Leadership magazine Sept/Oct 2015 V45 No 1 | Page 17

practices clear and fair and providing ample
feedback; and providing students with opportunities to exercise autonomy and choice
in their academic work. A culturally proficient principal supports teachers as they
implement such practices.

Hall, E. (1976). Beyond Culture. New York,
New York: Anchor Books.
Hammond, Z. (2015). Culturally Responsive
Teaching & the Brain. Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE.
Lindsey, R.; Roberts, L.M. & Campbell

Common Core as a tool to narrow the
achievement gap

The Common Core’s emphasis

The increased rigor of the Common Core
can be daunting, and for a time, California
may see the achievement gap widen in some
districts. But if the state’s educators can embrace the new standards as well as a new way
of implementing them, the Common Core
can actually become a tool to narrow the
achievement gap in the long run.
The new standards give teachers flexibility to craft culturally responsive lessons that
will deeply engage students. Principals can
encourage teachers to take advantage of that
flexibility by using instructional materials
that are “windows and mirrors” for students
– i.e., texts that students see themselves in as
well as material that will give students insight into other cultures (Bishop, 1990).
In addition, the Common Core’s emphasis on critical reading of non-fiction could
give rise to lessons that incorporate local
news stories, with students analyzing, communicating about, and collaborating around
events in their communities. Such lessons
will help create reflective, engaged citizens
with strong skills and a better understanding of their own culture and the cultures of
others. n

on critical reading of non-fiction
could give rise to lessons that will
help create reflective, engaged
citizens with strong skills and a
better understanding of their own
culture and the cultures of others.
Jones, F. (2005). The culturally proficient
school: An implementation guide for school
leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press.
Moll, L.; Amanti, C.; Neff, D. & González,
N. (1992.) Funds of knowledge for teach-

ing: Using a qualitative approach to connect
homes and classrooms. Theory into Practice, 31(2).
National Research Council and the Institute
of Medicine. (2004). Engaging schools:
Fostering high school students’ motivation
to learn.
National School Reform Faculty. The Paseo
or Circles of Identity. www.nsrfharmony.
org/system/files/protocols/paseo.pdf.
Olneck, M.R. (1995). “Immigrants and
Education.” In J.A. Banks and C.A.M.
Banks (Eds.), Handbook of Research on
Multicultural Education. New York:
Macmillan.
Thomson, P. (2002). Schooling the Rustbelt
Kids: Making the Difference in Changing Times. New South Wales, Australia:
Allen & Unwin.
Brian Edwards is a research writer for
Partners in School Innovation, where Jesse
Hinueber is the director of program support
and knowledge systems .

References
Bishop, R.S. (1990). Mirrors, Windows, and
Sliding Glass Doors. Perspectives, 6(3), ixxi.
Farrington, C.; Roderick, M.; Allensworth,
E.; Nagaoka, J.; Keyes, T.; Johnson, D.;
Beechum, N. & Consortium on Chicago School Research. (2012). Teaching
Adolescents to Become Learners: The Role
of Noncognitive Factors in Shaping School
Performance – A Critical Literature Review. Consortium on Chicago School
Research.
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. New
York, NY: Teachers College Press.

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