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 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 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 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 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 summarizes a project led by Alexander Browman as part of the National Study of Learning Mindsets Early Career Fellowship. The project explores how teachers' beliefs about the malleability of intelligence and perceptions of student ability influence their use of supportive or restrictive instructional messages.

This research snapshot summarizes a project led by Jazmin Brown-Iannuzzi as part of the National Study of Learning Mindsets Early Career Fellowship. The project examines implicit bias among 9th grade mathematics teachers using the Affect Misattribution Procedure.

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.