Teachers’ Effectiveness and Roles as Mentors for Low Income Students of Color

• In Event: The Critical Pedagogy in Mentoring: Planting the Seeds for Critical Consciousness and Transformation

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to bring together qualitative data drawn from student interviews and classroom observations to develop a theoretical framework that describes effective mentoring for low income students of color. This manuscript centers on the voices of students of color from low income communities who have prolonged negative experiences in school. This paper asks,

1.) What are qualities of an ideal teacher that can effectively serve low income students of color through a practice of high expectations for academic success?
2.) How can teachers be supported in pre-service and leadership programs so they can develop these ideal qualities to carry into the classroom?
3.) What kinds of educational policies can the school put into place to support the hiring, recruitment, and retention of teachers that are most effective in serving low income students of color?

During the process of a one-year ethnographic case study of a large, urban high school in California, university researchers investigated the effects of teachers’ expectations for students’ academic success. Students of color with a 2.0 Grade Point Average or below were provided with an opportunity to theorize on a definition of an ideal teacher. In their individual interviews, students across race, gender, and social class backgrounds each argued for an ideal teacher who can effectively integrate a variety of mentoring strategies in their teaching pedagogy. Students discuss this ideal teacher as someone with intangible qualities, high expectations, and vision for their academic success. More importantly, an ideal teacher is someone able to identify and relate with the social and economic realities that the students face; and use these limitations as a source of motivation for students to strengthen their resiliency and build upon academic success. From these students’ perspectives, a teacher is most effective when they are capable mentors that can convey high academic expectations through a set of caring interpersonal relationships.

Authors

• Daniel Dinn-You Liou, Iowa State University

• Antonio Nieves Martinez, University of California - Los Angeles