TEACHER BELIEFS AND PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS SERVING COMMUNITIES THAT DIFFER IN SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL

Attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and classroom practices of teachers i n 24 urban and suburban elementary schools throughout the United State s were assessed with teacher questionnaires and classroom observations during a single school year, Teachers in schools serving students fro m economically disadvantaged backgrounds put greater emphasis on teach er authority and control and less on student autonomy and constructivi st approaches than teachers in other schools did, Teachers in schools serving students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds also were less trusting of students and more skeptical about their abilities. T eachers' beliefs were generally consistent with their practices, even when school poverty level and students' mean achievement levels were s tatistically controlled.