Stereotype Threat: Research-Based Strategies for Helping Students Thrive

Presented by Megan Gross, Special Education Teacher, Del Norte High School, CA; Kelisa Wing, Assistant Principal, West Point Elementary School, NY, and former Secondary English Teacher; and Medha Tare, Senior Research Scientist
Hosted by Barbara Pape, Communications Director, Learner Positioning Systems, Digital Promise Global
Sponsored by Digital Promise

Watch the Recording

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Stereotype threat affects students who underperform academically due to a fear of being judged in relation to a negative stereotype about his or her group. The stereotypes could be based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, or learning difference or “disability.” It can be implicit bias directed toward the student. It could also be explicit bias. In this edWebinar, two State Teachers of the Year discuss strategies they use to support students who experience stereotype threat so those learners can thrive academically and socially. The research behind stereotype threat will be uncovered, with a walk-through of that section of the newly launched and free LPS tool that teachers and edtech developers can use to better understand stereotype threat and the evidence-based strategies that can be put in place to overcome it in the classroom.

Viewers of this edWebinar will:

• Develop an understanding of what stereotype threat is
• Learn about the different type of learners who are vulnerable to stereotype threat
• Understand the research behind stereotype threat and its impact on students
• Discover strategies and ways of thinking to help students overcome stereotype threat

PreK through high school teachers, higher ed instructors, and edtech product developers will benefit from watching this recorded session. Learn more about how the impact of stereotype threat on learners, what the research tells us, and how classroom practice can help to ameliorate stereotype threat.

About the Presenters

Megan Gross is a 2017 California Teacher of the Year and special education teacher at Del Norte High School, in the Poway Unified School District in California. She has taught and facilitated inclusive education for students with disabilities at both the elementary and secondary level for ten years. As an educator, Megan has advocated for equity and supported students’ transitions from segregated Special Day Classes, to an instructional day including general education academic and elective classes. In addition, she facilitates social inclusion and extracurricular activities as a special education co-advisor of the Del Norte High School Best Buddies Club. Megan is the co-author of The Inclusion Toolbox and ParaEducate.

Kelisa Wing is an assistant principal at West Point Elementary School in West Point, NY and a former secondary English teacher. She is the 2017 DoDEA State Teacher of the Year, the 2017 University of Maryland University College Outstanding Alumna of the Year, and a 2016 Association of Supervision, Curriculum, and Development (ASCD) Emerging Leader. She enlisted in the Army after high school to realize her dream of becoming an educator. She created a non-profit organization called #Squad Up for Education, Inc., to empower parents, students, and educators to become partners in education. The goal is to never allow any child to fail by setting goals, developing a road map for future success, and working with the community to realize students’ dreams. She believes that ALL students have the capacity to learn as long as we believe in their ability.

Kelisa is the author of Weeds & Seeds: How To Stay Positive in the Midst of Life’s Storms and is in the process of writing her latest book on the school-to-prison pipeline. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English from The University of Maryland University College, a Master of Arts in secondary education, and an Educational Specialist degree with a concentration in curriculum, instruction and educational leadership from the University of Phoenix. She is currently enrolled at Walden University in the Doctor of Education program.

Medha Tare has more than ten years of experience conducting applied research in the learning sciences. She enjoys translating research to non-academic audiences so it can be used by practitioners in the classroom and by the learners themselves. She holds a B.A. from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Michigan

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Digital Promise was created with the mission to accelerate innovation in education to improve opportunities to learn.

The fourth installment in Digital Promise Global’s Making Learning Personal For All series, Policies and Practices that Meet Learners Where They Are highlights the promise of personalized learning to meet the needs of the full diversity of learners. It also examines policy actions and investments that district, state, and federal and national levels can take to help each learner master content and a broad range of skills. It makes clear that personalization must consider the whole child, put learner voice and choice front and center, and be built on the learning sciences.