The Highly Effective Teacher’s Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap

1. The Highly Effective Teacher’s Guide to Closing the Achievement Gap facilitated by: Maggie Austin & Doug Rowe

2. Outcomes: • Participants will gain an awareness and appreciation of the principles of Teaching as Leadership. • Participants will consider using these resources to enhance their professional growth.

3. The goal of Dakota ASSETS is to recruit, prepare, certify, and retain highly qualified candidates to fill teaching shortages in South Dakota high-need schools. This program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and is being implemented by TIE via partnerships with the following entities: Sinte Gleska University Oglala Lakota College SD High Need Schools

4. Starting in the Fall of 2004, Teach For America has placed teachers in South Dakota in Todd County, Crazy Horse, Little Wound, American Horse, and Saint Francis. Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in low-income communities and become life-long leaders for expanding educational opportunity.

5. Over the past decade, Teach For America has identified teachers whose students have achieved significant academic gains in highly challenging contexts – progress well beyond what would have been expected in a single year. Solid academic gains Significant academic gains Limited academic gains Dramatic academic gains & impact Teacher effectiveness is based on the academic growth of their students

6. WHAT DISTINGUISHES HIGHLY EFFECTIVE TEACHERS? • Researchers used an array of iterative quantitative and qualitative studies: • Observations & debriefs • Co-investigative reflective sessions • Teacher surveys • Teacher interviews • Videos • Samples of classroom visuals • Review of lesson plans and other materials Dramatic academic gains Significant academic gains 6

8. http://www.teachingasleadership.org

9. Highly Effective Teachers Employ Six Fundamental Principles, Collectively Labeled Teaching As Leadership. Six fundamental principles Twenty-eight specific teacher actions

10. 80% of my students will master 80% of the math standards for this grade level. • Yes, it does represent a goal that is measureable and meaningful. • Yes, you agree that learning is more than success on district, state, or national tests. But they do help teachers determine where their students are at the beginning of the year and how much progress they have made over the year. • However, this goal sets the expectation that it won’t be the case that all of what is presented in math will be successfully learned. • And it sets the expectation that some students are not going to be successful.

12. When I taught, my classroom rule was: “I would treat students fairly and in turn I expected to be treated fairly by them.” After reading this book, I would enhance my classroom rule. It always bothered me that students at this age were so cruel to each other, but yet …. Persistence Respect Empathy Example from page 136 Responsibility Integrity

13. Maggie:

15. Maggie:

16. Outcomes: • Participants will gain an awareness and appreciation of the principles of Teaching as Leadership. • Participants will consider using these resources to enhance their professional growth.

17. Questions? Contact Information: Maggie Austin: 605-394-1876 maggie@tie.net Doug Rowe: 605-394-1876 drowe@tie.net Note: This presentation has been made available at: http://conference2010.tie2.wikispaces.net