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Abstract
A highly qualified teacher in every public school classroom may be the single most important school controlled variable. A teacher has the ability to address the needs of diverse student populations and to improve the success of all students in public school. NCLB represents an acknowledgment of the lack of equality and a thrust to hold schools more accountable. Educational policy makers of today are recognizing the daunting effects of past choices that may have prolonged and contributed to the lack of achievement among African American students (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; Stein, 2004; Tucker, 1999).
This study is a mixed design that used correlational methods and cultural studies framework. Highly qualified math teachers (HQMT) were compared to the performance outcomes of African American and White middle school students. There were 52 Colorado public middle schools with substantial numbers of African American students in the three counties and ten districts in Colorado participating in this study. There were no linear relationships between the percent of HQMT and the percent of African American students scoring 'unsatisfactory' or between percent of HQMT and the percent of White students scoring 'unsatisfactory.' There was one exception. The relationship, r = -.38, for 2004-2005, between percent of White students scoring "unsatisfactory' and percent of HQMT, was significant at the p=.03 level. The magnitude of the correlation was low to medium.
The qualitative design used interviews from district administrators. Four key findings emerge from their responses: (1) build culturally competent relationships; (2) align the curriculum with high stakes tests; (3) consider specialized licensing for middle school teachers; and (4) improve professional development. The input from district administrators validates the literature review findings. Teachers and school administrators who are responsible for implementing educational policy are not receiving adequate professional preparation at the university level to deal a changing society and to understand the effects of stratification, dichotomy, inequities and hegemony in the education policy and in the school environment.
