Title: What Makes a Teacher Outstanding?: A Contrast of Teachers' and African American High School Students' Perspectives
Abstract: This study contrasted the perspectives of 101 K–12 public school teachers and 271 African American high school seniors regarding the characteristics of outstanding teachers. Data from surveys were analyzed using univariate and bivariate statistics. The results revealed six qualities that both teachers and students agree are characteristics of outstanding teachers. Significant differences also emerged among the perspectives of African American students, teachers of color, and White teachers regarding the effective characteristics of teachers.The study underscored the need to identify outstanding teacher characteristics in order to improve teacher quality and narrow the achievement gap. The primary goal of the national education reform venture, “The No Child Left Behind Act,” (NCLB) is to close the achievement gap to ensure that all students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, achieve academic proficiency (U.S. Department of Education, 2001). One of the major changes the reform effort addresses is the need to “strengthen teacher quality” so that every public school classroom will have highly-qualified teachers. Research indicates that outstanding teachers play a significant role in closing the achievement gap in student achievement, particularly for African American students (Hale, 2001; Perry, Steele, & Hillard, 2003; Thompson, 2002, 2003, 2004). Therefore, it is imperative to ascertain whether or not teachers and students—particularly high school students who have historically been marginalized and whose opinions have not been sought—are perceiving outstanding teaching in the same manner.
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 10
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