Strategies of Classroom Teachers of Grades 5-9 in Kazan City in the Context of Overcoming Educational Inequality

Educational inequality and underachievement, affecting up to 30% of students in Russian schools due to socio-economic factors, are significant challenges for urban schools that educate migrants, children with disabilities, and students from low-income families. The homeroom teacher is a key figure who deals with the consequences of social disadvantage and poor academic performance on a daily basis. However, research on the strategies of homeroom teachers is virtually nonexistent. We decided to fill this gap and determine how exactly teachers' professional attitudes and strategies are linked to student performance in different social contexts. The study involved homeroom teachers of grades 5–9 from municipal educational institutions in the city of Kazan. The goal of the empirical part was to identify typical practices from interviews and to compare the socio-demographic and academic characteristics of classes with the professional attitudes and strategies of homeroom teachers. Examining these practices in the context of 13 case studies by identifying strategies in the quantitative research confirmed the conclusions of international studies on the significance of social context and showed that pedagogical strategies can partially mitigate negative effects. At the same time, professional attitudes are a key resource for changing the strategic behavior of homeroom teachers. This study is the first to examine the social characteristics of a class as a tool for overcoming inequality. To significantly influence academic performance, it is necessary to combine individual teacher strategies with systemic support measures (working with the school environment, teaching teams). The results provide a basis for systemic changes in supporting homeroom teachers and can be used by schools and the municipality for resource allocation. Keywords: educational inequality, homeroom teacher, educational practices, strategies.