations High Expectations

4.88 6.58

8th Grade Pre-Test

Low Expectations High Expectations

6.94 6.68

8th Grade Post-Test

Low Expectations High Expectations

5.94 7.52 Ivy-Jackson (2011)

Enabling Learning Goals Kaplan & Maehr (1999)

Goals Em otional Tone Peer Relationships Perceived Acad em ic Efficacy Disru ptive Behavior .49 -.41

Mastery Performance
Goals -.35 -.31

Significant Regression Coefficients

Classroom Collaboration
Collaboration and collaborative learning

Student accountability, ownership and responsibility

Student voice and choice

Inclusiveness

Meaningful Learning

Relevance

Personal Connections
World Connections

Subject Matter Connections

Importance

Prior Knowledge, Competences and Understanding

PERSON ALIZATION EXAMPLE

There are 3 objects. Each is cu t in one-half. In all, how m any pieces w ou ld there be? ABSTRACT Billy had 3 cand y bars. H e cu t each one of them in half. In all, how m any pieces of cand y bar d id Billy have? CON CRETE

Joseph' s teacher, M rs, W illiams, su rprised him on December 15 w hen she presented Joseph w ith 3 Hershey Bars, Joseph cu t each one of them in one-half so that he cou ld share the birthd ay gift w ith his friend s. In all, how m any pieces of Hershey Bars d id Joseph have for his friend s? PERSON ALIZED

STIPEK (2004)

Constructivist Teaching Phonics Instruction Embedded in Meaningful Text Modeling & Guided Use of Explicit Comprehension Strategies Multiple Methods of Reading Instruction Connection to Childrens Personal Experiences Encouragement of Self Expression

Didactic Teaching Isolated Phonics Instruction Rote Memorization Teachers Read to Students Without Engaging in Conversation Correctness Emphasis in Childrens Writing

Prediction of Didactic Teaching % Below Grade Level % Eligible Lunch % African American % Latino in School .18 .04 .42* .06

P < .001 Entries are regression coefficients

Stipek (2004)

Cultural Resources
Family, peer, community socialization Traditions, rituals and practices Fundamental core values Culturally salient learning structures Popular culture

Cult ural Modeling (Carol Lee, Nort hw est ern Univ ersit y )
This entails bringing examples from students popular cultural

interests into the classroom in ways that require students to use

interpretive or critical thinking skills to express these popular culture examples. Then, students are made fully conscious and reflective of their deployment of these skills. Students are then shown how these same skills that they display underlie tasks in the formal curriculum. Students then are lead to apply these skills to tasks in the formal curriculum.

Posttest Performance -Learning Condition by Ethnicity Interaction

11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 10.19 9.63 6.72 8.46 7 6.41

African American
C= Communal study condition G= Inter-Group Competition study condition I = Interpersonal Competition study condition

European American

Hurley, Allen, & Boykin (2009)

Meeting the Challenges of Professional Development

Teachers dont buy in or dont believe it (and therefore dont do it) Teachers get it but dont know how to do it Teachers say they understand but dont do it correctly Teachers want to do it but cant seem to work it into their schedule regularly if at all Teachers do it but only replicating what they were shown to do

Professional D evelopment Regimen

Pre-Workshop Activity Workshop Follow Up Su pport

Feed back Coaching Dem onstrations

Learning Com m u nity/ Planning Tim e

III. D imensions of the Gap

Preparation Gap - Poor child ren arrive at school less prepared Lim ited literacy/ vocabu lary for poor child ren Inability of schools to intervene early in response to stu d ent need s Op p ortu nity Gap - Lim iting access to rigorou s cou rses, highly skilled teachers

Tracking, labeling and low expectations lim it opportu nities

Other Aspects of the Gap

Teacher-stu d ent gap

Relationships betw een stu d ents and ad u lts are strained or w eak Low est achievers alienated and estranged from school
Parents of low est achievers not involved w ith school Strained / antagonistic relations w ith parents

School - Parent gap

N eed for a Paradigm Shift

Old Parad igm

N ew Parad igm

Intelligence is innate Job of schools is to m easu re intelligence and sort accord ingly Inequ ity in resou rce allocation: give the best resou rces to highest achievers Discipline u sed to w eed ou t the bad kid s

Intelligence and ability are influ enced by opportu nity It is the job of school to cu ltivate talent and ability am ong stu d ents Resou rces allocated based on stu d ent need Discipline u sed to reinforce school valu es and norm s

Conditions N eeded to Raise Student Achievement:

System s to facilitate school effectiveness Diagnostic assessm ent Early intervention proced u res Evalu ation to insu re qu ality control On-site, ongoing professional d evelopm ent Shared lead ership

Cu ltu ral Changes: Su pportive relationships betw een teachers and stu d ents Willingness am ong teachers to share id eas, cu rricu la, m aterials Peer cu ltu re w here it is cool to be sm art Partnerships betw een school, com m u nity and parents

IV. Recommendations for closing the gap:

External partnerships w ith service p rovid ers to ad d ress u nm et non-acad em ic need s

H ealth, nu trition, cou nseling, etc.

Qu ality control in interventions throu gh ongoing evalu ation

Title I and Special Ed u cation Kid s w ho are behind m u st w ork hard er and longer u nd er better cond itions Im proving the qu ality of teaching is the m ost effective w ay to raise stu d ent achievem ent

Key principles:

Close the Preparation Gap

Increase access to qu ality early child hood program s

Provid e professional d evelopm ent for provid ers

Use su m m er school and after-school p rogram s to ad d ress need s of kid s w ho are falling behind

Bu ild safety net - u se d ata to id entify kid s w ho are falling behind early, intervene early Transition - d esign strategies to id entify and provid e su pport to stu d ents m oving from elem entary to m id d le school, m id d le to high school.

Close the Opportunity Gap

Increase access to rigorou s cou rses and increase su pport

AVID, MESA Increase enrollm ent in higher level m ath

Insu re equ itable access to effective teachers Ad d ress inequ ities in parental resou rces by p rovid ing greater su pport to d isad vantaged stu d ents in college ad vising, SAT prep, tu toring

Close the Relationship Gap:

Move tow ard a new ad vising m od el in w hich every teacher serves as an ad visor Increase stu d ent connected ness to the school throu gh extracu rricu lar activities H ire personnel from backgrou nd s sim ilar to that of you r stu d ents w ho can relate and provid e d irection to stu d ents - m oral au thority Focu s on im proving teaching by:

Strengthening link betw een teaching and learning On-site professional d evelopm ent in content, ped agogy and rapport w ith stu d ents Bring grou ps of teachers together on regu lar basis to analyze stu d ent w ork

Close the Gap Betw een Parents and School

Engage parents in partnerships based on respect and shared interests Initiate contact before problem s arise Design a variety of activities throu ghou t school year for parents H ire personnel w ho are effective at w orking w ith parents