scholarly journals Teachers' beliefs about ability to engage African-American students and identify for advanced placement through the lens of the Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Survey and the Rand Measure

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Eric C. Sr. Greely
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
African American ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Teacher Efficacy ◽  
Advanced Placement ◽  
African American Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
American Students ◽  
American Children ◽  
Advanced Placement Classes

A fundamental right of American children is to have equal opportunities to obtain a quality education regardless of race, class, or economic status. College graduates are less likely to live in poverty and more likely to have greater earning potential. High school students enrolling in rigorous coursework, like Advanced Placement classes, are better prepared for college. Using the instruments of the Ohio Teacher Efficacy Survey and the Rand Measure, this study found that having a rigorous curriculum and avoiding deficit thinking matters in recommending African-American students' to Advanced Placement classes. Race and ethnicity should not be used as a limitation. Educators must recognize the diversity that each student contributes to the classroom. Additionally, this research revealed that what high school teachers believe about their students' capabilities does influence the success of the students. Teachers who teach Advanced Placement courses have to believe all students can learn, regardless of condition, status, race or economic opportunities.

Depression and Suicidal Ideation in African-American and Hispanic American High School Students

1992 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 618-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lester ◽  
Denise Anderson
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
African American ◽  
High School Students ◽  
New Jersey ◽  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
African American Students ◽  
Hispanic American ◽  
Hispanic American Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
American Students

21 Hispanic American students in an urban New Jersey high school obtained higher depression and suicidal ideation scores than 42 African-American students.

How Teachers and Schools Contribute to Racial Differences in the Realization of Academic Potential

2012 ◽  
Vol 114 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Wildhagen
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
White Students ◽  
African American Students ◽  
School Level ◽  
Racial Gap ◽  
American Students ◽  
Academic Potential

Background/Context The fulfillment of academic potential is an underdeveloped area of inquiry as it relates to explaining racial differences in academic outcomes. Examining this issue is important for addressing not only differences in the typical outcomes for African American and White students but also the severe underrepresentation of African American students among the highest achieving students. Whereas other studies have operationalized lost academic potential as unfulfilled expectations for educational attainment, this study takes a different approach, measuring whether students earn higher or lower grades than the grades predicted by earlier tests of academic skills. Students whose grades are equal to or exceed those predicted by their earlier test scores are said to have fulfilled their academic potential, whereas those whose grades are lower than predicted have not realized their potential. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study This study finds that African American high school students are less likely than their White peers to realize their academic potential. The analyses test several explanations for the racial gap in the realization of academic potential, focusing on the students themselves, their teachers, and their schools. Research Design This study uses hierarchical linear modeling to analyze data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. Conclusions/Recommendations The results suggest that teachers perceive African American students as exerting less classroom effort than White students, which accounts for a substantial proportion of the racial gap in unrealized academic potential, even with several student characteristics held constant. At the school level, there are larger racial gaps in unrealized academic potential in segregated schools and schools with strict disciplinary climates. Strikingly, the negative effect of strict disciplinary climate exists net of students’ own receipt of disciplinary actions. That is, the negative association between strict disciplinary climate and the realization of academic potential for African American students applies to African American students regardless of whether they themselves have been in trouble at school. This study reveals that characteristics of schools that lack immediately obvious racial implications, such as a school's approach to student discipline, may be just as harmful as overtly racialized inequality within and between schools.

Making Science Homework Work: The Perspectives of Exemplary African American Science Teachers

2012 ◽  
Vol 114 (7) ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Jianzhong Xu ◽  
Linda T. Coats ◽  
Mary L. Davidson
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
African American ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Science Teachers ◽  
African American Students ◽  
School Students ◽  
African American Teachers ◽  
Persistent Problem ◽  
American Science ◽  
American Students

Background/Context Despite the best intentions to close the achievement gap, the under-achievement of African American students in science is a persistent problem. It is surprising to note, however, that research on science education has often failed to consider students’ cultural diversity as it relates to science education. On the few occasions when efforts were made to link science disciplines and students’ cultural backgrounds, these studies were largely limited to classroom learning environments. Purpose/Research Question This study examines the perspectives of exemplary African American teachers toward science homework. Specifically, we address two research questions: What does science homework mean to exemplary African American science teachers? How do they approach science homework? Research Design A qualitative study was conducted, with data obtained from the following sources: (a) three open-ended, in-depth interviews with each exemplary teacher during the first year of the study, and (b) two focus group interviews with these teachers during the second year of the study. The participants were 8 exemplary African American science teachers in Grades 3–6 in the southeastern United States. Findings/Results Data revealed that these teachers shared a strong sense of urgency to use homework as an important vehicle in science learning. To help their students be successful with their homework, these teachers often provided additional provisions and used a variety of strategies to promote students’ interest in their homework. In addition, the teachers adapted an approach comparable to both Boykin's Afrocultural ethos (e.g., concerned with affect, expressive individualism, and verve) and “being a warm demander” (i.e., setting high expectations and insisting firmly yet respectfully that students meet those expectations). Conclusions These findings suggest that there is merit in integrating these two frameworks to better understand the perspectives of exemplary African American teachers toward science homework. These findings highlight the need to examine the perspectives of exemplary African American teachers toward secondary school science homework given that the poor achievement of African American students becomes more pronounced as they progress through school, and homework is found to be more strongly associated with secondary school students than elementary school students.

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