What Can We Do At Belzer Middle School To Help

Close The Achievement Gap?

Click Here For Inspiration From Kid President

“Before we can effectively address classroom management or the gaps in reading and math achievement, we must address the school climate and culture,” he said. “It means that administrators and teachers need to start within themselves.”

Baruti Kafele (Newark Tech High School)

Other GapsBaruti Kafele believes “other gaps” must be closed before the assessment differences can be addressed. These include:

Attitude gap: “If we don’t believe in these students, who will?”

Relationship gap: Many black students wear a protective mask that says they do not care, but if a teacher can remove the mask and get to know the student, he/she can teach reading and math

Compassion gap: An educator has to care about the student or the mask will not come off

Relevance gap: Students’ interests need to be met. Educators need to let students “star” in the classroom.

Baruti Kafele Speaks

Take A Look At Yourself

Ask yourself as educators these questions:

Do I believe in them?

Do I know them?

Do I care about them?

Do I realize who they are?

Do I teach them how to soar?

“If we as educators bring the right beliefs and passion to our work, we can get our black students not only to succeed but to soar.”

Baruti Kafele (Newark Tech High School)

Baruti Kafele Speaks to Educators Video

Take A Look At Yourself

Believe!

The teacher who believes that he/she can effectively influence student achievement, regardless of current or previous student performance will inspire the black student to achieve

These types of teachers can experience greater positive communication with the African American students and the student receives much higher positive reinforcement for their efforts

Verbal praise, approving smiles, encouraging pats on the shoulder

Take A Look At Yourself

Re-educate!

We must make an honest effort to get to know the African American students and their culture

We must encourage ourselves and others to participate in community service programs to help increase our knowledge of our African American student body

Big Brothers Big Sisters

Park League Athletic Events

Honor Bound

Teachers who participate will be able to gain a better understanding of the interests and communities that their African-American students reside in

Take A Look At Yourself

We must approach the students with an attitude of tolerance

Come with the attitude that students are capable of learning

Have the same expectations of all studentsAll motivated to perform better and reinforces the attitude that we believe all students can learn effectively

Must refrain from accepting unconditionally the negative stereotypical portrait of black students

Lazy, gun toting, drug dealing criminals that have little regard for societal mores

“Once the student comes to the realization that they are capable of learning, they will be motivated to duplicate the experience and break the cycle of ignorance that has labeled them as underachievers in the past.”

Motivate

Encourage extracurricular activities

It is our job to strongly encourage our African American students to participate in more extracurricular activities that are related to academics and leadership not just athletics

Academic Clubs

Yearbook staffs

Debate teams

Student Councils

Safety Patrols

Motivate

Strongly encourage African American students to pursue college or postsecondary training

This can include visitations to colleges or vocational/trade schools, career day programsInvite guest speakers representing both white and blue collar careers

Exposes African Americans to advanced educational and career opportunities

Reduce negative peer pressure

This can be done by verbally and materially rewarding academic achievement in the same way that society acknowledges and even extols athletic performance.

When we publicly recognize the successful academic experiences of young African Americans, we simultaneously raise their self-concept, self-esteem, and academic confidence.

The Journal of Negro Education

Environment

Environment

Emphasize positive characteristics

As teachers, this is a constructive way of demonstrating to parents their role in encouraging, assisting, and monitoring more closely the academic performance of their child

In the classroom, this is essential because it creates a positive classroom environment where the learning community respects each others strengths and creates positive relationships among themselves.

The Journal of Negro Education

In The Classroom

We must make it clear that we value our African American students personally and collectively by accepting the differences

Must show students the relevance and applicability of coursework to one’s adult years

Can do this by incorporating family living skills into social studies curricula

Introducing family budgeting concepts into mathematics lessons

Emphasizing business and job-related communication and writing skills instruction into language arts and English classes

In The Classroom

Give adequate instruction when new information is being introduced

Procedural steps that could be used when demonstrating or introducing a new skill to African American Learners:

Give skills for learning

Let them demonstrate the skill(s)

Allow time for practice

Have the students review the skill

In The Classroom

Give the REASON for why performing the skill is important

If they understand the logical reasoning behind a given skills to be learned, they are more likely to participate willingly in its mastery.

Share what they will be doing and how it will be done

Teacher demonstrate first, then students

This is essential because they need the scaffolding that this extra step brings

Procedural Steps

In The Classroom

Allow time for frequent practice of the skill so that the African American students are able to properly complete it

Teacher can circulate and provide feedback while the students are practicing the skill

Students could be in cooperative learning groups or peer partners while learning the skill

Review the procedural steps of the skillVerbal review reinforces the procedure for the students

Allow other opportunities over the course of the school year to implement the skill

Procedural Steps

In The Classroom

Devise strategies which illustrate the abstractions, regulations, and verbal discussions being presented

“When the student is provided with some concrete illustration of an abstract concept, the concept will be retained much more easily.” (Hooks, 87)

Students are likely to remember interesting illustrations to reinforce some abstraction or regulation

Recalling the information will strengthen student self-esteem and confidence for future learning

Ex. When learning about trees, give out notes where the facts are written inside a tree. This helps give the students a visual representation of the just discussed topic.

How Do We Motivate Students to Read?

Select text that will afford connectionsThe connections can be personal, social, or cultural

Provide ChoiceIdentify a menu of texts and give the students the opportunity to give the text a chance. They may be surprised at the power the text holds

Take the text seriouslyEncourage students to read for enjoyment, not just for completing chapters or taking tests

How Do We Motivate Students to Read?

Involve the voices of African AmericansThey can provide insights into the characteristics and types of texts they find motivating

They can be rich data sources

Select texts that function as roadmap textsThe students searching to answer the questions “Who am I?” and “What can I become?” will benefit from these texts

Reach Out

Essential we provide parents with information on tracking practices, regular classroom placement, remedial classes, difference between honors and advanced placement classes

Parents are the most effective motivators of their children

Help parents understand their role in encouraging their children to learn

Keep open, honest communication that is based on mutual respect

New IdeasPossible programs to implement:

Advisory ProgramInvolves teachers and staff members to help students improve behavior, social skills, and academic performance

See next slide for more information or visit this site: http://publications.sreb.org/2012/12V03Newsletter3.pdf (start of pg. 14)

Lunchtime LearningStudents who fall behind in their studies are enrolled in a lunchtime learning program where they receive tutoring.

Every nine weeks, students who have met certain expectations of their teachers, will be rewarded in whichever way the school chooses.

Advisory Program

References

Hooks, B. (1989) Talking Back: Thinking Black. Boston: South End Press

http://imet.csus.edu/imet11/portfolio/smiley_k/WebQuest/Neely.pdf

Educating and Motivating African American Males to Succeed. Antoine M. Garibaldi. The Journal of Negro Education , Vol. 61, No. 1 (Winter, 1992), pp. 4-11

Motivating African-American Secondary School Children. H Taylor. The Populace Now. February, 2010.

Creating a Culture of High Expectations, Student Motivation and Instructional Support in Schools and Classrooms. SREB. February, 2012.