Effective Teachers Know How to Address Achievement Deficits of Minority Students

• In Event: Teacher Effectiveness: What Teachers Think and Do and What Students Know

Abstract

“All students can learn” is a disposition that teacher education programs inculcate teacher candidates with throughout their preservice training. The persistent achievement gap that keeps urban minority students at the bottom of the totem pole brings doubt to this crucial belief that every child is equally capable of learning. The notion that family background and socioeconomic status determines students’ ability to achieve has gone unchallenged for a large part of American history (DuFour, 2010). Current research, however, indicates that school practices and quality of instruction can outweigh other variables affecting student achievement (Marzano, 2003). According to Hollingsworth (2009), a crucial component that is being overlooked in many classrooms is the power of a well-crafted and well-delivered lesson. Several research-based instructional strategies have proven effective in increasing student achievement.

Rosenshine and Stevens (1986), Hunter (1994), and Hollingsworth (2009) all found explicit instructional strategies to be most effective. The purpose of this study was to examine the presentation and preparation instructional strategies of effective teachers. The strategies included activating prior knowledge, presenting learning objectives, teaching skills or steps, defining or explaining the concept, checking for understanding, giving teacher feedback, integrating cognitive techniques, engaging students in guided practice, and asking questions to check for understanding (Hollingsworth, 2009). Additionally, the study incorporated reciprocal teaching (Oczkus, 2003), cooperative learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollack 2001), and the use of technology (Jonassen, 1995), which are also highlighted in the literature on effective teaching strategies.

To gain insight into teachers’ professional knowledge of effective lesson planning and lesson delivery strategies a survey was administered to a purposive sample of effective teachers (n=32). The sample of teachers was taken from the District’s Common Core Transition Team. Teachers were identified as “highly effective” by their respective administrator based on student achievement. Teachers ranged from grades 1 to 6 and represented 16 elementary schools in a low-performing, low SES, high EL, urban school district. The survey instrument asked the 32 teachers to rank the impact they perceived various teaching strategies had on student achievement. A 4-point likert scale ranging from “always effective” to “mostly ineffective,” in terms of helping students, achieve was used.

Findings revealed that teachers were more likely to assign a higher value to more explicit instructional strategies, which substantiates current research on effective teaching. Research on effective teaching supports the success of this direct and explicit approach (Rosenshine, 2009, Kirshner, 2009, Mayer, 2009, Taylor, Peterson, Pearson, & Rodriguez, 2002, Rosenshine, 1995). Findings support the need to place a greater emphasis on lesson preparation, presentation, and continuous feedback. While lesson preparation and presentation provide for high-quality initial instruction, Hattie (2007) emphasizes the need for feedback to enhance learning and reduce discrepancies between current knowledge and lesson objectives. Greater resources, teacher education, and professional development need to be devoted toward explicit instructional strategies in order to improve the success of students within low-performing, urban school districts.

Author

• Wendy Moore, Colton Joint Unified School District