This writing sample is from my MLS thesis project. It is an example of my ability to research, conduct a literature review, and write it effectively. It was written in 2015, so please keep that in mind when noticing the resource dates.
Literature Review
Transforming High-Poverty Schools
There is a great deal of information about closing the achievement gap in high-poverty schools. According to Reeves (2003) “The term ‘90/90/90’ was originally coined by him in 1995, based on observations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where schools had been identified with the following characteristics: 90% or more of the students were eligible for free and reduced lunch, 90% or more of the students were members of ethnic minority groups, and 90% or more of the students met the district or state academic standards in reading or another area” (p.1). Since that time, it has become the goal of virtually every low-performing, high-poverty school to become a 90/90/90 school. Chenowith (2009) spent five years visiting high-poverty, high-minority schools that had demonstrated success through their student achievement data (p. 16). There are also myriad additional case studies and research studies that investigate ways to transform low-performing, high-poverty schools, or study schools that have already done so. Further, although different studies may use slightly different words or list key factors in a different order, the vast majority of successfully transformed schools use the same basic strategies: teacher collaboration; knowledge of the curriculum; frequent assessments to check student learning; data-driven instruction; personal relationship-building (Balfanz 2013; Chenowith, 2009; Claxton, et. al., 2012; Griffin, 2013; Reeves, 2003).
Teacher Collaboration & Knowledge of the Curriculum
Since teachers are responsible for aligning their lessons with state standards and curriculum, knowledge of the curriculum often goes hand-in-hand with teacher collaboration. Billman (2004) points out the importance of time for teachers to plan at grade-level, school-level, and district-level so they can set grade-level goals and benchmarks, and ensure they are aligned with state standards (p.16). Teacher collaboration is an important part of effective teaching; Hopson and Lee (2011) tell us that students perform better in schools where the staff collaborates and shares a common mission. Additionally, according to the Center for Public Education (2005), “several researchers identified collaboration and teamwork among school staff as a feature typical of high-performing schools” (p.4). They go on to say that regular communication, teamwork, and collaboration across subjects and grade levels is common for teachers in successful schools, as they address barriers to learning and helping students meet specific standards.
Another component of successful teacher collaboration is the development of common assessments, to ensure every student at each grade level is assessed the same way. Collaboration is not about all teachers teaching the same way, but ensuring that teachers are teaching the same material at the same pace. (Claxton, et. al, 2012). Collaboration also allows teachers to share ideas and resources, to learn from each other, and brainstorm new ideas together. Further, it allows teachers to reflect on the effectiveness of the lessons they have already taught (Chittooran & Chittooran, 2010; Chenoweth, 2009; Claxton, et. al., 2012).
Frequent Assessments and Data-Driven Instruction
As mentioned earlier, creating assessments and analyzing student data is actually an important part of teacher collaboration. Formative assessments help teachers see what the students know and what needs to be taught or retaught. Thus, the data drives day-to-day instruction; teachers are able to teach information that is targeted specifically to students’ needs. Claxton, et., al. (2012) also point out the importance of common assessments for determining student knowledge accurately across grade levels. When teachers create and use common assessments, they are able to analyze and discuss the resulting data for all students, not just their own. This leads to more effective lesson planning and targeted instruction for all students.
Assessing frequently alerts teachers to problems with student understanding before getting to the end of the unit or grading period (Balfanz, 2013; Billman, 2004; Center for Public Education, 2005; Chenoweth, 2009). According to Reeves (2003), another important component of frequent assessment is giving students multiple opportunities to learn and improve their performance. “In a classroom assessment scenario in which there are multiple opportunities to improve, the consequence for poor performance is not a bad grade and discouragement, but more work, improved performance, and respect for teacher feedback” (p.4) In 90/90/90 schools, if student performance is less than proficient, the information is retaught so students have the opportunity to master it before moving on to a new unit.
Personal Relationship-Building
Most studies agree that teacher relationships with students that are built on mutual trust and respect are absolutely necessary for student success. “Responsive teaching begins with the promotion of teacher-student relationships grounded in care and connectedness” (Kiefer et. al., 2014, p.2). A safe, caring environment is especially important for children living in poverty, and teacher support is a vital component in student motivation in high-poverty middle and high schools (Center for Public Education, 2005; Chittooran & Chittooran, 2010; Griffin, 2013; Kiefer et. al., 2014). “Middle and high school students who report receiving support from teachers are engaged in school and avoid problem behaviors, such as truancy, arguing with teachers, and fighting with students” (Hopson & Lee, 2011, p. 2222). According to Kiefer, et. al., (2014), one reason adolescents and teens may be motivated to learn is teacher care, especially students in high-needs, urban schools. Additionally, Olivares-Cuhat (2013) notes that the learning styles of at-risk African-American and Hispanic students are more likely to be people-oriented, in that they seek a personal interaction with the teacher.
Within this caring and nurturing environment, teachers and administrators need to foster a culture of high expectations for students. Students, in turn, learn to have high expectations of themselves. This is especially important for students in high-poverty schools. Teachers need to establish clear standards for success and explicitly state learning goals to students (Center for Public Education, 2005; Claxton, et. al.; Griffin, 2013; Kiefer, et. al., 2014; Parker, 2014). Finally, in order to make sure all students are able to achieve rigorous standards and goals set for them, schools and teachers may need to offer extra support to help students overcome the barriers of poverty. This support might be extra time before or after school to help students who are struggling in foundational skills, additional time to complete assignments, or finding solutions to other situations that impede a student’s ability to learn (Balfanz, 2013; Griffin, 2013; Haycock, 2009).
Conclusions
There is obviously a great deal of research aimed at improving academic performance in high-poverty schools. Fortunately, through all the years of research, clear patterns have emerged that point to specific strategies for teachers and administrators to use. For this project, teacher collaboration and knowledge of the curriculum may seem to be the most important strategies as the media coordinator leads the classroom teachers through the collaborative planning process. However, data-driven instruction also needs to be utilized as the media coordinator and teachers decide what and how to teach students about the research process. Surveys or pre-tests can help teachers understand how much students already know before they begin planning their unit. Additionally, frequent assessment for this project could be in the form of teacher conferences at different stages of student work as they research and write their papers. This would allow teachers to give feedback to students before they get so far off track that they get frustrated and/or quit. Finally, although student-teacher relationships are already very important at this school, even this could be expanded by offering students an extra boost of support at school to accomplish their projects.
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