2007 Agendas and Packets - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

to become more responsi�e to diversity, Far teachers, this means examining pedagogy and curriculum, as well as expectations and interaction patterns with students. It means looking honestly at outcome data and creating new strategies designed to serve the students wham current instruction is not reaching. For school leaders, this often means facing the limits of their own knowledge and skills and becoming colearr�ers with teachers to find ways to transform classroom practices. In Loudoun County Public Schoois, outside Washington, D.C., teachers and school leaders are taking this worlc seriously. O�e of the fastest-growing school systems in the United States, Loudoun County is experiencing rapid increases in racial, cuEtural, {inguistic, and economic diversity on its eastert� edge, closer to the city, while remaining more monoculturai to the west. Six of Loucfoun's most diverse schools have formed leadership teams to promote the folfowing essential elements of culturally responsive teaching (CRT): •�orming authentic and caring relationships with students. • Using curriculum that honors each student's culture and life experience. • Shifting instruckional strategies to meet the diverse learning needs of students. • Communicating respect for each student's intelligence. + Holding consistent and high expectations for a!I learners. (Gay, 2000; Ladson-Billings, 1994; McKiniey, 2005; Shade, !Celly, & Oberg, 1997) CRT teams vary in size and membership but usually include principaEs, assistant principals, counselors, lead teachers, specialists, and, in some cases, parents. In addition to e�gaging deepiy in the phases outlined above, these teams have begun to work with their broader school faculties to transform instruction. At Loudoun County's Sugarland �lementary, teacher members of the CRT team have designed student-based action research projects. They selected individual students from their most academically challenged demographic groups and then used the principles of CRT to plan new interventions to engage these students and track their progress. In one action researth project, a 5th grade teacher focused on a Latino stuclent, an English {anguage learner who "couldn't put two sentences together, let alone write the five-paragraph essay that is required to pass our 5th grade assessment." The teacher's first reaction was to ask, "I-iow was this student allowed to slip by all these years without learning anything beyond 2nd grade writing skills?" When the teacher launched her CRT project, however, her perspective became more proactive. She realized that she cauldn't just deliver the 5th grade curriculum—she had to meet this student where he was. She built a personal connection with the student, learned about his family culture and interests (a fascination with monkeys was a ma3ar access point), and used this reEationship to reinforce his academic development. The student responded to her high expectations and passed his 5th grade writing assessment. And after missing its No Child Left Behind comp�iance goals in past years, Sugarland recently achieved adequate yearly progress for all subgroups in its highly diverse student population. This phase requires a crucial paradigm shift, in which teachers and other school professionals stop blaming students and their families for gaps in academic achievement. Instead of pointing fingers, educators in Loudoun schaols are placing their energies where they will have the most impact—in changing their own attitudes, beiiefs, expectations, and practices. I frequently ask teachers and school leaders, '�Of all the many factors that determine schoo! success for aur students, where can we as educators have the most influence?" After educators participate in the work outlined here, the answer is always, "Changing ourselves." Phase 5: Engaging the Entire School Community Changing demagraphics have prafound implications for all levels and functions of the school