"They May Be Statistically Insignificant, but They Still Count": Effective Teacher Perceptions of Struggling Students

• In Event: 69.058 - Poster Session 16
  In Poster Session: 69.058-6 - Teacher Professional Development and Teacher Preparation

Abstract

“I may be statistically insignificant, but I still count” is a silent cry echoed by struggling students throughout schools in the United States. It is a cry echoed in the morgues and in jail cells by students who slipped through the cracks. Prior research indicates that teachers are the key to student achievement (Auwarter & Aruguete, 2008; Davis, Gabelman, & Wingfield, 2011; Jovanovic, Simic, & Rajovic, 2014); hence, this emergent qualitative study will contribute to the body of knowledge needed to address the problem by probing highly effective veteran teachers’ knowledge of struggling students. Three themes emerged from this naturalistic study: factors contributing to student struggles, heart/caring, and keys to success.

Authors

• Lana Johnson, Bastrop Independent School District

• Gerri Marie Maxwell, Texas A&M University - Kingsville