Agile Mind MSM Publisher Response 2018 - EdReports.org Mind... · going back to the late 1940s work of Robert King Merton, and by the contemporary work on academic belonging of Dr.

1

WeatAgileMindandtheCharlesA.DanaCenteratTheUniversityofTexasatAustin,theauthorsofourprogramsforGrades6-8mathematics,aregratifiedthatEdReportshasevaluatedourmiddleschoolprograms—likeourhighschoolprograms—asmeetingexpectationsinallthreegateways.WehavevaluedourdiscussionswithEdReportsastheorganization’sreviewprocessandmethodologieshavematuredinresponsetothefield.

FromtheinceptionoftheDanaCenter/AgileMindcollaboration,wehavehadasinglegoal:toblendtheDanaCenter’svaluableexperienceinresearch,studyofhigh-yieldpractice,andimplementationwithinstructionaldesignmethodologiesandtechnology-enabledtoolstobuildasystemforteachingandlearningthatsupportseacheducator,everyday,inmeetingtheneedsofeverystudent.Unlikedigitalcurriculadesignedtoreplacetheteacher,ourmaterialsbuildfromthefundamentalideathatateacherisnotan“add-on”tohigh-qualityinstructionbutcentraltothelearningprocessandthusdeservingofgreatersupport.

Ascollaboratorsdedicatedtocontinuousimprovement,weregularlygatherinformationfromschoolsandteacherstoinformourworktoenhanceourprograms.Wethankthetensofthousandsofeducatorswhohaveshapedourworkandhelpedus“gogreen”ineachofthegateways—placingourmiddleschoolprogramsamongthebestinthenation.

WhilewearehonoredandhumbledbytheEdReportsevaluationsandourpartners’positiveexperienceswithourwork,wewillcontinuetopressourselvesandthefieldontwoissuesthatarefundamentaltostudents’equitableaccesstobest-qualitymathematicsinstruction.First,whilealignmenttostandardsisnecessary,itisfarfromsufficientfordeepstudentlearning.Second,ifwearetoensurestudentsarewellpreparedforcollegeorcareer,wemustattendtoboththeiracademicgrowthandalsotheirsocial-emotionaldevelopment(SED).Amyopicfocusonindividual,grade-levelstandardsservestoatomizecontentandpreventsstudentsfromaccessingandlearningpowerfulmathematicalconcepts.Additionally,failingtoexposestudentstocontentidentifiedasabove-grade-levelisafundamentalthreattoequity.Inschoolsservingsignificantpercentagesoflow-incomestudents,itisespeciallyimportanttointroducestudentstoconceptsthattheywillstudyinsubsequentcoursesandhowthoseconceptslinktowhatthey’relearningtoday.

Why?Advantagedstudentslearnthelayoutofthemathcurriculumathomeandintheirschools.High-qualityschoolsprovidemany“acculturative”activitiesandlessons,suchaslearningaboutthecollegesstudentscanattendandlearningaboutthecoursestheywilltakeinhighschoolandcollege.Doingsoisstronglysupportedbyadeepbodyofauthoritativeresearchgoingbacktothelate1940sworkofRobertKingMerton,andbythecontemporaryworkonacademicbelongingofDr.CatherineGoodandhercolleagues.Ifstudentsaretopayattentiontotheseideasabouttheirfuturelives,theyneedtobeintroducedtothebasicvocabularyofthem.

2

Academicbelonging,likegrowthmindset,iscrucial;however,theseareonlytwoaspectsoftheso-called“noncognitive/SEL”domaintowhichwemustattend.Anestablishedandexpandingbodyofresearchmakesclearthatintegrationofsocial-emotionalandacademicdevelopment(SEAD)isakeycomponenttostudentsuccess,particularlyforhistoricallyunderservedpopulationsinmathematics.12And,asshowninanumberofrecentstudies,attendingtoadolescents’social-emotionaldevelopmentisacomplexandnuancedtask:someinterventionsdesignedwiththebestofintentionsbutwithoutcurrentknowledgeofadolescentresearchmayactuallycauseharm.3Ourprogramsaregroundedintheconviction—informedbyoveradecadeofdeliveringauthentictoolsandstrategiesthatenablestudentstodeveloppositivelearningmindsetsandstrategies—thatalllearningresources,andevaluationsofthoseresources,shouldreflectSEAD’scornerstoneroleforstudents.

Atatimewhenthemanychallengesfacedbyeducatorsacrossthenationarecomingtothefore,AgileMindandtheDanaCenteraretrulyexcitedtocontinueourworkwithallorganizationsconcernedwithimprovingstudentachievementandreducinggapsinopportunitytolearn.Ourteachers,ourstudents,andourcountrydeservenolessfromus.

1 Mangels JA, Good C, Whiteman RC, Maniscalco B, Dweck CS. (2012). Emotion blocks the path to learning under stereotype threat. Social

Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 7(2), pp 230-41. 2 West, M. R., Kraft, M. A., Finn, A. S., Martin, R., Duckworth, A. L., Gabrieli, C. F. O., & Gabrieli, J. D. E. (2014). Promise and paradox: Measuring students’ non-cognitive skills and the impact of schooling. Cambridge, MA: National Center for Teacher Effectiveness, Harvard University.

3Sparks, SD. (2018, March). For Teenagers, Praising ‘Effort’ May Not Promote a Growth Mindset.’ Education Week, Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org.