A leadership-level culture cycle intervention changes teachers’ culturally inclusive beliefs and practices

Abstract

Despite an abundance of support for culturally inclusive learning environments, there is little consensus regarding how to change educational contexts to effectively and sustainably foster cultural inclusion. To address this gap, we report findings from a research–practice partnership that leveraged the Culture Cycle Framework (CCF) to expand educators’ praxis to include both independent and interdependent models of self. Most U.S. schools validate independent cultural models (i.e., those that prioritize individuality, uniqueness, and personal agency) and overlook interdependent models (i.e., those that prioritize connectedness, relationality, and collective well-being), which are more common among students from marginalized racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Using a quasi-experimental longitudinal design, we trained school leadership to integrate ideas about cultural inclusion (i.e., validating the importance of both independent and interdependent cultural models) into school-wide flagship practices. We assessed downstream indicators of culture change by surveying teachers and students across the district and found that a) leadership-level training enhanced school-wide beliefs about cultural inclusion, b) teachers’ endorsement of culturally inclusive beliefs predicted their use of culturally inclusive practices, and c) teachers’ use of culturally inclusive practices predicted enhanced psychosocial and academic outcomes among students. This research represents a comprehensive culture change effort using the CCF and illustrates a means of fostering inclusion-focused educational culture change and assessing downstream consequences of culture change initiatives.