Making a difference for every child Addressing disproportionality

Making a difference for every child: Addressing disproportionality in all its forms Pedro A. Noguera, Ph. D. New York University

Distinguishing between symptoms and causes § Racial disparities are a symptoms of larger systemic problems § Troubling assumptions: Danger of locating problem in students § Unmet social needs - Truancy studies show concerns about safety, lack of transportation and work influence attendance § Resentment and lack of preparation to respond to demographic change § Underlying causes: Systemic failures in the ways schools respond to student needs, no advocates for equity § Normalization of failure - Must find ways to challenge beliefs about race and achievement

Typical areas of concern related to equity § § § Achievement patterns Special Education placements Discipline referrals English language learners Equity – Is about insuring that resources are allocated based upon need and that the opportunity to learn is met for all students § outcomes and results

Key questions: Asking the right questions is essential to developing effective responses § Achievement: § Who is teaching our most vulnerable students? § Are they well trained? Do they receive adequate support? § When do signs of trouble first appear? § Are there barriers that deny access to curriculum or school resources? § How should we target our interventions? § Examples: 9 th grade academy, placing strong reading teachers in 3 rd grade

Special Education § What is the profile of the students who are targeted for referrals? § What do we know from assessments about these students? § What will we do to insure that their identified needs are met? § Is there fidelity in the implementation of the IEP? § Are the teachers serving them trained/supported? § Who are the advocates for these children?

Discipline referrals § Which students are being referred? For what reasons? § What underlying factors may be influencing problematic behavior? § What interventions might be most effective at changing the behavior?

II. The Failure of Reform: Learning from our mistakes § Many school reforms have not been implemented with a clear focus on how they will solve the most pressing problems facing schools § Structural changes: Small learning communities § Most school reforms fail to address the culture of schools § Too top down - Not enough “buy-in” from staff § Insufficient evaluation § Must examine the way failure becomes normalized - So Much Reform, Why So Little Change - Charles Payne

Reducing disproportionality requires a change in how schools operate § Need for early intervention systems – § Minneapolis identifies 3 rd graders who are at risk of dropping out § Quality counseling and advising § Need for partnerships between schools and CBOs § Address non-academic needs – health and safety § Need to personalize the learning environment § Size matters - schools where students are known § Meet learning needs of students - EPGY

What We Know: Certain students are at greater risk of failing § Teen mothers § English language learners, recent immigrants (late arrivers) § Over-age middle school students § Under-prepared high school students - low literacy skills, low credits § Students with frequent absences § Bored and alienated students

III. What can be done to reduce racial disparities? § Improve teaching - Move away from excessive reliance on lecture and test prep § Interactive strategies - project-based learning, Socratic seminars, experiential learning, simulations, presentations § Make class time work time - reduce reliance on homework, teachers must look for evidence of learning § Deploy subject matter coaches to classrooms

Students in control of learning at Hollenbeck Middle School, LA

Don’t treat special education as a place, treat it as a way to meet student needs § When possible deploy special ed teachers to regular ed classrooms § Least restrictive environment § Must be time for collaborative planning § Insure that teachers and aides are well trained § Reinforce classroom-based interventions with specialists

Other strategies for reducing disparities § Make curriculum more relevant to the lives of students § Vocational education - career academies linked to private industry; marketable skills that don’t limit options - internships § Cultural relevance - build connections between what is learned and what is familiar to students § Show what is learned in school can help students to address real problems in their lives § Knowledge for empowerment

Strategies continued § Help students to develop concrete plans for the future early § Involve students in counseling about college early § Engage parents in advising § Build stronger ties between adults and students § Effective use of extracurricular activities § Develop small learning communities § Pro-active mentoring § Utilize every teacher as an advisor § Design systems to identify at-risk students and to intervene early § Target at-risk youth with mentors, jobs, and services § Utilize after-school and intensive summer school programs

PS 28 obtains highest gains in literacy and math in Brooklyn -2012

Keep in Mind § Changing school culture is the most important thing that can be done to keep students in school § Build community § Adopt rituals and practices that reinforce values and norms that promote achievement § Counter anti-intellectualism so that its “cool to be smart” § We may need to adopt alternative pathways to diplomas for students who cannot fit into traditional school structures and schedules § GED is an important option for some students § Districts should not be penalized if they allow students to stay in school past the age of 18