Need a
LITTLE TLC?
Teaching and learning
conferences connect
teacher practice with
student performance
Tiffany N. Awkard
M
any reform efforts
in American
schools today have
focused on ensuring
an equitable and
quality education
for all students.
Research shows disparities in
academic achievement among black
and Hispanic students compared to
their white and Asian counterparts.
This data suggests a fundamental
need for all teachers, administrators,
and the like to examine schoolwide
data as well as individual classroom
46 Principal Leadership | April 2015
achievement data to determine if,
indeed, disparities exist.
Purposeful and meaningful
examination of classroom data
and critical analysis is essential to
making the necessary connections
between instructional practice and
student achievement. This critical
analysis of disaggregated data
brings to surface any achievement
disparities that may exist within
cultural and ethnic groups. As
teachers begin to understand
these connections, several
questions emerge:
■ What expectations do I have
for my students, and are my
expectations the same for all?
■ How does my instruction respond
to and meet the needs of all
cultural groups within the class?
■ How do my beliefs about my
students' cultural differences
influence my behaviors in the
classroom and how do these
behaviors impact student
achievement?
To support decreasing the
academic achievement disparity
among our student populations,
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Principal Leadership - April 2015