A tale of two pandemics: teachers' disproportionate views on student engagement in remote learning

PurposeThis study aims to use culturally responsive pedagogy as a model to examine teachers' views of the equity implications found within virtual instruction.Design/methodology/approachThe researchers used a descriptive methods design based on survey research employing both fixed (quantitative) and open response (qualitative) options to curate teachers' perceptions of their students' abilities to engage in online learning.FindingsTeachers articulated anxiety for student engagement based on access as well as concerns for student engagement and social emotional learning (SEL) connection. Data point to disparate views of students' abilities to engage in remote learning based on demographic markers. Teachers also noted their own limitations in providing engaging online instruction that was culturally responsive and included social emotional learning (SEL) learning.Originality/valueThis study provided a unique opportunity to explore teachers' perceptions of their students in online learning contexts as well as teachers' perceptions of their own abilities to support diverse students in remote learning. Teachers' responses indicated deficit views of their culturally and linguistically diverse students and signaled awareness of their own limitations in providing online instruction that was culturally responsive and student centered. Study findings point to a need to equip teachers with tools to mitigate systemic inequity in online contexts.

Using intervention methods to close the achievement gap in middle school mathematics

The achievement gap, or opportunity gap, in education is when one group of students outperforms another group of students in statistical category. For decades, these gaps been analyzed in an attempt to support students and close these differences in categorical scores. The primary purpose of this dissertation was to focus on closing the achievement gap on state mathematics assessment scores in order to increase overall mathematics proficiency levels. The implementation of different interventions in the classroom and around planning for student learning was the main strategy used to improve mathematics standardized test scores, specifically with traditionally underachieving subgroups. The main instrument used to determine growth and success of the intervention models was the Smarter Balanced Mathematics Assessment (SBAC), given yearly by the state of Delaware. The growth goal was in reference to overall proficiency levels, with an increase goal of 10% building wide. Ongoing assessments and data collection throughout the year of grades, attendance, Interim Assessment Blocks (IABs), and Common Formative Assessments (CFAs), were used to assess the need for interventions and the efficacy of these interventions. Ultimately, with COVID shutdowns, cancellations of state testing, and remote/hybrid learning, the goal of increasing the overall proficiency levels by 10% did not happen. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)