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    Abbott Elementary’s lessons for student-teacher relationships

    By Emily Virtue, Brandi Nicole Hinnant-Crawford and Liz Bergeron
    April 2025
    Who do students consider to be the best teachers? In our research, we find students often point to the teachers who show up for them emotionally (Virtue & Hinnant-Crawford, 2019). In focus groups, students have highlighted teachers “who care about who I am” and “who know what goes on in my life” as well as teachers who focus on their students’ strengths rather than deficits. Some teachers who build strong relationships with students can be described as warm demanders. A warm demander is a teacher who has high expectations (both academically and behaviorally) yet conveys care (or warmth) for their students (Ware, 2006). Warm demanders are aware of students’ emotions and needs in addition to their concern for academic progress. It’s likely you can identify

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    References

    Bondy, E. & Ross, D.D. (2008). The teacher as warm demander. Educational Leadership, 66(1), 54-58.

    Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). From preparation to practice: Designing a continuum to strengthen and sustain teaching. Teachers College Record, 103(6), 1013-1055.

    Hinnant-Crawford, B., Bergeron, L., Virtue, E.E., Cromartie, S., & Harrington, S. (2023). Good teaching, warm and demanding classrooms, and critically conscious students: Measuring student perceptions of asset-based equity pedagogy in the classroom. Equity & Excellence in Education, 56(3), 306-322.

    Interstate Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium. (2013). InTASC Model Core Teaching Standards and Learning Progressions for Teachers 1.0. Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).

    Learning Forward. (2022). Standards for Professional Learning.

    Milner, H.R., IV, Cunningham, H.B., Delale-O’Connor, L., & Kestenberg, E.G. (2018). “These kids are out of control”: Why we must reimagine “classroom management” for equity. Corwin.

    Virtue, E.E. & Hinnant-Crawford, B.N. (2019). “We’re doing things that are meaningful”: Student perspectives of project-based learning across the disciplines. The Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning, 13(2), Article 9.

    Ware, F. (2006). Warm demander pedagogy: Culturally responsive teaching that supports a culture of achievement for African American students. Urban Education, 41(4), 427-546.


    Emily virtue
    + posts

    Emily E. Virtue, Ph.D. is an associate professor of educational research and the program director for the Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Western Carolina University. Her research interests include asset-based equity pedagogies, project-based learning, and supporting students in academic difficulty.

    Screenshot
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    Brandi Hinnant-Crawford, PhD (she/her) is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership at Clemson University. Her scholarship focuses on equity and inclusion for marginalized students across the P-20 pipeline as well as how research, particularly improvement science, can be leveraged as methodological tools to catalyze justice.  From teaching in the rural south, to working in central office in the urban northeast, to conducting research across the county, she remains committed to providing equitable opportunities to learn for all children.

    Liz bergeron
    + posts

    Liz Bergeron, PhD, is Managing Director of Strategy & Research at New Tech Network. Her research interests focus on conceptualizing and conducting studies to inform practice and policy aimed at creating schools that leverage student assets and voice, while fostering supportive and inclusive cultures.


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