Flash player is required to view weather conditions. Download

site web  

Area school districts are starting to recognize that cultural differences play a big part in how students learn and behave in the classroom.

That's why many districts are adapting their teaching methods to better relate to minority students and reduce the disparity between black and white students in scholastic achievement and discipline.

Black students score lower on tests and are still more likely than white students to be disciplined in the classroom, according to statistics from the Ohio Department of Education.

In Middletown, during the 2005-06 school year, black students were twice as likely to be disciplined, a Journal analysis of discipline data showed. At the same time, white students passed the Ohio Graduation Test at a higher rate than black students.

Many scholars, educators and

parents say this "achievement gap" exists because most school instruction is not geared toward black students. When students can't relate to their teachers and lessons, they tend to have lower grades and get in trouble more often, experts say.

"The major reason is the cultural disconnect," said Raymond Terrell, assistant dean at Miami University College of Education. "Teachers are failing to understand the culture the kids bring to the school house setting, and students do not understand the culture of the school house."

Middletown has a black student population of 17 percent, but only 6 percent of the district's teachers are black. Experts say a lack of diversity makes it hard for black and other minority students to relate to their teachers and classes.

Despite the low number of minority teachers, Middletown still has one of the most diverse staffs in Warren and Butler counties.

White-dominated curriculum

Derrick Moore, a Middletown High School senior, said most lessons are geared toward white students.

"We don't learn a lot about black history or culture," Moore said. "We get one month, and we hear about it in the announcements in the morning and that's it. We learn about wars and white men. If we want to learn about black history, we have to do it at home."

Terrell says incorporating more black culture into the curriculum would lead to more equity in black and white student's test scores.

"If you make it relevant to the culture and lives of the students, then the kids can connect with it," he said.

Michael Dantley, assistant dean for academic affairs at Miami University's College of Education, said a lot of the same cultural indifference causes discipline rates to be higher among black students.

"Sometimes what seems like misbehavior can be misconstrued," Dantley said. "There's a certain amount of bravado and machismo that comes across from African American men that intimidates some people. Basically, nine times out of 10, it's an act. There's just no understanding of the culture."

Elicia Smith, a junior, said many students feel they have to act a certain way in school to get respect.

"A lot of times, it's about ego and pride," Smith said. "(Teachers) don't know what you've been through and what you have to deal with when you go home."

Dantley, the Miami University assistant dean, says black youth culture and peer pressure add to the problems black students already face.

"I think the media plays a role perpetuating the notion that one can get ahead without doing well in school," Dantley said. "It's more of a communal problem. I think laying it all at the door step of teachers is too simplistic.

"There is a whole culture out there that has a type of hopelessness. Students begin to internalize that message," he said.

Tylor Amos, a senior at Middletown High School, says students often feel they need to fit in with other kids from the neighborhood.

Teachers teach students, not subjects

If teachers had a better idea of their students' backgrounds, they would teach more effectively, Dantley said.

"Teachers teach students, not subjects," he said. "Otherwise you're just pouring content into empty vessels. Educational instruction (from kindergarten through college) needs to change."

Cheryl Owens, assistant principal at Middletown High and a former teacher in Dayton Public Schools, said teachers need to learn to reach out to black students to close the achievement gap.

"We've got to be responsive," Owens said. "That's the key. We need to have a culturally responsive curriculum so every student can learn. It has to be a holistic approach to education."

Ellen Hill, who's in charge of the student teaching program at Miami University, said graduation requirements are changing to ensure students get more exposure to different cultures.

"It is something we are very aware of and working on," Hill said.

Education students are now required to work in a variety of districts while earning their degrees to help develop better cultural awareness.

Students now spend time in urban, rural and suburban districts, Hill said.

"Many (education) students have not had experience in those settings," she said.

Susan Combs, Middletown student services director, said teachers and administrators recognize more culturally sensitive classroom instruction will help close the achievement gap. They are working to help teachers change instruction so it's better understood by every students.

About three years ago, the district began developing programs to create "culturally responsible classrooms," she said.

"Systematically, our focus is on changing the learning culture and teaching practices to identify and develop strategies that effectively meet the needs of all our students," Combs said.

Those programs include professional development for teachers, tutoring and mentoring students, developing new lessons plans and getting parents more involved in the educational process.

District officials hope those efforts will make school more appealing to students and reduce discipline problems, Combs said.

"The bottom line is developing relationships and connections with kids," she said.

School officials also are working to hire more black teachers so the staff will better represent the student population, Combs said.

"I certainly think that would be wonderful and part of our efforts is to recruit more minority teachers," she said. "We share that same goal with just about every district in the state and probably the whole U.S. Candidates are heavily recruited."

Middletown is seeing success with its efforts, but it is too early to know what programs are having the biggest impact, she said.

"We do see some improvement. Is it as big as we would like? No, certainly not," Combs said.

Parental involvement key

Sharonna Sinclair, who has three daughters in Middletown schools, said the district needs to be more proactive.

"I don't think they are doing a whole lot to close (the achievement gap). They do a lot of talking, but not a lot is getting done," Sinclair said.

In her experience, the district rarely follows through on programs that it starts, Sinclair said.

She would like to see teachers do more to connect with black students, which she believes is key to raising test scores and reducing discipline problems.

"A lot of kids are afraid to ask for help," she said. "They act out and wind up in trouble instead. We don't have a lot in the school system to identify with. I think doing a little extra would make a big difference."

Sinclair doesn't think it should just be up to teachers and school administrators. She wants to see parents get more involved. The whole community is responsible for increasing black student achievement, she said.

"I'm a firm believer, as a parent, you have to be involved," she said. "Anything a child does, if a parent supports it, they're going to be successful."

But Amos, the Middletown senior, says a lot of students don't have positive role models at home, making it difficult to get motivated to do well in school.

"It's a cycle," Amos said. "You can't stop it, and once you are in a hole, you just dig deeper and deeper."

Education experts also agree getting students to do better in school starts with parents at home.

Terrell, the Miami associate dean, said family life plays a big factor in the achievement gap. Teachers need to remember not all students have the support they need outside of school, he said.

"One question I always ask teachers, 'Are you teaching the kids you have now or teaching the kids you wish you had?'" Terrell said.

Contact this reporter at (513) 705-2845 or cmagan@coxohio.com.