Addressing the Achievement Gap and Disproportionality Through the Use of Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices

Abstract

Culturally responsive practices in schools and classrooms have been shown to be an effective means of addressing the achievement gap as well as the disproportionate representation of racially, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students in programs serving students with special needs. While there has been much research discussing these issues, teachers and school staff lack clear examples and tools for best practices toward addressing these issues effectively. This research provides a practical tool to encourage teachers and school staff to engage in reflective, culturally responsive practice as well as highlighting the need to include a range of stakeholders in the process of developing, implementing, and evaluating tools for educational practice. ) poignantly illustrates the many injustices that continue to plague our education system. The inequitable distribution of resources, the underachievement of racially, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse (RCELD) students, and further, the disproportionate representation of RCELD students in programs serving students with special needs, provides evidence of how far we have to go to realize a more just and equitable education for all of our students. Many researchers posit that a major cause of the underachievement of RCELD students, and the disproportionate representation of RCELD students in programs serving students with special needs, is the divide between home and school cultures.Schools and teachers who have adopted a culturally responsive pedagogy have the ability to act as change agents in their schools to help bridge the divide and encourage more equitable schooling experiences for RCELD Risko, Walker-Dalhouse, 2008). Furthermore, while there has been a recent influx in research discussing culturally responsive practice as a means of addressing inequity in education, teachers and school staff lack clear examples and tools for best practices that will aid them in addressing the achievement gap and disproportionality effectively within their schools and classrooms (Fiedler et al., 2008).The purpose of this article is to (a) clarify the need for Culturally Responsive Teaching practices in schools, to meet the needs of all students through the use of practical tools for teachers and school staff; (b) stress the importance of including a range of stakeholders in the process of developing tools and strategies for implementing CRT practices; and (c) present a model for how the voices of multiple stakeholders were used to develop, implement, and evaluate a "teacher-friendly" tool to encourage CRT practices in the current study. This tool is also provided in the appendix as a guide for educators to use in their schools. 1

An Examination of the Association Between Observed and Self-Reported Culturally Proficient Teaching Practices

“…Indeed, research continues to document disturbing disparities not only in academic outcomes of our young people but also in schools’ persistent disproportionate disciplining of students of color, particularly Black males (Gregory, Skiba, & Noguera, ). Many consider a fundamental cause of these disparities to be cultural and ecological discontinuities between schools and their students (Griner & Stewart, ). This supposition carries some weight, considering the contrast between the predominantly White, female, middle‐class teaching workforce (Zumwalt & Craig, ) and the majority African American and Latino student population (63%) in U.S. urban schools (Sable, Plotts, & Mitchell, ).…”

Culturally Responsive Pyramid Model Practices

“…This research describes the structural inequities for students of color in public schools in the United States, offers recommendations for traversing cultural differences between teachers and students, and has supported our understanding of culture as a resource rather than a deficit (Debnam et al, 2015). However, the field currently lacks an empirical evidence base that links culturally responsive practices to desired student outcomes (Griner & Stewart, 2013). Given the paucity of empirical studies on culturally responsive practices, we utilized the available sociolinguistic research as well as the emerging evidence from studies of culturally responsive SW-PBS in K-12 settings to inform our key recommendations for culturally responsive practices.…”

iPad Deployment in a Diverse Urban High School: A Formative Experiment

“…It is important to note that the curriculum that was developed provided students a way to realize a culturally responsive experience. As Griner and Stewart (2013) noted, culturally responsive teaching and learning has the potential to significantly impact the achievement gap that has persisted for decades in American schools. Perhaps when teachers integrate these types of technologies into their classrooms and plan lessons accordingly, the gap will be decreased and students will be afforded the opportunity to learn about themselves and the world around them.…”