Constructivist Teaching and Student Achievement: The Results of a School-level Classroom Observation Study in Washington

A classroom observation study was conducted in the 2001-2002 school year among a selection of Washington schools to identify the extent of constructivist teaching activity. While the findings of this study were informative in pointing out the nature and extent of the kind of teaching that occurs in schools, it was important to see whether the findings could predict school-level student achievement in schools that varied by low-income. Prior research suggests that constructivist teaching (and other school-level attributes) has an impact on student achievement. But can constructivist teaching predict school-level achievement beyond the effects of low-income?