www.naesp.orgPrincipal ■ March/April 200540 CLOSING THE GAPS Training Teachers to Succeed in a Climate

Teacher attitudes and lack of diversity training are major factors in the achievement gaps of minority students. Achievement gaps by minority students exist acrossthe nation. The National Assessment of Educa-tional Progress (NAEP) indicates that African-American and Latino students from low socioeconomic backgrounds are two years behind other students in the fourth grade. By the 12th grade, the gap has widened and these students lag nearly four years behind (Robelen 2002). The two most frequently asked questions about the minority achievement gap are Who is to blame? and Why are those students not meeting the standards? Often, our answers tend to blame the victims. “At-risk ” and “hard-to-reach ” are the stereotypical terms frequently used by educators to describe students from diverse backgrounds who fail to achieve at grade level. These terms can lead to negative connotations and severe misconceptions about children, their families, and their cultures. But perhaps it is time to redirect the looking glass and examine the role that schools play in the minority achievement gap. While it has been estab-lished that inequitable funding, inadequate facili-ties, and insufficient resources share some of the responsibility, we need to also examine teacher expectations and attitudes. Research affirms that cultural differences be-tween teachers and students can negatively impact student achievement. Affected students have I N B R I E