1. Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D. New York University
Equity and Deeper Learning: Making high standards and powerful learning opportunities available to All Students
Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D.
New York University 1

2. Pervasive inequality makes the pursuit of equity difficult, but essential
Equity is:
Addressing the needs of all students - Academic and social
Compensating for disadvantages
Recognizing that children learn in different ways and at different paces
Staying focused on outcomes – academic and developmental

3. Child and Family Poverty in the U.S.
DeNavas-Walt, C., Proctor, B. D., & Smith, J. C. (2010). Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports, P60-238,.Washington, DC.: U.S. Government Printing Office. Available at: *

4. The Failure of Policy
NCLB moved us forward by requiring schools to produce evidence of learning, but:
Ignored standards related to the conditions required for learning
Provided insufficient guidance on how to expand learning opportunities
Narrowed focus of curriculum
Relied on pressure as strategy to improve schools
Largely ignored the non-academic needs of children

5. Impact of test-based accountability on teaching and learning
Led to more scripted teaching aligned to “packaged” curricula
Greater emphasis placed on low level “testable” skills, rather than higher order thinking in low-income schools
Limited opportunities for “deeper learning”.
Distorted the use of testing - used to measure and monitor achievement, rather than to improve teaching and learning
Overlooked importance of delivering high quality instruction, particularly for vulnerable groups

6. Under the right conditions, Poor children are capable of learning and excelling, but…
When conditions associated with poverty (e.g. poor nutrition, exposure to violence, family and housing instability, etc.) are ignored, it significantly reduces the likelihood of educational success.

7. A framework for pursuing equity
Child Development – a holistic approach to learning (social and emotional factors) and the need for differentiation
Neuroscience – elasticity of brain requires the use of strategies to promote cognitive development and mitigate harmful factors in the environment
Understanding and responding to the way students are affected by:
Family
Peers
Community
Society

8. Toxic stress impacts learning
Children exposed to higher levels of poverty for longer periods of time have greater difficulty with
Attention
Working memory
Inhibitory control
Increasing evidence for the “toxic stress” hypothesis –
Stressors associated with poverty increase wear and tear on cardiovascular and HPA axis- > hypothesized to be “biomediator” of impact on brain development and function

9. Trauma exposure in military vs. urban Detroit
Type
Ohio National Guard
DETROIT
Combat
46.5% (n = 1151)
10.9% (n = 146)
Fire/explosion
31.9% (n = 790) --
Rape/sexual assault
10.1% (n = 251)
19.1% (n = 256)
Shot or stabbed
8.3% (n = 205)
15.7% (n = 210)
Held captive
0.6% (n = 15)
6.1% (n = 82)
Mugged/badly beaten/ threatened w/ a weapon
38.2% (n = 946)
38.4% (n = 515)
Transportation accident
30.1% (n = 744)
31.0% (n = 416)
Other accident
18.4% (n = 456)
17.1% (n = 229)
Natural disaster
17.5% (n = 433)
21.5% (n = 288)
Sudden unexpected death
70.6% (n = 1747)
79.5% (n = 1068)
Caused injury/death
12.4% (n = 307)
Witnessed death/human suffering
54.0% (n = 1337)
36.2% (n = 486)
Learned of other’s illness/injury
76.3% (n = 1889)
73.6% (n = 988)
Karestan Koenen in collaboration with Kate Walsh

10. Students experiencing higher exposure to crime had more difficulty with attention and impulsive behavior.
Children who were more anxious/sad were especially vulnerable.
The overlap
As you can see, there is pretty good overlap between children’s residential address and the locations of these crimes, which will allow us in the present study to capitalize on the randomness of the relative timing of the assessment and exposure to better understand the causal relationship between recent, proximal exposure and child cognitive functioning.

11. Five Essential Ingredients for school improvement
- A coherent instructional guidance system
- Ongoing development of the professional capacity of staff
- Strong parent-community-school ties – to mitigate effects of poverty
- A student-centered learning culture/climate
- Shared leadership to drive change

12. Expand access to high standards and high quality learning opportunities
Language Arts - The Common Core State Standards create a staircase of increasing text complexity. Students are expected to both develop their skills and apply them to more complex texts. The standards require students to systematically acquire knowledge in literature and other disciplines through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. English teachers will still teach their students the literature and literary nonfiction texts that they choose. However, because college and career readiness overwhelmingly focuses on complex texts outside of literature, the standards also ensure that students are being prepared to read, write, and research across the curriculum, including in history and science. See: Common Core, Culture and Argumentation in the Disciplines by Carol Lee

13. Adams scholarship winners 2014 Brockton HS

15. Math standards
The standards are designed to support a student's ability to learn and apply more demanding math concepts and procedures. The middle school and high school standards call on students to practice applying mathematical ways of thinking to real-world issues and challenges. In particular, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and critical-thinking skills are interwoven into the standards.

16. Students in control of learning at Hollenbeck Middle School, LA

17. English language learners and students with learning disabilities
In order for ELLs and students with disabilities to meet high academic standards they must acquire conceptual and procedural knowledge and skills in mathematics, reading, writing, speaking and listening. For this to occur their instruction must include:
Supports services designed to meet their unique needs.
Fidelity in the implementation of the Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This must include annual goals aligned with grade- level academic standards.
Teachers and specialized instructional support personnel who are prepared and qualified to deliver high-quality, evidence-based, individualized instruction and support services.

18. Bronx Academy of Language and Technology

19. The standards will only lead to improvement if we focus on engagement
Behavioral Engagement
Preparation
Persistence
Instrumental Help-seeking
Cognitive Engagement
Deep Processing
Meta-cognition
Affective Engagement
Interest
Value

20. Utilize strategies that are effective at engaging students in learning
Active learning, interactive classroom, on-task learning
Draw on prior knowledge
Personalized learning plans
Inquiry-based pedagogical strategies
Simulations and experiential learning
Socratic seminars and debate
Project-based learning
Student leadership in the classroom
Public presentations of student work

21. Teachers focus on evidence of learning
Make expectations clear and standards explicit
Model and expose students to high quality work
Utilize diagnostic tools to check for understanding
Learn about their students interests in order to make lessons culturally relevant
Expect students to revise and resubmit work
Solicit feedback and questions from students
Analyze student work with a focus on evidence of competence and mastery, and with a willingness to reflect on efficacy of methods

22. Align the skills of teachers with the needs of students
Provide access to mentors and content area coaches – selected based upon a record of effectiveness and an ability to work well with colleagues
Provide time for observation and feedback – from veteran teachers and knowledgeable administrators
Provide time to plan and collaborate with colleagues and learn from student work
Don’t assign new teachers to teach the most challenging classes

23. Neuroscience and intervention
“Lure of neuroplasticity” - the rapid development in childhood of the neural substrate of EFs -> explosion in the number of products that claim to “train the brain” (Rabipour & Raz, 2013).
Efforts to improve children’s executive function:
Laboratory-based game-like computer-based training administered to individual children (Loosli,Buschkeuhl, Perrig, & Jaeggi, 2012; Mackey, Hill, Stone, & Bunge, 2011),
Clinically oriented training targeting children with difficulty (such as those children with ADHD) (Klingberg et al., 2005),
Interventions targeting children’s classroom, home environments (Diamond et al., 2007).
Recent advertisement for Webinar in Education Week:
“Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison believe new video games like Crystals of Kaydor and Tenacity can measure student learning in real time while literally rewiring kids' brains to help them pay better attention and improve their behavior.”

24. Utilize CSRP and other intervention programs to promote resilience
Communities and schools can make big difference by investing in universal preschool.
School leaders (and teachers, students) can actively capitalize on classic neuroscientific finding: The “social buffer” hypothesis –
The presence of supportive adult dramatically reduces
biological stress response as well as experience of anxiety for individuals facing major challenge or stressor

25. Need for a paradigm shift
Old Paradigm
Intelligence is innate
Job of schools is to measure intelligence and sort accordingly
Students expected to meet requirements of school, failure is normalized
Discipline used to weed out the “bad” kids
New Paradigm
Intelligence and ability are influenced by opportunity
It is the job of school to cultivate talent and resilience among students
Schools organized to meet student needs and resources are allocated based on need
Discipline used to reinforce pro-social values and norms

26. Strategies that support teaching and learning
Systems to facilitate school effectiveness
Diagnostic assessment
Early intervention procedures
Ongoing evaluation to insure quality control
On-site, ongoing professional development for teachers
Shared leadership
Cultural Changes:
Supportive relationships between teachers and students
Willingness among teachers to share ideas, curricula, materials
Peer culture where it is “cool to be smart”
Partnerships between school, community and parents

27. Undoing the effects of NCLB
Broaden and deepen the curriculum
Move away from scripted teaching and move toward greater teacher responsibility in curriculum development and lesson design
Ensure greater opportunities for “deeper learning”.
Use assessment to diagnose learning needs and to provide feedback on how to improve teaching and learning
Place priority on the development and implementation of high quality instruction of instruction, particularly for vulnerable groups

28. Community partners-Universities
A holistic vision of school capacity building to achieve equity in outcomes
Teaching and Learning
Extended Learning
Safety, mentors
Community partners-Universities
Family
engagement
Health and Nutrition