Does a Rising Tide Lift All Boats?

Carolyn Boyles
Feb 23, 2009

n working with schools focused on raising the achievement of their at-risk students, the issue of their district's achieving or advanced students rarely comes up. Rather, the educators are interested in what will address the seemingly overwhelming odds against bringing the struggling students up to grade level. So, we go about our work of examining research based strategies, learning how to teach more effectively, providing students with genuine learning experiences and documenting the evidence of our efforts.

Although I had heard comments about gifted students and participated in the discussions in the past, I was surprised when I heard it recently in a district that was committed to raising the achievement of its at-risk population. The comment was related to what effect all these efforts for the poor students would have on the gifted students. Are we shortchanging those students, and will their achievement eventually suffer?

I was glad the question came up. It led to a good discussion of the contribution of effective teaching to all students. Teachers who know their state's standards are more likely to teach students the curriculum as opposed to teaching their favorite topics, which leaves to chance the coverage of the recommended content. Teachers who plan their instruction with Student Learning Maps are more likely to make instruction more interesting and connected. Graphic organizers help all students make connections and write more precisely. Summarizing is a life skill for us all that is important even after the classroom.

Learning memory skills or how to use new words increases the capacity of all students, even those who seem to know and remember. Of course, extending thinking improves the processing of all who experience thinking in different ways and at higher levels.

When we do implement effective teaching, all students benefit. These are not empty assurances.  An examination of schools working to improve their instructional program by implementing strategies that increase the achievement of struggling students reveals that the performance of all students is raised.  It is not an either/or situation. Instruction is better for all students, and the results prove that!

The rising tide of effective instruction raises all boats (students).

Reference Connecting Exemplary Practices in Acquisition Lessons, and Connecting Extending Thinking for more information and ideas.