By Cora Goldston
January 26, 2018
Want more information on how to better support students of color? We have rounded up high-quality resources on the topic, including research reports, infographics, and webinars from the Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) network.
Cultural awareness in the classroom
- Blog series on cultural competency (2017): REL Midwest takes an
up-close look at cultural competency in education in a three-part blog series
that focuses on efforts to increase understanding and use of research to improve
academic outcomes and career readiness for all students.
Check out the posts in our blog series: - Culturally Responsive Practices to Close the Achievement Gap (2017): REL Midwest hosted an in-person event focused on culturally responsive practices that show promise in increasing academic outcomes for Black students.
- Culturally Responsive Education: Addressing Diversity (2015): During this REL Mid-Atlantic webinar, presenters summarized the research on effective ways to promote culturally responsive education.
Improving outcomes for students of color
- Promoting Excellence for All: The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s initiative provides information and strategies successfully used by Wisconsin educators to improve outcomes for students of color.
- Closing the Achievement Gap (2016): This REL Mid-Atlantic webinar examines ways to support the academic achievement of Black and Hispanic students.
- Closing the Achievement Gap: Research from New Mexico (2017): This REL Southwest webinar shares the findings from two studies that examined statewide trends in American Indian and Hispanic students’ advanced course completion and graduation rates under the state’s new high school requirements.
- Reframing the Achievement Gap: Ensuring All Students Benefit from Equitable Access to Learning (2017): In this article, the Midwest and Plains Equity Center discusses the importance of recognizing the roles of school structure, societal barriers, and insufficient access to resources in creating disparate academic outcomes among students.
Growth mindset and academic success
Growth mindset, performance avoidance, and academic behaviors in Clark County School District (2017): This REL West report explores the distribution of reported academic mindsets and behaviors in one school district by English learner status, race/ethnicity, grade level, and prior achievement.
Disproportionality in student discipline
Suspension and Expulsion Patterns in Six Oregon School Districts (2014): This REL Northwest study examined differences in suspension and expulsion rates by student race/ethnicity, gender, special education status, and grade span.
Resource series on discipline disparities (2014–16): REL Mid-Atlantic examined disparities in suspension and expulsion rates between Black and White students between the 2009/10 and 2011/12 school years. Disparities in suspensions and expulsions are a concern for student achievement because exclusionary discipline has been linked to poor academic outcomes, including grade retention and dropout.
REL Mid-Atlantic has several resources on this research:
- Report: Disproportionality in School Discipline: An Assessment of Trends in Maryland, 2009–12
- Webinar: Identifying and Addressing Discipline Disparities
- Handout: How Equitable Are Discipline Rates in Maryland?
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