To Improve Student Outcomes, ELP Is Confronting the Opportunity Myth
In 2018, a diverse group of education advocates came together to share ideas for enhancing the teaching profession. The idea of ELP emerged from these discussions. We concluded that empowering new teachers to succeed in their work was the most fundamental thing we could do.
Helping New Teachers become more competent and confident faster would not only help them stay in the profession, but it would improve student outcomes as well.
TNTP is helping us improve the training we provide to Virtual Instructional Coaches (VICs), and thanks to this partnership, we are adding another layer to the ultimate goal of ensuring students succeed: confronting and overcoming the opportunity myth.
The opportunity myth occurs when the school system does not provide equal opportunities for all students to succeed. This is not the fault of teachers. They did not create this myth, nor are they responsible for fixing it.
As TNTP states in their report on the topic:
“Consciously or not, we choose to let many students do work that’s far below their grade level. We choose to leave teachers without the skills and support they need to give all their students access to high-quality academic experiences. We choose to act on assumptions about what students want and need out of school, without really listening to them and their families. We choose, in essence, which students are more deserving of reaching their goals.”
And this is where our professional support model comes into the picture. VICs provide pedagogical support for New Teachers in our program, and they are in the best position to work with New Teachers on having high expectations in the classroom for all students.
John MacDougall from TNTP has been running sessions on the Art of Coaching for both our VICs; some In-Person Mentors (IPMs) attend too. “The opportunity myth is a starting point for a lot of our conversations,” John said. “It underlies a lot of the work we do at TNTP.”
“Part of the framework for our work with ELP is based on two aspects of TNTP’s Core Rubric: essential content and demonstration of learning,” John continued. “Both are centered around making sure there is equitable access to grade-appropriate assignments and teachers who hold high expectations.”
When John was creating the coaching workshop, he used the rubric as a lens for coaching practices, goals, and action steps. During the first workshop, he first walks through the four main resources students need access to in order to succeed:
Grade-appropriate assignments
Strong instruction
Deep engagement
Teachers who hold high expectations
If students have the grade appropriate assignments and are expected to succeed, TNTP’s research has shown that students rise to the occasion.
And it especially benefits those who are behind grade level.
“As I’m working with the VICs, we pause and dig into the implications of the opportunity myth, our own biases, our New Teachers’ biases, and what it means for kids in the classrooms of the New Teachers if they don’t believe or expect certain kids will be successful,” John explained. “We practice crafting goals with New Teachers and coaching them around providing grade-level assignments and appropriate expectations.”
At the end of each session, John shares a survey that uses the 1-5 Likert scale for answers (one means strongly disagree and five means strongly agree). The questions include:
All students can master the grade-level standards by the end of the year.
The grade-level standards are appropriate for the students.
One year is enough time for students to master the grade-level standards.
It’s fair to expect students to master grade-level standards by the end of the year.
TNTP has been tracking the VICs’ answers, and they have seen a significant shift higher in answer scores as mindsets around student abilities change.
As John pointed out, New Teachers are well-meaning and doing their best. Because of their relationship, VICs and IPMs are in a unique position to raise awareness about the opportunity myth and discuss how to be inclusive and provide equal access to grade-appropriate assignments.
“Not only does having high expectations and providing grade-appropriate assignments and instruction to everyone create more equitable outcomes for students, but it’s at the heart of building strong relationships,” John continued.
“When students believe that a teacher cares and is going to take the time to make sure they are successful - rather than accepting they are struggling and allowing it to get worse - it pays dividends in so many ways. For teachers, there is nothing greater than helping a student reach their highest potential.”