Educator Beliefs and Practices

This policy brief, developed by Rebecca Covarrubias through the SERN Midcareer Fellows Program, explains how postsecondary institutions can offer research opportunities and mentorship that support more racially and economically minoritized students to enter research careers.

This research snapshot provides an overview of a project led by Jason Okonofua, funded through the SERN K-12 Teachers and Classrooms Research Portfolio. The study employs a randomized placebo-controlled field experiment to test whether an intervention focused on teachers' empathic-mindset – valuing students’ perspectives and prioritizing the maintenance of positive teacher-student relationships – reduces and mitigates racial disparities in suspension rates.

This research snapshot provides an overview of a project led by Yasmiyn Irizarry and Tia Madkins, funded through the SERN K-12 Teachers and Classrooms Research Portfolio. Using both qualitative and quantitative analyses, and by developing and piloting the first large-scale teacher survey to examine secondary mathematics teachers’ beliefs and practices with explicit attention to race, the researchers describe students' experiences within racialized mathematics learning environments and how teachers foster inclusive classroom environments.

This research snapshot provides an overview of a project led by Sidney D'Mello, funded through the SERN K-12 Teachers and Classrooms Research Portfolio. Using video recordings of 6th to 8th grade mathematics classes from the Measures of Effective Teaching project, the researchers identify a set of prevalent teacher discourse practices likely to affect students’ psychological and academic outcomes, using methods that have the potential to inform fine-grained and lesson-specific feedback to teachers on their instruction.

This research snapshot provides an overview of a project led by Eric Grodsky and Patti Schaefer, funded through the SERN K-12 Teachers and Classrooms Research Portfolio. Drawing on a sample of 1,887 students and 60 teachers from five middle schools in the Madison Metropolitan School District, the study examines: (1) How is student sense of belonging distributed within and between middle school mathematics classes? (2) How is teacher mindset related to student sense of belonging, academic identity, and student success in middle school in general and mathematics classes in particular? and (3) How, if at all, does the relationship between belonging and achievement vary by student race and ethnicity?

This research snapshot provides an overview of a SERN-funded project led by Camille Farrington and Shanette Porter. The project leveraged a rich dataset that was designed to compare individual students to themselves across two different classroom environments. The research team completed a detailed analysis of classroom learning environments, identifying aspects of teacher practice, teacher mindsets, and classroom composition factors that were related to students’ perceptions of the environment. The snapshot shares key findings, insights, and future directions for the project.

This research snapshot summarizes a project led by Nicholas Buttrick as part of the National Study of Learning Mindsets Early Career Fellowship. In a sample of 9th grade mathematics teachers, the project explores the concept of false growth mindset -- a belief that effort alone can lead to improvement regardless of other factors like effective learning strategies and help-seeking.

This research snapshot summarizes a project led by Michael Broda as part of the National Study of Learning Mindsets Early Career Fellowship. The project uses multilevel latent profile analysis to identify distinct learning profiles based on students' mathematics anxiety, interest, and achievement. The role of teachers' mathmatics anxiety and view of mathematics instruction is also examined.