High-Leverage Practices

Teachers intentionally build and sustain respectful relationships with students in the classroom. Teachers who form respectful relationships with students are able to work collaboratively with children and manage power dynamics in ways that increase student participation, engagement, and achievement. Respectful teacher-student relationships are characterized by trust, care, and appreciation of students’ cultures and communities. Teachers develop these relationships in all aspects of their teaching, including through small conversations with individual students, notes to students, nonverbal signals, and in how they respond to and acknowledge students during lessons.

Teachers use small group work when the learning goals benefit from interaction and collaboration among students. To do this, they choose tasks that require and foster collaborative work, provide clear directions that enable groups to work independently, and hold students accountable for collective and individual learning. Teachers use their own time strategically, deliberately choosing which groups to work with, when, and on what. Teachers work to ensure students are positioned as competent among their peers, that patterns of interaction are respectful, and that the collective work of the group uses the strengths of and benefits each student.

Careful and sensitive communication between teachers and families supports student learning. Teachers communicate with families to learn more about children from the people who know them best. Teachers share information about children’s activities, learning, and development, and seek ways to partner with families. Communication may take place in person, in writing, or in phone calls. Every conversation with a family is a chance for the teacher to communicate a respectful, open attitude and create a space for a two-way conversation. Teachers must be attentive to considerations of language and culture, respectful and valuing of families, and oriented to working with families to support children.

Teachers learn about their particular students in order to design instruction that will support their learning and flourishing. They create opportunities within the classroom for students to show who they are and share parts of their identities if they wish. Teachers regularly check in with students outside of the classroom, including through one-on-one conversations and attendance at school events, and with families and community members. Teachers make use of their learning to tailor instruction for students.