Wow Ms. Satchell, I love your question!
So often I think preschool teachers & other early childhood educators avoid thinking about the achievement gap in the direct context of our classrooms. That would mean we are thinking about racial, ethnic, cultural & SES differences between our families, and early childhood educators are supposed to be non-biased and judgement free, right? So it can be an unspoken, "no go" zone. But the biases exist, & taking an old school, "color-blind" approach often translates into ignoring important differences that shape growing families, and presenting a classroom culture that assumes "whiteness" in many quiet but impactful ways.
Addressing it can be incredibly uncomfortable. One way that I try and create a real, multicultural classroom culture is by inviting family culture into the classroom. Different people have different sensitivities about sharing their family culture, but I find that sharing family stories can be a good door opener, rather than direct questions at first.
Embracing dual language families is also a cornerstone. Trying to post alphabets and written words, as well as making sure that your book shelves include books in many world languages is a great signal that your class embraces multilingualism. Making sure areas of interest reflect many family cultures is important too, from picture books, to baby dolls, dress up clothes, and dramatic play items, like foods from many cultures, these are all ways to give all family cultures a respected place in our classrooms.
Creating wall displays and class books that include photos of families at home is very helpful, and leads to wonderful discussions. Openly and respectfully sharing about the different foods we bring to lunch, colors of hair eyes and skin, different accents and languages- these topics will come up, listening to questions without censorship and helping children learn appropriate, respectful & kind ways to talk about differences through modeling is critical. Not talking about our differences can unintentionally lead to feelings of shame.
choosing books, songs, art projects and other classroom activities from many cultures is also important- if you have a diverse classroom, including activities from family cultures can be very fun & enriching- this should happen at all the times of the year, but celebrating with a school wide multicultural day or week event can be a great kick off to set the tone!
As a teacher, I think actively working against unintentional bias is also critical - I try to notice if I react to behaviors from some children that I ignore in others, and actively correct it. In general, I think looking for times to compliment each child on quiet, thoughtful moments, sharing, following rules, exuberant behavior, interesting ideas and athletic ability is more helpful than trying to treat every one equally- looking to catch a child you feel is rambunctious in a quiet moment for a compliment helps challenge our assumptions and labels, as does watching for outgoing moments from children we feel are shy or quiet.
It it is also really important to have open communication with parents & caregivers. Rather than assuming we know all we need to know, asking questions and just listening to families is so important!
As a family resource that can help create an equal playing field of books, compute exposure and other resources, I love the public library! I actually bring some library books into the classroom to share with children & families. Walking field trips to a nearby library are ideal, but often impractical or impossible for many schools. However, being familiar with the closest public library and sharing information about upcoming events and library resources can help bring new experiences and support to families. This is also true of connecting with neighborhood community centers or other resource centers helpful to families.
i am excited to learn about other ways NAEYC members actively address the achievement gap, as this is a critical, and pervasive problem we all need to address.
thanks for starting the conversation.
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Margro Purple
Rockville MD
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-21-2019 07:28 PM
From: Tonya Satchell
Subject: Achievement Gap
Poverty, trauma, lack of resources, bias, institutional racism are just some of the potential factors that impact student success and lead to achievement gaps. What are your "go to" tools and resources for understanding and addressing the achievement gap?
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Tonya Satchell
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