Mind The Gap

A Research Blog About Educational Disparities

Tag: Teacher Quality

What Do Teachers Do?

April 28, 2019 /

Do we need better teachers?

The answer is absolutely, yes!

The central role of teachers has a direct correlation to student achievement. While other factors such as, families, summer programs and communities are obviously very important factors in a student’s development, it is the school and particularly the teachers and administrators that are given the public responsibility for the education of the children. There is a general consensus that improving the effectiveness of teachers is the key to narrowing the achievement gap. Continue reading

The Importance of Principals

March 14, 2019 /

It is a well-established fact that teacher quality is the biggest school-level factor related to the success or failure of students and thus, the achievement gap between students. A 2006 study in Los Angeles, CA found that when students were taught by the top 25% of the most effective teachers, the students advanced approximately five percentile points each year compared with their peers. Those taught by teachers in the bottom quartile of effectiveness, lose, on average, five percentile points, compared with their peers. However, having access to quality teachers would not be possible without a skilled and dedicated principal.  Continue reading

Alma Del Mar Charter School – Is The Achievement Gap Narrowing?

March 1, 2019 /

Since the release of the Coleman Report in the 1970s, the achievement gap in the United States has been a central topic of discussion. Education policymakers and people in the education sphere have been examining the primary causes for the disparities among certain students, as well as the most effective solutions to resolve these vast inequities. The following post will take a closer look at Alma Del Mar Charter School in New Bedford, Massachusetts. It will look at the culture-changing charter school model and the active efforts made within Alma Del Mar to address inequities, as well as analyze test score data from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Continue reading

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