Closing the Achievement Gap: Characteristics of Successful Principals

What is the achievement gap?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “achievement gaps occur when one group of students outperforms another group and the difference in average scores for the two groups is statistically significant. (NCES, U.S. Department of Education, 2013)

What is the achievement gap?

“The achievement gap is the persistent disparity in academic achievement between minority and disadvantaged students and their counterparts. In my view, it is not innate ability but rather the opportunity to learn-an artifact of environment-that underlies the achievement gap.” (Porter, 2014)

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Score Gaps for Student Groups

• In 2013, Black students had an average score that was 24 points lower than White students. This performance gap was not significantly different from that in 1992 (24 points).

• In 2013, Hispanic students had an average score that was 27 points lower than White students. This performance gap was not significantly different from that in 1992 (23 points).

• In 2013, students who were eligible for free/reduced-price school lunch, an indicator of low family income, had an average score that was 28 points lower than students who were not eligible for free/reduced-price school lunch. This performance gap was not significantly different from that in 1998 (31 points). (NCES, 2014)

TEA 2014 State Accountability Summary

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Index 1 StudentAchievement

Index 2 Student Progress Index 3 ClosingPerformance Gaps

Index 4 PostsecondaryReadiness

Performance Index Report

Closing Performance Gaps

Index 3 emphasizes advanced academic achievement of the economically disadvantaged student and the two lowest performing racial ethnic groups. (TEA, 2012)

A closer look…

The most recent Texas 2014 Student Achievement Data reveals there is a range of 10% to 20 % gap between White and minority students and up 40 % for ELLs. (TEA, 2014)

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What about opportunity?Researchers suggest schools are not the major cause of the achievement gap because the gap exists long before kids enter school. Yet we turn to schools for the solution. To solve the achievement gap in schools, interventions are needed that address the critical issue of opportunities to learn. In particular, the opportunities provided to our most disadvantaged students. (Porter, 2014)

Providing opportunities to learn

High-quality preschools•May provide some effects

•Need to ensure all preschools are high-quality

(Porter, 2014)

Providing opportunities to learn

Teacher Quality•Black students may have less access to high quality

teachers than White students• Teachers may not have adequate cultural

competencies to build relationships with minority students

(Porter, 2014)

Providing opportunities to learn

Teacher Perspectives• Teachers fall between “social consciousness” and “social

dyconsciousness” (Beachum, 2011).

• “Dyconsciousness -uncritical habit of mind, which includes perceptions, attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs. This form of thought, when left unchallenged, results in inequity and exploitation by accepting the existing order of things as given” (p. 31)

• Creates opportunity for teachers to unconsciously and uncritically promote a culture that upholds the dominant White middle-class as the cultural norm for all students (Kuster, 2004, pp. 66-67)

Providing opportunities to learn

Research supports the belief that compared to their White, middle-class counterparts; students of color and low socio-economic status experience significantly lower achievement scores and teacher expectations (Brown, Benkovitz, Mutillo, & Urban, 2011). Consequently, according to Brown et.al (2011), these students are faced with inequitable situations.

Providing opportunities to learn

“High-quality preschool, effective teachers in every classroom, a challenging curriculum of enriched classes all have the potential to reduce the achievement gap” (Porter, 2014).

Relevance to principals

• “The effective leader builds a culture that positively influences teachers, who in turn, positively influence students” (Marzano, Waters, & McNulty, 2005).

• During the 2010-2011 academic year (Keaton, 2012)reported that 45.1% of all students in American public K-12schools were identified as minority students.

Relevance to principals

“Principals play a vital role in setting the direction for schools that are positive and productive workplaces for teachers and vibrant learning environments for children, but existing knowledge on the best ways to develop these effective leaders is insufficient” (Davis, Darling-Hammond, LaPointe, & Meyerson, 2005, p. 1).

Culturally Responsive School Leadership

Villegas and Lucas (2002) described culturally responsive teachers as those who not only utilize students’ cultures as a tool for learning, but also teaches students to develop a broader consciousness for analyzing cultural norms and values. Unfortunately, there have been minimal attempts to apply a culturally responsive framework to the study of leadership practice in high poverty, challenging schools (Johnson, 2007).

What is a culturally proficient leader?

These leaders do not use cultural differences as an excuse for poor student achievement; instead, they create an environment in which all stakeholders can honestly address cultural issues-and end the blame game. (Leadership, 2005)

Suggestions from the research

Principals can and should desire to become culturally proficient leaders. These leaders may search for opportunities to work more successfully with students of minority backgrounds. The research team proposed five themes that emerged from their work with a group of leaders. These themes evolved around the major thoughts of cultural competence relative to effectiveness, competence to understand personal biases, competence to develop relationships in diverse families and communities, the ability to develop networks and support systems for growth, and an understanding of ineffective leadership. (Leadership, 2005)

Suggestions from the research

Hallinger (2009) offered a conceptual definition of instructional leadership. Within this framework, three dimensions were proposed for the instructional leadership role: defining the school’s mission, managing the instructional program, and promoting a positive school learning climate.

Suggestions from the research

Principals must determine the central purpose of the school and work with staff to ensure clarity around measurable goals focused on academic student progress.

Suggestions from the research

Principals may consider the following model when planning to create an environment that supports learning for all students.(This model has been used in over 200 studies of principal leadership and has been proven to be a reliable and valid data collection tool (Hallinger, 2010).

Frame the school goals

• Develop a focused set of annual school-wide goals

• Frame the school's goals in terms of staff responsibilities for meeting them

• Use needs assessment or other formal and informal methods to secure staff input on goal development

• Use data on student performance when developing the school's academic goals

• Develop goals that are easily understood and used by teachers in the school

Communicate the school goals

• Communicate the school's mission effectively to members of the school community

• Discuss the school's academic goals with teachers at faculty meetings

• Refer to the school's academic goals when making curricular decisions with teachers

• Ensure that the school's academic goals are reflected in highly visible displays in the school (e.g., posters or bulletin boards emphasizing academic progress)

• Refer to the school's goals or mission in forums with students (e.g., in assemblies or discussions)

Supervise and evaluate instruction

• Ensure that the classroom priorities of teachers are consistent with the goals and direction of the school

• Review student work products when evaluating classroom instruction

• Conduct informal observations in classrooms on a regular basis (informal observations are unscheduled, last at least 5 minutes, and may or may not involve written feedback or a formal conference)

• Point out specific strengths in teachers’ instructional practices in post-observation feedback (e.g., in conferences or written evaluations)

• Point out specific weaknesses in teachers’ instructional practices in post-observation feedback (e.g., in conferences or written evaluations)

Coordinate the Curriculum

• Make clear who is responsible for coordinating the curriculum across grade levels (e.g., the principal, vice principal, or teacher-leaders)

• Draw upon the results of school-wide testing when making curricular decisions

• Monitor the classroom curriculum to see that it covers the school's curricular objectives

• Assess the overlap between the school's curricular objectives and the school's achievement tests

• Participate actively in the review of curricular materials

Monitor student progress

• Meet individually with teachers to discuss student progress

• Discuss academic performance results with the faculty to identify curricular strengths and weaknesses

• Use tests and other performance measures to assess progress toward school goals

• Inform teachers of the school's performance results in written form (e.g., in a memo or newsletter)

• Inform students of school's academic progress

Protect instructional time

• Limit interruptions of instructional time by public address announcements

• Ensure that students are not called to the office during instructional time

• Ensure that tardy and truant students suffer specific consequences for missing instructional time

• Encourage teachers to use instructional time for teaching and practicing new skills and concepts

• Limit the intrusion of extra- and co-curricular activities on instructional time

Maintain High Visibility

• Take time to talk informally with students and teachers during recess and breaks

• Visit classrooms to discuss school issues with teachers and students

• Attend/participate in extra- and co-curricular activities

• Cover classes for teachers until a late or substitute teacher arrives

• Tutor students or provide direct instruction to classes

Provide incentives for teachers

• Reinforce superior performance by teachers in staff meetings, newsletters, and/or memos

• Compliment teachers privately for their efforts or performance

• Acknowledge teachers' exceptional performance by writing memos for their personnel files

• Reward special efforts by teachers with opportunities for professional recognition

• Create professional growth opportunities for teachers as a reward for special contributions to the school

Promote professional development

• Ensure that inservice activities attended by staff are consistent with the school's goals

• Actively support the use in the classroom of skills acquired during inservice training

• Obtain the participation of the entire staff in important inservice activities

• Lead or attend teacher inservice activities concerned with instruction

• Set aside time at faculty meetings for teachers to share ideas or information from inservice activities

Provide incentives for learning

• Recognize students who do superior work with formal rewards such as an honor roll or mention in the principal's newsletter

• Use assemblies to honor students for academic accomplishments or for behavior or citizenship

• Recognize superior student achievement or improvement by seeing the students in the office with their work

• Contact parents to communicate improved or exemplary student performance or contributions

• Support teachers actively in their recognition and/or reward of student contributions to and accomplishments in class

Achievement Gap

What intentional actions exist on your campus that impact closing the achievement gap?

ResourcesBeachum, F. D. (2011). Culturally relevant leadership for complex 21st century school context. The Sage Handbook, 27-35.

Brown, K., Benkovitz, J., Mutillo, A., & Urban, T. (2011). Leading schools of excellence and equity: documenting effective strategies in closing achievement gaps. Teachers College Record, 57-96.

Davis, S., Darling-Hammond, L., LaPointe, M., & Meyerson, D. (2005). School leadership study developing successful principals. Stanford: The Wallace Foundation.

Hallinger, P. (2005). Instructional leadership and the school principal: A passing fancy that refuses to fade away. Leadership and Policy in Schools . 1-20.

Resources

Hallinger, P. (2011). Leadership for learning: lessons from 40 years of empirical research. Journal of Educational Administration Vol 49, No 2, 125-142.

Keaton, P. (2012). Public elementary and secondary school student enrollment and staff counts from the common core of data: School year 2010-11. Washington: National Center for Education Statistics.

Kells, R. (1991). Principals' perceptions of factors affecting student achievement. Education Iona College, 3.

Resources

Kuster, D. A. (2004, August). Critical consciousness in the classroom through an art-centered curricular unit, "respect and homage".Retrieved February 14, 2013, from University of North Texas: http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc4597/

Leadership, I. f. (2005). Preparing and supporting diverse, culturally competent leaders: Practice and policy considerations. Washington.

Marzano, R. J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A. (2005). School leadership that works. Alexandria: ASCD.

Resources

NCES. (2007; 2013). US Department of Education. Retrieved from US Department of Education: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf

Porter, Andy (2014) Rethinking the achievement gap. http://www.gse.upenn.edu/node/269

TEA. (2014, January). Accountability. Retrieved February 22, 2014, from Texas Education Agency: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/hist/state.html

TEA. (2012). Accountability system development for 2013 and beyond.Austin: TEA.

Villegas, a. M., & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teachers rethinking the curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, 20-32.

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