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Phase IV: Research on
Teachers
Scholarship - Phase IV
While my first book on oppositional culture and the second book on the role of parents in education are complete, my third book project, which focuses on the role of teachers in schools, is still in the early stages of development. Researchers in sociology and education have identified three main characteristics of teachers thought to be important for improving achievement among students: instructor traits, certifications, and methods of classroom instruction. However, there remains a significant gap in our knowledge as to how important these characteristics are for the achievement of certain groups of students. A more general question is to what extent instructor characteristics moderate achievement differences among the poorest students and their classmates. Most people concerned with education believe that instructors matter in ways that diminish disparities through effective classroom instruction. But this belief recognizes that certain characteristics could exacerbate the gap over a given school year.The aim of this book is to improve our understanding of which aspects of teacher performance are both helpful and harmful to the poorest students in our educational system as not all classroom instruction is created equal. Once again, I am collaborating with Keith Robinson on this project.
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