Intersection Webinar Recap: Culturally Responsive Teaching

Educators across the country are welcoming students back to school, eagerly anticipating all of the successes and challenges that come with the profession. The emphasis on ensuring that all students are provided with an equitable learning environment is more important than ever as the demographics of our students continue to grow more diverse.

States are starting to focus more explicitly on the opportunity gap – what experiences, curriculum, and coursework are students of specific groups, often low-income students, students of color, English Language learners – not receiving?

Jenny Muñiz, senior program associate with New America, addressed this question in our latest Intersection Webinar. Reviewing her latest report, “Culturally Responsive Teaching: A 50-State Survey of Teaching Standards,” Jenny shared that one way the opportunity gap can be addressed is through an investment in culturally responsive teaching, “weaving together rigor and relevance.” 

Before diving into the report data, Jenny shared why this instruction has been slow to become the norm, including a lack of diversity in the teacher workforce, inadequate teacher preparation and development, and misconceptions about culturally responsive teaching including the belief that celebrating diversity is not enough to move the needle on achievement and inclusivity.  

Learn more about the report from our key takeaways and full webinar recording below.

Key Takeaways | Culturally Responsive Teaching: A 50-State Survey of Teaching Standards 

• New America analyzed professional teaching standards in all 50 states to better answer the question: Do states expect teachers to demonstrate these competencies related to culturally responsive teaching?
• To support this analysis, eight competencies were identified that clarify what teachers should know and be able to do in light of research on culturally responsive teaching. 

• Integrating culturally responsive teaching into professional teaching standards can create a common language for instruction where expectations are aligned with evaluation.
• An important part of culturally responsive teaching includes drawing on students’ culture to shape curriculum while advocating for curriculum that is more reflective of a school or district’s student population. Additionally, incorporating real word issues in the classroom can create content that’s responsive and make students more excited to learn.
• Teaching standards are not the only lever in which culturally responsive teaching exists. Wisconsin and New York created their own equity models that are shared among educators of all levels demonstrating that states can take varying approaches to establish a common vision.

  

• The content analysis found that all states include some type of culturally responsive teaching competencies, but there are variations in type and level of detail provided.

Watch the webinar:

Register here for our next webinar on September 11 at 1 p.m. ET. Craig Wacker, senior fellow at FutureEd, will discuss a recent report on how teachers can affect the social and emotional skills of students – Teacher Mindsets: How Educators’ Perspectives Shape Student Success.

See you at The Intersection!

The Hunt Team