Closing the Achievement Gap

Leadership Academy Quarterly Meeting- January 17, 2012

Goal 2: All students will participate in the highest possible levels of the curriculum.

• 2.1 We will identify achievement gaps at the division and individual school level that may be preventing groups of students from meeting their academic potential.

• 2.2 We will engage the school community in discussion about student achievement gaps to identify barriers to student success in high level courses.

• 2.3 We will provide cultural awareness and other appropriate training for staff to address identified barriers to student success in high level courses.

• 2.4 We will ensure equitable access and set expectations for student participation in the highest possible levels of the curriculum.

What strategies work?

Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from research to practice to

close the achievement gap

A. Wade Boykin and Pedro Noguera

Dimensions of the Gap (Boykin & Noguera, 2011)

• The gap widens by 3rd grade.

• The goal is to raise performance of ALL students.

• Reading and math achievement gap remains unchanged since mid 1990s.

• Normalization of failure feeds the gap.

1. Build and Foster Self-Efficacy

2. Build Interpersonal Relationships

3. Make Learning Relevant

4. Deliberately Teach Information Processing

4 Key Points from the book:

1. Build and Foster Self-EfficacySelf-Efficacy – conviction that one can successfully execute the behavior required to produce desired outcomes.

– Self-efficacy is situational and variable – Educational practices take into account children’s beliefs about their

capabilities– Raise self-efficacy through success, observation, verbal persuasion,

and physiological reaction (stress vs. relaxation).Self-Regulation -- active process where learners set goals for their learning and then attempt to monitor, regulate, and control their cognition, motivation, and behavior.

– Self-regulation increases self-efficacy, engagement, and persistence – Self-regulation can be taught.

Fixed vs. Malleable Belief of Intelligence – – Fixed: intelligence is unchanging. (low persistence)– Malleable: intelligence can change (high persistence)– Teacher feedback can impact views

2. Build Interpersonal Relationships

• Focus on Teacher-Student Relationship Quality (TSRQ)

• Focus on teacher expectations for students• Encourage mastery goals rather than

performance goals• Build autonomy for motivation• Facilitate properly constructed collaboration

3. Make the Learning RelevantMethod Effectiveness Rate teachers utilize

Reward and punishment -.50 58%

Relevance strategies +.61 8%

• Personalize the learning beyond the abstract or even concrete.

• Allow opportunities for Collaboration

• Provide for active, high movement learning

4. Deliberately Teach Information Processing

• Build automaticity through meaningful and targeted practice

• Manage cognitive load

• Directly teach critical thinking and problem solving

How do our Strategic Plan initiatives align with the

research?

Small group discussion

Alignment of HCPS Initiatives

Response to InterventionBuild/Foster Self-Efficacy

Build Relationships

Make Learning Relevant

Teach Information Processing

Coalition X X

Mentoring Students

X X

Tier I Math X X

Tier I Reading X X

MAPS X X X

Build/Foster Self-Efficacy

Build Relationships

Make Learning Relevant

Teach Information Processing

Henrico 21 X X X

Reflective Friends

X X X

Digital Content X X X

Integration of Technology

X X X

Alignment of HCPS Initiatives

21st Century Learning

Build/Foster Self-Efficacy

Build Relationships

Make Learning Relevant

Teach Information Processing

Laying the Foundation

X

Eighth Grade Algebra

X X X

AP/SAT X X

Alignment of HCPS Initiatives

Increasing Enrollment in Higher Level Courses

Build/Foster Self-Efficacy

Build Relationships

Make Learning Relevant

Teach Information Processing

Feeder Pattern Alignment

X X

Focus on Inclusion

X X X

Resource Allocation Alignment

X X

Alignment of HCPS Initiatives

Restructuring Exceptional Education

“Education research shows that most school variables, considered separately, have at most

small effects on learning. The real payoff comes when individual variables combine to reach critical mass. Creating the conditions under which that can occur is the job of the

principal.”

The Wallace Foundation, 2011

Self-Assessment

How well are you implementing the district initiatives at the building

and/or district level?

Next Steps