Urban Charter School Pedagogy

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 5
  In Roundtable Session: Black Education in a Variety of Spaces and Places

Abstract

Only a small percentage of charter schools have succeeded in increasing student achievement beyond the levels of traditional public schools. However, some successful charters have been highly-effective at increasing the achievement of low-income and African-American students. The purpose of this study was to investigate three high-performing urban charter schools and explore the performance characteristics that specifically supported the academic achievement of low-income African-American students.
It was found that at all three schools that teachers and administrators had high-expectations for student achievement accompanied with meaningful support structures to help students meet those expectations, the curriculum was internally developed to meet the needs of the students, and teachers engaged in culturally responsive instructional practices.
Paper

Author

• Timothy L. Weekes, Holy Names University