Demographics and Destiny

1. Demographics and Destiny Joseph F. Johnson, Jr., Ph.D. National Center for Culturally Responsive Education Systems (NCCRESt) Conference February 17, 2006 Denver, CO

2. National Center for Urban School Transformation Dedicated to identifying, studying, and promoting the best practices of America’s highest achieving urban schools in a manner that supports urban districts in transforming teaching and learning http://edweb.sdsu.edu/ncust 1st Annual Symposium: May 5th & 6th in San Diego

3. Too Often, Demographics Define Destiny • A White 8th grader in the US is four times more likely to be proficient in mathematics than a Black 8th grader. • A 4th grader who does not qualify for free or reduced price lunch is 2 ½ times more likely to be proficient in reading than a child who meets income eligibility criteria. Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, “The Nation’s Report Card, 2005”.

4. Too Often, Demographics Define Destiny • A White 4th grader in the US is three times more likely to be proficient in math than a Latino 4th grader. • A Black student in the US is two times more likely to be labeled mentally retarded than a White student. Source: National Assessment of Educational Progress, “The Nation’s Report Card, 2005”. Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, 2004 Child Count

5. Too Often, Demographics Define Destiny • A Black student in the US is 2 ½ times more likely to drop out of school than an Asian student in the US.1 • A young person from a high-income family is more than 8 times more likely to graduate from college by age 26 than a young person from a low-income family.2 1. Source: Jay P. Greene and Greg Forster, “Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States,” Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, September 2003. 2. Source: Tom Mortenson, Research Seminar on Public Policy Analysis of Opportunity for Post Secondary, 1997.

6. But Sometimes, Patterns are Defied • 8thth grade Black students in Texas score higher on the NAEP writing exam than White students in six states. • 4th grade Latino students in Virginia score higher on the NAEP reading exam than White students in 17 states. • Rates of disproportionate placement in special education vary widely from state to state and district to district.

7. Some Schools Defy Demographics • Some schools demonstrate high achievement for all students. They evidence: • High proficiency rates for all groups • High graduation rates for all groups • High rates of access to challenging programs for all groups • Low rates of special education placement for all student groups • Low rates of suspension/expulsion for all groups

8. Many would attribute these successes to recent standards-based reforms, but, why are these examples of success still the exception and not the rule?

9. The Logic of Standards-Based Reform • Students from different groups are not being taught the same high standards. • So, create high standards that apply to all groups of students. • Align assessments and accountability systems to those standards. • Provide appropriate professional development. • And, achievement will rise and gaps will diminish.

10. The Problem: The logic of standards-based reform (as it is implemented currently in the United States) depends heavily on several huge assumptions.

11. 1. Educators will want to work hard to teach new content in new ways. • We assume educators will work hard to improve their teaching, in spite of concerns about issues such as safety, staff conflict, and poor facilities. • We assume federal and state accountability provisions will influence educator effort positively. • In high-performing schools and districts, leaders work diligently to address educator needs and inspire commitment to changing students’ lives.

12. 2. Students will want to work hard to learn new content. • We assume students will work hard in spite of their concerns about personal safety, lack of belonging, and general sense that they are not valued. • We assume students will work hard because of new consequences attached to low achievement. • In high-performing schools and districts, leaders help students dream new futures. They help students perceive that educators care deeply about each student’s personal success and well-being.

13. 3. Educators believe it is possible for their students to learn the standards. • We assume educators believe THEIR students can learn challenging standards, given good instruction. • In high-performing schools and districts, leaders use local data and data from similar schools to dispel myths about who cannot achieve challenging standards. Leaders take on disbelievers in a respectful, but forceful way. They celebrate little successes in ways that change expectations.

14. 4. Educators know the content well enough to teach the standards. • We assume educators have a deep understanding of the content in and around each standard. • In high-performing schools and districts, leaders stimulate frequent conversations about the content related to each standard. They find non-threatening ways to get teachers additional help when needed. Professional development is part of the culture of these schools.

15. 5. Educators know how to teach standards to diverse groups of students. • We assume educators know how to teach standards in ways that respond to the interests, strengths, and backgrounds of the diverse groups of students in their classrooms. • In high-performing schools and districts, there is regular collaboration focused upon instructional strategies that will respond to the diverse strengths and needs of students. Teachers are constantly learning from each other’s most effective practices.

16. 6. Educators know how to teach required standards in the allotted time. • We assume educators know how to teach everything the state deems important, to the level of skill expected, in 36 weeks. • In high-performing schools and districts, there is a deliberate effort to teach with greater depth and less breadth. As well, there are deliberate efforts to provide quality early learning opportunities and extra learning time, as needed.

17. 7. Educators know how to assess student progress and adjust instruction. • We assume educators know how to determine if students are learning standards. As well, we assume educators know how to adjust instruction when students are not learning well. • In high-performing schools and districts, systems provide educators interim information that is used to improve instruction. As well, teachers learn to seek evidence of understanding as they provide instruction.

18. 8. Educators know how to relate to and connect with parents/community. • We assume educators know how to relate to and connect with diverse parent/community groups in ways that create great synergy between home and school. • In high-performing schools and districts, leaders work to build trust and positive relationships with parents and community groups.

19. 9. Leaders know how to help teachers learn to teach standards to all students. • We assume school leaders know how to be instructional leaders, how to influence instruction, and how to help teachers improve instruction for diverse groups of students. • In high-performing schools and districts, leaders spend large percentages of time in classrooms, working on instructional issues. As well, they invest time in developing their own instructional strengths.

20. 10. Leaders know how to monitor progress and adapt programs and practices. • We assume school leaders know how to monitor the extent to which programs and practices are working to improve achievement for all groups of students. • In high-performing districts, leaders have support as they collect and use data to identify the merits and deficits of programs and practices.

21. It is not surprising that gaps have increased in some districts and states, because the schools with the greatest capacity to benefit from standards-based reforms are often the schools that serve the most advantaged students.

22. Our Erroneous Assumptions Must Become the Focus of Action • Federal and state policy makers must address erroneous assumptions in thoughtful, deliberate ways that respect the complexities of school improvement. • District leaders must address erroneous assumptions through systems and structures that make success less dependent on individual heroism and genius.

23. Our Erroneous Assumptions Must Become the Focus of Action • We must learn how to shape systems that build the capacity of schools to benefit from standards-based reform. In fact, if we want gaps to close, we must ensure that high-need schools have greater capacity to benefit than more affluent schools. • We must continue to identify and study the outliers: those schools and districts that prove that standards-based reform can work.