NICE TO MEET YOU
Devan Joy Heiber
I am a middle school STEM educator with an unwavering commitment to innovating solutions to combat systemic inequity in education. I believe that every child deserves access to a quality, robust, and rigorous teaching and learning experience that develops academic, social, emotional, and life skills. As a lifelong learner, I have dedicated the majority of my career to pursuing higher education and am currently in pursuit of my doctorate degree in education with a focus on STEM curriculum and instruction.
Outside of the classroom, I am a hockey and figure skating coach, traveler, and dog lover. I currently have five wonderfully loving rescues that keep me on my toes. I aspire to maintain a work/life balance while also striving to be my very best for my family, friends, and the students in my care.
ABOUT THE BLOG
Systemic Inequity & The Urban Achievement Gap
Despite prior research and political reform, equitable education in urban middle school mathematics remains a lingering dilemma. The problem is that teachers lack the mindset and professionally developed skills to provide culturally relevant and responsive instruction (Hammond & Jackson, 2015). Examination of the academic effects of implementing a robust and rigorous curriculum aligned to social emotional learning is needed (Morales-Chicas & Agger, 2017).
Similar examinations have been restricted to investigation of instructional best practices in mainstream classrooms that neglect to address urban communities with culturally and academically diverse learners (Tate, Anderson, & Tate, 2018). The alignment of social-emotional pedagogy in a rigorous middle school math curriculum supports enhanced student engagement and academic achievement (Rubel, 2017). Addressing education inequity and the persistent the achievement gap in urban education requires an immediate need for further investigation of possible solutions.
