I and others have long believed that the achievement gap is largely a function of a gap in time on task. So I was initially annoyed by Noguera’s repetition in this Education Researcher article (
PDF) article of the same old studies from a generation ago placing so much blame for classroom disruptions on teachers’ misperceptions. But Noguera et al also cited newer, more balanced research in their writing, which asks if "the achievement gap and the discipline gap" are "two sides of the same coin?" Maybe we are all saying the same thing, and I’m like most teachers in being sensitive on this issue.
In particular, Noguera's conclusion was excellent, especially the statements that "unfortunately, the discourse on racial and ethnic disproportionality (in assessing discipline) seems to be constrained by simplistic dichotomies," and "little is known about the efficacy or effectiveness of possible ‘gap-reducing’ interventions."
I intially recoiled at the AERA’s description of "
an ecological approach" which "deals with school discipline by increasing the strength and the quality of classroom activities." Blaming a complex phenomenon on one factor
Schools are so convenient. I'd forgotten that this (in)famous 1996 Times magazine cover story started out with a schoolhouse anecdote: "AS THEY PUT ON PLASTIC
If Secretary Duncan wants moderates in teachers unions to persuade the rank-in-file to make compromises on seniority and using student growth data in evaluations, he should
embrace Governor Crist’s veto of Florida’s "reform" legislation. The concessions that Duncan seeks are possible only when built on the rock of tenure.
