NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Lecturette 3.3 Developing Culturally Responsive Educational Systems, Resources, and Practices National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems Shelley Zion August 16, 2005 Wisconsin Summer Institute

Lecturette 3.3 Page 2 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems NCCRESt National TA & D Center Provide technical assistance and professional development to close the achievement gap between students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and their peers, and reduce inappropriate referrals to special education.

Lecturette 3.3 Page 3 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Outcomes   the use of prevention and early intervention strategies,   inappropriate referrals to special education, and   the # of schools using effective literacy and behavioral interventions for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse.

Lecturette 3.3 Page 4 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Features of Culturally Responsive Educational Systems Culture, language, heritage, and experiences of ALL students and families are (1) valued; (2) respected; and (3) used to facilitate learning and development.

Lecturette 3.3 Page 5 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems 1.Practitioners and Administrators assume responsibility for the learning of ALL students from ALL cultural and linguistic backgrounds. 2.Every student benefits academically, socioculturally & linguistically. 3.Access to high quality teachers, programs, curricula, and resources is available to every student. Features of Culturally Responsive Educational Systems

Lecturette 3.3 Page 6 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems What’s in an Educational System? People PoliciesPractices

Lecturette 3.3 Page 7 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems What is Systemic Change? Simultaneous Renewal in Multiple Layers of the System People PoliciesPractices

Lecturette 3.3 Page 8 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Changing the vision… “Eliminating disproportionality is an adult issue.” (Joseph Olchefske, Superintendent of Seattle Schools) “We must change the way we think about ability, competence and success and encourage schools to redefine support so that the need to sort children is reduced.” (Testimony before the President’s Commission, 2002)

Lecturette 3.3 Page 9 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Access Participation Equity Why Culturally Responsive Educational Systems?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 10 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Questions- What do you see as barriers to access, participation, and equity in your systems? What are you doing that is assisting with the removal of those barriers? What do you need to continue to create opportunities for access, participation, and equity?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 11 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Building Culturally Responsive Systems People PoliciesPractices

Lecturette 3.3 Page 12 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Engaging People Students Administrators Families Teachers Communities Presence Participation Emancipation

Lecturette 3.3 Page 13 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Questions- What works to ensure presence, participation, and emancipation? What challenges exist?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 14 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Educate Inform Equitable Emancipate Create Access State Federal School District Examining Policies

Lecturette 3.3 Page 15 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Questions- Think about a current policy that you are implementing in the district/school- what have you done to educate? Inform? Ensure equity?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 16 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Examining Practice Discourse Tools Collaboration Evidence Early Intervention in General Education Positive Behavior Supports Literacy Instruction Professional Development

Lecturette 3.3 Page 17 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Questions- Choose an area of your practice- think about the tools you need, the opportunities for collaboration and discourse, and the evidence that this is an effective practice

Lecturette 3.3 Page 18 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems So What Should be the Focus of Change? People PoliciesPracticesFEDERALSTATE DISTRICT DISTRICTS SCHOOLS CLASSROOMS

Lecturette 3.3 Page 19 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems How do we know what to change or where to begin?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 20 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Data about People Who are our students? What are their concerns? How are they doing? Are different groups of students experiencing different levels of success? What do we know about their school experiences?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 21 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems People Students- who is achieving? Who is not? Who is in what programs? Families- What is involvement? Who is involved? Who is not? Communities- Have you identified community assets? Are community partners represented in all conversations? Practitioners- Do practitioners have time to work together? Do practitioners receive support, resources, and training? Is there a plan in place to recruit diverse practitioners? How do practitioners become aware of the importance of culture- their own, and others? Administrators- Do administrators come together to share successes and challenges? Do they have support, resources, and training? Are administrators committed to leading in a culturally responsive educational system?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 22 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems What do we know about practices? What is being taught and how? What is being learning and by whom? What are the contexts for learning? Do they differ from classroom to classroom? From school to school? Why?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 23 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Practices Curriculum Instruction Assessment Pre-referral and referral processes Discipline Graduation and post-secondary supports

Lecturette 3.3 Page 24 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems What do we know about policies? How do classroom policies affect different kinds of learners? How do school policies affect different kinds of learners? What about district or state policies? What policies help practitioners reach out to their students?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 25 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Policies Explicit Flexible Equitable Evaluated Revised

Lecturette 3.3 Page 26 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Culturally Responsive Practices – What are they? Personal ProfessionalInstitutional

Lecturette 3.3 Page 27 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Personal Individuals value cultural diversity as well as cultural similarities, holding respect for the unique characteristics of each individual, and acknowledging the similarities we all share as well. Individuals believe in the relevance of learning about and valuing customs, traditions and beliefs he or she is unfamiliar with, in order to understand and appreciate cultural diversity better. Individuals see themselves as agents of change, assuming the role and responsibility of providing students with empowering instruction, being committed with the political nature of their work. Individuals are aware of the influence cultural knowledge that children bring to school has in their way of thinking, behaving, being and learning. Individuals are interested in knowing about the lives of their students, getting to know more about student’s experiences outside school.

Lecturette 3.3 Page 28 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Personal What needs to happen in order for educators to develop these beliefs?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 29 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Professional Practices Values individual’s cultural and linguistic knowledge and skills, using them as resources for moving ahead, instead of focusing on differences or deficiencies Holds high professional and personal expectations for others Treats others as competent, assuming their success. Encourages others to develop a broader and critical consciousness about social inequalities and the status quo. Facilitates going beyond the constrained ways of knowing, and a single version of truth. Builds bridges between everyday experiences and new ideas Encourages individuals to apply cultural knowledge in their work Supports professional learning so that it becomes a contextualized and meaningful experience. Leads in multidimensional ways that surface beliefs, feelings and factual information in teaching practices.

Lecturette 3.3 Page 30 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Professional What needs to happen in order for educators to develop these skills?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 31 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Institutional Practice Provide organization members with opportunities to consume and create new knowledge, by embracing a “culture of inquiry”. Active work as scholars allows them to address problems or questions through the systematic study of teaching and learning. Promote a collaborative environment, by providing time for teams to share read and think together about what they are doing and how it improves cultural practice Encourage and organize the use of staff resources to gather and develop knowledge about culturally responsive practices, inside and outside the organization. Make effective use of everyone’s time, responsibilities and materials to provide learning opportunities about culturally responsive practices in daily work. Embrace organizational values, beliefs and norms that support culturally responsive professional communities. Adopt leadership styles that allow collaborative work at the different administrative levels.

Lecturette 3.3 Page 32 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Institutional What needs to happen in order for institutions to change?

Lecturette 3.3 Page 33 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems Building Culturally Responsive Systems- Committing to an Equity Agenda People PoliciesPractices

Lecturette 3.3 Page 34 NCCREST 3.3: Evidencing Change for Culturally Responsive Systems References Bowers, C. & Flinders, D. (1991). Culturally responsive teaching and supervision: A handbook for staff development. New York: Teachers College Press. Bowers, C. & Flinders, D. (1990). Responsive teaching: An ecological approach to classroom patterns of language, culture and thought. New York: Teachers College Press. Gay, D. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching. New York: Teachers College Press Hollins, E. (1996). Culture in school learning: Revealing the deep meaning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Irvine, J. & Armento, B. (2001). Culturally responsive teachers: Lesson planning for elementary and middle grades. New York: McGraw-Hill. Ladson-Billings, G. (1994) The dreamkeepers: Successful teachers of African American children. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory into practice, 34(3), p Lang, M., Olson, J., Hansen, H. & Bunder, W. (1999). Introduction. In M. Lang, J. Olson, H. Hansen & W. Bunder (Eds.), Changing schools/changing practices: Perspectives on educational reform and teacher professionalism (pp. 9-21). Louvain, Belgium: Garant. Lieberman, A. (1995). Restructuring schools: The dynamics of changing practice, structure, and culture. In A. Lieberman (Ed.), The work of restructuring schools: Building from the ground up (pp. 1-17). New York: Teachers College Press. Little, J. (1999). Organizing schools for teacher learning. In L. Darling-Hammond & G. Sykes (Eds.), Teaching as a learning profession: Handbook of policy and practice (pp ). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Villegas, A. M. & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Rethinking the curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 53(1), p