Teacher Empathy and Middle School Students' Perception of Care

With the implementation of the No Child Left BehindAct of 2001 (2002) schools are challenged byhigh-stakes testing and the need to maintain a highlyqualified teaching force. The focus of discussion isoften effective interventions and strategies toassist students to become academically successful.However, a number of researchers (Kaplan & Owings,2000; Kohn, 2005; Noddings, 1995a, 2005c) have agreedthat there is more to teaching and learning than isrepresented by scores on a single test. Authors suchas Noddings (1984, 2005b) and Kohn (1990, 2005) havediscussed the importance of an ethic of care in theacademic success of students. This mixed-methodsstudy revealed the importance of empathy in creatinga caring classroom environment and challenges teachereducators to provide training and field experiencesthat promote and enhance empathy and care in theclassroom.