1. Urban Forum March 14, 2016 Team Planning session
“Lifting Every Voice: Conversations examining race, language, and culture impacting our work”
Urban Forum
March 14, 2016
Team Planning session

2. The Research
Culturally responsive pedagogy is a student-centered approach to teaching in which the students' unique cultural strengths are identified and nurtured to promote student achievement and a sense of well-being about the student's cultural place in the world.
-Matthew Lynch, Ed.D.
Participating in culturally relevant teaching essentially means that teachers create a bridge between students’ home and school lives, while still meeting the expectations of the district and state curricular requirements. Culturally relevant teaching utilizes the backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences of the students to inform the teacher’s lessons and methodology.
- Gloria Ladson-Billings
Culturally responsive teaching connects students’ cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles to academic knowledge and intellectual tools in ways that legitimize what students already know.
-Geneva Gay
Please take 1 minute to read this brief definition provided by some of the leading experts in the field on culturally responsive teaching. Choose one that resonates with you and share why with an elbow partner. Two minutes

3. Culturally Responsive Practice1
Students are affirmed in their cultural connections 7
Interactions stress collectivity as well as individuality 2
Teachers are personally inviting
PRINCIPLES
FOR BUILDING A
LEARNING COMMUNITY 6
Classroom is managed with firm consistent, loving control 3
Classroom is physically inviting
Relationships
Precede Learning
In terms of culturally responsive classroom practice, we can look at the interconnectedness of seven guiding principles posited by expert Gary Howard as it relates to developing welcoming environments for students. 5
Instructional changes are made to accommodate differences 4
Students are reinforced for academic development
Gary Howard

4. Four High Leverage Strategies
Creating a Welcoming Environment
Rigorous Instruction/ High Expectations for All
Culturally Inclusive Curriculum
Teacher & Administrator Training on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
As a district, we will focus on four high leverage strategies for school and classroom practices over the next two years.

5. 1. Creating a Welcoming Environment
In what ways do you believe classroom culture impacts student achievement? Behavior?
How are students reflected in your school’s classroom?
How are students reflected in the instruction in your school?
In what ways does your school reach out to the families of your diverse learners?
Guiding Questions for this strategy
closely linked to
DTSDE Tenet 4 - Teacher practices and decision making
DTSDE Tenet 5- Student Social and Emotional Developmental Health
DTSDE Tenet 6- Family and community engagement
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 1 Knowledge of students
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 4 Classroom environment

6. 1. Creating a Welcoming Environment
Closely linked to:
DTSDE
Tenet 4 - Teacher practices and decision making
Tenet 5 - Student social & emotional developmental health
Tenet 6 - Family and community engagement
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric
Standard - 1 Knowledge of students
Standard - 4 Classroom environment

7. 2. Rigorous Instruction/ High Expectations For All
Make learning and behavioral expectations explicit
Clearly connect your instructional process with the learning
Using rubrics to help students understand learning progressions
Implementing lessons that are created based on data and backwards planning
Providing actionable feedback to students
closely linked to:
DTSDE Tenet 3- Curriculum development
DTSDE Tenet 4- Teacher practices and decision making
DTSDE Tenet 5- Student social and emotional developmental health
DTSDE Tenet 6- Family and community engagement
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 1 Knowledge of students
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 2 Instructional planning
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 3 Teacher Practice
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 4 Classroom environment

8. 2. Rigorous Instruction/ High Expectations For All
Closely linked to:
DTSDE
Tenet 3- Curriculum development
Tenet 4- Teacher practices and decision making
Tenet 5- Student social and emotional developmental health
Tenet 6- Family and community engagement
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric
Standard- 1 Knowledge of students
Standard- 2 Instructional planning
Standard- 3 Teacher Practice
Standard- 4 Classroom environment

9. 3. Culturally Inclusive Curriculum
Where do I see myself as a student in the curriculum?
Cultural connections to content
African & African-American Infusion Program
Authentic resources (multicultural) which are representative of out diverse populations.
Community resources and materials
Closely Linked to:
DTSDE Tenet 3- Curriculum development
DTSDE Tenet 4- Teacher practices and decision making
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 1 Knowledge of students
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 2 Instructional planning
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric Standard- 3 Teacher Practice

10. 3.Culturally Inclusive Curriculum
Closely Linked to:
DTSDE
Tenet 3- Curriculum development
Tenet 4- Teacher practices and decision making
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric
Standard- 1 Knowledge of students
Standard- 2 Instructional planning
Standard- 3 Teacher Practice

11. 4. Teacher & Administrator Training on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Summer 2016 PD opportunities
Afterschool learning opportunities
Job-embedded opportunities
Building based opportunities
A three-year plan will be forthcoming

12. 4. Teacher & Administrator Training on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy
Closely Linked to:
DTSDE
Tenet 3- Curriculum development
Tenet 4- Teacher practices and decision making
Tenet 5- Student social and emotional developmental health
Tenet 6- Family and community engagement
NYSUT Teacher Practice Rubric
Standard- 1 Knowledge of students
Standard- 2 Instructional planning
Standard- 3 Teacher Practice
Standard- 4 Classroom environment

13. School
Principal
Team Members
Please draft an outline for implementation of initial discussions in your school related to culturally responsive teaching strategies. Working with your school teams, please use the following questions to guide your planning and discussions:
How and when will the discussion of the culturally responsive teaching dialogue, and key learning from the forum take place for every teacher in your school (i.e., grade level, faculty meeting, CPT)?
Who will be the lead person(s) responsible for ensuring that the high leverage strategies are shared and the discussion takes place?
Of the four strategies shared today, which one will your team begin to develop for implement this school year? What supports will be needed for school wide implementation? How will you garner teacher and parent buy-in?
How will you monitor the implementation of the chosen strategy?
What could be possible barriers to implementation of the chosen strategy and how will your team overcome them?
This Planning template is your ticket out of the door, please complete this planning template as a school team. I will make a copy of it for Dr. Morrell and Dr. Cash’s records. Thank you for joining us today. We look forward to our next sessions which will start in the summer, please do not hesitate to start implementing your own high leverage strategy as soon as possible. Please call on any CRT committee member for suggestions and support. On behalf of the Division of CAI, thank you for joining us and we look forward to seeing you all at our PD series on Culturally Relevant Teaching this summer.
Thank you

14. Thank you for working with us today!
Survey
Thank you for working with us today!