South Carolina State University Education Department Chair Dr. Evelyn Fields says she wants to help Bamberg School District 2's teachers get more in sync with students.
Her philosophy is that teachers can instruct students more effectively if they understand their cultural backgrounds.
"People have got to understand the culture in which these kids come from," said state Sen. John Matthews, D-Bowman. Matthews, a former educator, says teachers who are able to grasp students' backgrounds can motivate them to learn.
Through Matthews' efforts, S.C. State recently received a $100,000 state-funded grant to research school districts that have historically low test scores. In addition to Bamberg 2, Fields is seeking to assist districts in Jasper and Florence counties by making teachers' lessons more culturally relevant.
Fields, a Denmark-Olar High School graduate, brought her idea before Bamberg 2's school board last month.
Superintendent Dr. Secaida Howell says he's receptive to the idea.
"Anything we can do to advance student achievement, we're all for it," Howell said.
Under Fields' program, teachers will be given an understanding of where their students come from, the people in the community and acceptable norms in the area.
Such an approach can be especially effective in a child's formative years, Fields says. In addition, she said it can reduce dropout and discipline problems.
For example, Fields notes research has documented that African American boys are very active and like to move around the classroom. She feels forcing them to sit still in classroom at that age is not conducive to learning.
"That's boring to them," she said.
She proposes actively engaging those students to learn through hands-on activities.
According to Fields, an unintentional cultural divide exists between young African American male students and white female teachers, a group which makes up 86 percent of early childhood teachers nationally. She says the cultural chasm between teachers and students has to be bridged before the achievement gap can close.
"Unless I ally myself with the culture of the students in the classroom, it will be difficult to effectively teach things," she said.
She went on to say the disconnect can lead teachers to focus more on discipline problems than actual instruction.
Poverty can be factor, too, she said.
Incoming kindergarten students in poor, rural school districts are disadvantaged because they lack the experiences of other kids, Fields said.
She says learning inexperience can hinder children in their development and cause them to perform poorly or even drop out of school later.
She is particularly concerned with the education of African American males, saying the demographic has an alarmingly low number of college graduates compared to other groups.
"As the African American male goes, so goes the African American family. That's the big picture," Fields said.
Fields believes if a teacher can connect with a student at an early age using a culturally relevant approach, then a successful academic career is far more likely.
For Fields, working to improve Bamberg 2 would be a great service to her alma mater.
"I would see it as a privilege to work with the district. I appreciate everything that the teachers did for me while I was there," she said.
T&D Staff Writer Lee Tant can be reached by e-mail at ltant@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-534-1060. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.