Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices
It's no secret that students attending urban schools in the United States do not fare as well on measures of achievement as their rural and suburban counterparts. According to Belinda Williams and her coauthors, this gap is largely due to a little acknowledged fact: poor and minority students bring culturally distinct values and beliefs to the classroom that are often incompatible with the biases inherent in the curriculum, assessment measures, and teachers themselves. This second edition of...
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In nine articles about the disparities in achievement between urban and rural/suburban schools, contributors examine the cultural differences between students and teachers and the steps educators need to take to bridge the gap. Topics include cultural differences in the perception of achievement of the individual, ways to respect those differences while creating opportunities to learn, and the role of teacher training in achieving schools that work for all concerned. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Introduction1Ch. 1What Else Do We Need to Know and Do?13Ch. 2The Continuing Challenges of Excellence and Equity25Ch. 3Direct Vocabulary Instruction: An Idea Whose Time Has Come48Ch. 4Cultural Values in Learning and Education67Ch. 5Pedagogy, Knowledge, and Teacher Preparation99Ch. 6Turnaround Teachers and Schools115Ch. 7Implementing Opportunity-to-Learn Assessment Strategies and Standards138Ch. 8Schools That Work for Teachers and Students154Ch. 9Reframing the Reform Agenda178Index197About the Authors203Related Resources208
