Culturally+Responsive+Education

The goals for culturally competent schools are to create a welcoming climate for all students; engage all students fully in learning; and to ensure all students are included in the full range of school activities, the curriculum, and services. A culturally competent school honors, respects and values diversity in theory and practice. CRE recognizes that all students are cultural beings, that is, that they reflect a variety of ways of being in the world. While culture does not define or determine individuals, it does influence how they view and participate in the world, including how they learn. This recognition has important implications for school and classroom practices and policies. For one, it means that curriculum should reflect the rich cultural heritage and history of all students without falling into simplistic or formulaic definitions of culture. It also implies that teachers must be aware of their students’ histories and community strengths. Support for CRE means taking into account the various styles and strategies that students employ for learning, styles that are influenced by their individual personalities, their cultural backgrounds, and their life experiences. As a result, teachers employ multiple pedagogical strategies so that students of all backgrounds learn in ways that are most comfortable for them while also expanding their learning repertoires. Assessment, a key element of learning, builds on the prior knowledge, culture, and language of all students. Rather than neglecting these elements of students’ lives as superfluous to the teaching and learning experience, CRE recognizes them as fundamental to learning. As a result, classroom and school-wide traditions, values, and practices reflect respect for family and community assets, including students’ native languages, cultural experiences, and family knowledge.

Gloria Ladson-Billings (1994) describes CRE as “a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes.” Participating in culturally relevant teaching essentially means that teachers create a bridge between students’ home and school lives, while still meeting the expectations of the district and state curricular requirements. Culturally relevant teaching utilizes the backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences of the students to inform the teacher’s lessons and methodology.

According to Ladson-Billings, culturally relevant education has three criteria – 1) //Students must experience academic success//. Teachers must believe that all students are capable of academic success. 2) //Students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence//. Teachers must focus on developing cultural competence while at the same time encouraging students to learn to maintain their “cultural integrity.” And 3) //Students must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order.// Students are taught to become active and show deep interest in societal matters. Culturally responsive schools exhibit the following traits: 
 * The curriculum content is inclusive, meaning it reflects the cultural, ethnic, and gender diversity of society and the world.
 * Students are recognized and treated as intellectually capable, with particular attention toward those whose futures are most tenuous
 * Instructional and assessment practices build on and legitimize students' prior knowledge, real-life experience, culture, and language.
 * Classroom practices stimulate students to construct knowledge, make meaning, and examine cultural biases and assumptions, drawing on linguistic and experiential resources they bring.
 * Within the classroom and school, students practice participating as citizens in a diverse and democratic society.
 * School-wide beliefs and practices foster understanding and respect for cultural diversity, and celebrate the contributions of diverse groups.
 * School programs and instructional practices draw from and integrate community and family language and culture, and help families and communities to support the students' academic success.