March Creating and Sustaining Culturally Responsive Educational Systems High Achievement for All Students, Closing Gaps and Eliminating Disproportionality

March What do we mean when we talk about culturally responsive practices?

March Culturally Responsive Educational Practices Specific educational practices, instructional strategies, curricula content, and [teaming processes] which have been established by research to increase the achievement of historically underachieving culturally diverse students (NCCRESt 2004)

March Instructional practices not supported by research Intervention Effect Size Modality Matched Instr. (Aud.)+.03 Modality Matched Instr. (Vis.)+.04 Right Brain/Left Brain.?? Cultural Learning Style.00 Adapted from Reschly, Innovations 2006

Cooperative Learning Peer-assisted Learning Supports for ELL Explicit Instruction in Critical and foundational Skills Multicultural Education Collaborative Problem Solving, Direct Assessments, and Multi- tiered Supports Culturally Responsive Practices Culturally Responsive Educational Practices Include… PBS

To bring about sustainable change in the performance of culturally diverse students, school improvement efforts must move discussion about culture from the background of consideration to the foreground of planning

Cultures in the system B/V/M What’s Prized and Valued at the school Structures Processes Functions Organizational Culture Adults/Professions/C hildren/Families Beliefs, Values, Ways of Knowing and Doing Building District

Schools and school systems that are predicated on continuous improvement and responsiveness to the changing needs of new generations of students work to deepen their understandings of race, class, gender, language, culture, and democracy and develop practices that promote the success of all students. NCCREST Position Statement 2005

When we don’t focus on culture we are in danger of perpetuating institutionalized bias Institutional bias can be defined as a system of advantage based on race, culture, gender etc. which includes systems of cultural messages, institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individuals (adapted from Beverly Daniel Tatum).

March Indicators of Institutionalized Bias Opportunity Gaps Achievement Gaps Disproportionality

Understanding the challenges some culturally and linguistically diverse students face in schools today Opportunity Gaps –Accessing and connecting to the provided instruction –Missing instruction due to responses to behavior problems –Often not encouraged or recruited for more rigorous studies

12 A Critical Understanding: The Potential Impact of Cultural Mismatch School norms reflect –White –Middle Class –Protestant –Mainstream culture Students’ norms reflect their own Ethnicity/Race Social economic status Family Religion Community Etc.

Cultural Mismatch Authority Communication Vocabulary

When expected classroom behaviors are a mismatch with those that children experience in their home and community problems or “cultural clashes” can occur. Researchers theorize that a cultural mismatch between school culture and the cultural expectations of students as the reason for many of the difficulties experienced by culturally and linguistically diverse students.

What Behaviors are Students Referred For? By Race White students referred more for: –Smoking –Vandalism –Leaving w/o permission –Obscene Language Black students referred more for: –Disrespect –Excessive Noise –Threat –Loitering

Culturally Responsive Strategic Planning Attention Discourse Decisions Practices Toward the goal of increasing the achievement of all students, closing achievement gaps, and eliminating disproportionality Who is Teaching What is being taught and how Who is learning

March Culturally competent organizational practices are … A set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system or agency or among professionals and enable the system, agency, or professionals to work effectively with diverse populations.

People Policies Practices Where can Institutionalized Bias Be Demonstrated: We Examine Systems Variables

Complex systems are multi-layered and multifaceted People Policies Practices Core Instruction School Climate Support Services

March Is there evidence of institutionalized bias in your system: Asking the right questions Is our system working? For whom is our system not working? In what areas is our system exhibiting performance gaps?

March Policies Reflect and support research Non-discriminatory and allows for equitable access Provide clear parameters but allow for decisions based on local data and situation specific information Regularly examined for unintended outcomes resulting in institutionalized bias towards any student group (e.g. Zero Tolerance policies) Policies

March People Educators’ beliefs about their own ability to teach students from diverse backgrounds Educators’ belief that all students can achieve at high levels when taught to high levels Cultural competence Knowledge of subject matter Skills in effective/research-based teaching strategies Sense of self as a continual learner Commitment to problem solving People

March Practices Universal use of prevention and intervention strategies Consistent implementation of research-based/evidence-based curricula and instructional methods Use of multicultural curricula and instructional practices Reflective Practice Collaboration and problem solving Data-based Decision Making Practices

Curriculum Instruction Assessment March Practices Classroom Instruction

The 5 Rs Relevance Respect Responsive Rigor Research-based Connecting to current real life situations; practical and socially applicable Giving particular attention and consideration; of diverse viewpoints and contributions Engaging in an action responding to a need or request Consistently challenging and meaningful Demonstrating evidence of effectiveness

Culturally responsive educational systems Culturally responsive educational systems are sustaining learning communities where all adults work to ensure that all students but specifically culturally and linguistically diverse students (1) feel that their culture is respected, (2) understand the relevance of school-based learning experiences and their life success, (3) have a connection to the school community, (4) experience adults who are responsive to student needs, (5) and where high expectations for all are demonstrated through consistent rigorous instruction that is research-based and high standards.

March The Journey Towards Creating Culturally Responsive Schools Self examination and reflective practice Focused discussion and planning Strong Leadership Collaboration Cultural Competence