No Choice But Success Article Written By: Dick Corbett, Bruce Wilson, and Belinda Williams Presentation Written By: Lori Mackowski

The Research Study A three year research project of urban school teachers was conducted. Teaching strategies were found to greatly vary among some these professionals. The two medium sized urban school districts studied had diverse student populations and achievement gaps between lower and higher-income students.

Great Urban Teachers Believe: *The responsibility for student success rests on educators’ shoulders. *One teachers philosophy is “All students can learn, not All students can learn but….” *A students home life cannot be altered but teachers can affect the conditions in their classrooms. *Teaching methods alone is not enough. An effective teacher gives students no other choice but success.

One Teachers Opinion One interviewed teacher noted: “It is my job to pass on information, but it is their job to do their homework.” “Homework without a name on it is thrown in the garbage.” The teacher’s action is self defeating. The student handed in their homework as directed by the teacher.

The survey found that teachers sharing this opinion also stated: Students will succeed because they want to. Students need to be taught responsibility. Some teachers persistently commented: Lack of Student Motivation Students need to uphold their end of the bargain. Too much “hand-holding” by the teacher during instructional time will be counterproductive.

Both groups of teachers agreed that the older students get, the harder it is to keep them in school. When parents are not interested, students begin to learn excuses from their parents.

Effective Teaching A small group of teachers observed who did not accept failure used Practices such as: *Cooperative groups *Checking for understanding *Hands-on activities *Connecting new content to prior knowledge Other classrooms used the same methods but did not identify the positive results from the students.

Teacher attitude appeared to make the biggest difference. Teaching methods only get a class so far. Two highlighted teachers in the research were found to hold students accountable for their actions. Additionally, these great teachers would not let these students give up. One teacher who had mostly minority students in her class said: “I believe they will perform well if they know I am concerned about what they do. If a teacher does not expect much, then we have given them an excuse no to do well.” “Even if a student is learning disabled or handicapped, in here “we” is all of us. You will do the full assignment, 25 problems. Some may need more help to do it. Kids aren’t the problem, adults are the ones finding the excuses.”

Mrs. Franklin: An African American 6 th grade teacher whose class primarily consisted of minority students. * “I do not give every student a C, every student earns a C or better.” *Student interviews concluded that they appreciated this rather than resented it. Students’ words to describe this teacher: *Strict *She makes sure all kids get the work done *She doesn’t let people get away with it (low grades)

A play, art, a paper, or even a translation into Ebonics were some of the choices she made available to students as an assignment in a Shakespeare *This English teacher found student choice to be extremely important. She wanted to know what motivated and interested the students. *She used a student centered classroom to help connect information to real life. Mrs. Behrens: A caucasian teacher whose class consisted of 50% minority students.

Two schools, within the two districts studied were found to have no gap in achievement between lower income and higher income students. *The elementary school had school-based professional development activities. *The junior high school adopted a grading system where students received an I for incomplete if their achieved grade was not an A or B. The assignment had to be redone until at least a B was attained.

My Opinion Students: *want to know you care *need to be reassured *need to be encouraged *need positive feedback Keep in Mind: *A student may be initially resistant to your help. *A little effort goes a long way. *Students need to be responsible but also need teacher inspiration to succeed.