Volume 1 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership - Page 32

30 set of beliefs should be created so professional development and curriculum is consistent for all teachers at all grade lev- els. This consistency will ensure that ELLs receive consis - tent instruction and teachers use consistent techniques from year to year. District-wide consistency will also allow cam - pus level administrators to work together across campuses to help teachers close the achievement gap between ELLs and other student groups. Teacher Attitudes The third finding of the current study was the seeming in - significance of teacher attitudes to ELLs’ STAAR scores. The results of the study showed that teachers’ attitudes, when considered individually, neither positively nor negatively affected ELLs’ STAAR scores. However, when teachers’ at - titudes were combined with the other three variables, the entire model was statistically significant. The statistical insignificance of teacher attitudes about ELLs’ and SLA is contrary to years of educational research. Dating back to 1968 and The Pygmalion Effect study conducted by Rosen - thal and Jacobsen and as recent as Wayman’s 2002 study, it has been shown that teacher attitudes are crucial to student achievement. Teacher attitudes toward students affect the achievement of the student. One possible reason for the low correlation between teacher attitudes about ELLs and SLA and ELLs’ STAAR scores is the high mean attitude score reported by the teach - ers and the continued lack of achievement by ELLs on the STAAR test. In the current study, teachers reported a mean attitude score of 401 with a standard deviation of 20. The highest score possible on the attitude scale was 450. Teach - ers self–reported a very high and positive attitude toward ELLs and SLA, but ELLs continued to lag academically in the classroom and on the STAAR tests. Simply because a teacher has a good attitude about ELLs and SLA does not mean students will learn. Teachers must also possess the appropriate knowledge about ELLs and SLA if they are to help ELLs close the achievement gap. The Full Model The significance of all four combined factors to improve the effectiveness of teachers is consistent with Darling–Ham - mond (1996), Hammond (2008), and Brady and Woolfson (2008). In 1996, Darling–Hammond explained, “teachers [must] understand learners and their learnings as deeply as they comprehend [the] subjects [they teach]…” (p. 5). Hammond (2008) stated that to have a positive attitude and to overcome a lack of confidence toward ELLs and SLA, “teachers need considerable knowledge of language…and a knowledge of how to incorporate” (p. 152) SLA techniques into their classrooms. Hammond further discussed the im- portance of access to high quality professional development for teachers to learn SLA techniques to boost their confi - dence and their attitude toward ELLs and SLA. Conclusions Teachers and administrators must make time to learn the new cultures in their schools and affect change to their own belief systems and attitudes. Teachers and school leaders must view diversity as an “important school characteristic” (Billot et al., 2007, p. 12) and build a trusting and culturally supportive school environment to close the achievement gap. Professional development opportunities must deal with the affective part of educating ELLs as well as the knowledge base needed by teachers to affect academic change. Both are important in closing the achievement gap between ELLs and other student groups. References Billot, J., Goddard, J., & Cranston, N. (2007). How principals manage ethnocultural diversity: Learnings from three countries. International Studies In Educational Administra- tion (Commonwealth Council For Educational Administra- tion & Management (CCEAM)), 35(2), 3–19. Brady, K. & Woolfson, L. (2008). What teacher factors in - fluence their attributions for children’s difficulties in learning? The British Journal of Educational Psychology , 78, 527–544. doi: 10.1348/000709907X268570 Calderón, M., Slavin, R., & Sánchez, M. (2011). Effective in - struction for English learners. Future of Children , 21(1), 103–127. Callinan, A., & Ramirez, J. (2012). Enrollment in Texas public schools , 2011–12 (Publication #GE13 601 02). Retrieved from Texas Education Agency website: http://www.tea . Kevin Dixon, Ed.D.