Moving from research to practice to close the achievement gap. Central High School November 27, 2012

Central High School Accountability Report Literacy Math African Americans64.94% Hispanic83.33% White97.13% Free/Reduced64.47% English Learners66.67% Special Needs25% African Americans60.44% Hispanic63.64% White94.42% Free/Reduced61.61% English Learners65.38% Special Needs54.10%

If closing the achievement gap and elevating the achievement of poor and minority students is a national priority, what is preventing the nation and its schools from making greater progress? Discussion:

Reasons for the Gap Poverty Family background Culture issues Ineffective teachers Inequity in school resources (1655 TAGG students) Expectations

“Normalization of Failure” “Too often, attitudes and beliefs that contribute to the normalization of failure go unchallenged, and when failure is normalized, educators often grow comfortable seeing minority students underperform and fail in large numbers.” Discussion: What are some attitudes, beliefs or stereotypes that may contribute to the normalization of failure?

Normalization of Failure “When failure is normalized and educators are no longer disturbed by low student achievement, it can be extremely difficult for student outcomes or schools to change.”

Student factors that contribute to the normalization of failure Discussion: What are some student factors that contribute to the normalization of failure? Lack of engagement Avoidance strategies Attitude toward school “Student motivation and the attitudes that students display toward learning profoundly affect patterns of achievement.”

What Strategies are in place to counter these negative attitudes? Discussion? “Schools that do not have an effective strategy for convincing students to become vested in their education—to work hard, study, arrive on time and prepared, and generally care about learning—are unlikely to reduce disparities in academic outcomes and raise student achievement.”

How do we feel about “the gap”? “If we feel some students won’t achieve because they are intellectually deficient, because they come from a dysfunctional culture, or simply because such students have never done well before, chances are that no reform measure will change academic outcomes.” Whenever educators blame low student achievement on some factor they cannot control, there is a strong tendency for them to reject responsibility for factors they can and do control. For this reason, counter the normalization of failure must be seen as the first step in any effort to close the achievement gap.”

What are ways that we might contribute to the normalization of failure? Discussion: Having lower expectations Providing less effective feedback Allow students to be disengaged Maintain lower quality relationships Provide a less rigorous curriculum

Response from a Central Parent “Thanks for the opportunity to give feedback! I will say that my daughter has huge problems with attention and being organized. She has to work twice as hard as others do to stay afloat. The one thing that motivates her is when the teacher knows her, likes her, and voices belief in her. She works into the wee hours of the night for those teacher’s classes. The other classes she seems to get discouraged and tends to feel hopeless. Kudos to those teachers who believe in and get to know their students.”