Articles

BUT THAT'S JUST GOOD TEACHING! THE CASE FOR CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY

"The pedagogical excellence I have studied is just good teaching, but it is much more than that. This article is an attempt to describe a pedagogy I have come to identify as "culturally relevant" (Ladson-Billings, 1992a) and to argue for its centrality in the academic success of African American and other children who have not been well served by our nation's public schools."

- Gloria Ladson-Billings

CULTURALLY RELEVANT PEDAGOGY 2.0: a.k.a. THE REMIX 

In this article, Ladson-Billings reflects on the history of her theory of culturally relevant pedagogy and the ways it has been used and misused since its inception. She argues for the importance of dynamic scholarship and suggests that it is time for a "remix" of her original theory: culturally sustaining pedagogy as proposed by Paris (2012).

CULTURAL RESPONSIVENESS STARTS WITH REAL CARING

In this Teaching Tolerance article, Zaretta Hammond writes: "Culturally responsive teaching is really about building relationships and validating students. Ensuring the academic success of students takes care and a little tough love."

WHAT ARE WE SEEKING TO SUSTAIN THROUGH CULTURALLY SUSTAINING PEDAGOGY? A LOVING CRITIQUE FORWARD

In this article, Django Paris and H. Samy Alim use the emergence of Paris’s concept of culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) as the foundation for a respectful and productive critique of previous formulations of asset pedagogies. Paying particular attention to asset pedagogy’s failures to remain dynamic and critical in a constantly evolving global world, they offer a vision that builds on the crucial work of the past toward a CSP that keeps pace with the changing lives and practices of youth of color.

AVOIDING RACIAL EQUITY DETOURS

Students experiencing racism cannot afford to wait for schools to move at their own pace and comfort level. In this article Paul Gorski describes four racial equity detours commonly embraced in schools, followed by equity principles that can help educators avoid these detours and build a more transformational racial equity approach. In addition, Gorski has recently created a Racial Equity Detours Handout that expands the list of racial equity detours and "provides space for people to reflect on how they've seen each detour operating in their spheres of influence."

SEVEN C's FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING

How can we build strong relationships with students who have diverse learning skills, styles, and backgrounds? Seven strategies, which Christopher Emdin calls the seven Cs, can help. Whatever the environment, school leaders play an important role in developing the kinds of relationships that foster academic rigor. Reality Pedagogy recognizes that academically rigorous teaching and learning are deeply personal, and teaching is unlikely to meet student needs unless students' cultures, backgrounds, and experiences are reflected in the curriculum.

ANTI-BLACK STATE VIOLENCE, CLASSROOM EDITION: THE SPIRIT MURDERING OF BLACK CHILDREN

The spiritual deaths of Black children continue to go unnoticed, even in a time when folks are screaming in the streets that Black Lives Matter, calling to end police brutality, and demanding racial justice. Dr. Bettina L. Love writes, "It is thus fundamental to call attention to the fact that our education system, built on White supremacy and enforced by physical violence, is invested in murdering the souls of Black children, even if they are not physically taken."

DISRUPTING YOUR TEXTS: WHY SIMPLY INCLUDING DIVERSE VOICES IS NOT ENOUGH

Literacy teachers can use counter-stories or counternarratives as powerful resources to fight against hate and bias and helping all students be seen and heard, appreciated and understood. This is especially critical for students from communities whose stories are too often oversimplified, misrepresented, or rendered invisible in the dominant culture and mainstream media. Thus, centering and amplifying minoritized perspectives can help to foster community and the type of solidarity that counteracts and perhaps even prevents incidents of hate and bias in our schools.

CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING PUTS RIGOR AT THE CENTER: Q&A WITH ZARETTA HAMMOND

Zaretta Hammond is a teacher educator, researcher, and consultant committed to supporting leaders, coaches, and teachers in integrating neuroscience with instruction, equity, and literacy. In her ongoing work with teachers, she has successfully supported educators throughout the country and beyond to develop culturally responsive habits of mind and instructional practices that support underprepared diverse students to lead their own learning.

Websites

LEARNING FOR JUSTICE (FORMERLY TEACHING TOLERANCE)

The mission of Learning for Justice is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. Learning for Justice provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use our materials to supplement the curriculum, to inform their practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where children are respected, valued and welcome participants. In 2021, we changed our name to better reflect our mission. Our new name speaks to the collaborative work of learning and growing together to reach our goal of justice for all.

RETHINKING SCHOOLS

Rethinking Schools is firmly committed to equity and to the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy. Throughout its history, Rethinking Schools has tried to balance classroom practice and educational theory. It is an activist publication, with articles written by and for teachers, parents, and students.

TEACHING FOR CHANGE

Teaching for Change provides teachers and parents with the tools to create schools where students learn to read, write, and change the world. By drawing direct connections to real world issues, Teaching for Change encourages teachers and students to question and re-think the world inside and outside their classrooms, build a more equitable, multicultural society, and become active global citizens.

FACING HISTORY FACING OURSELVES

At Facing History and Ourselves, we believe the bigotry and hate that we witness today are the legacy of brutal injustices of the past. Facing our collective history and how it informs our attitudes and behaviors allows us to choose a world of equity and justice. Facing History's resources address racism, antisemitism, and prejudice at pivotal moments in history; we help students connect choices made in the past to those they will confront in their own lives. Through our partnership with educators around the world, Facing History and Ourselves reaches millions of students in thousands of classrooms every year.

BLACK LIVES MATTER AT SCHOOL

Black Lives Matter At School is a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education. We encourage all educators, students, parents, unions, and community organizations to join our annual week of action during the first week of February each year.

THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION

NAME is a non-profit organization that advances and advocates for equity and social justice through multicultural education. The Founders of NAME envisioned an organization that would bring together individuals and groups with an interest in multicultural education from all levels of education, different academic disciplines and from diverse educational institutions and occupations.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE: I AM AN EDUCATOR

The effects of race and racism are unavoidable aspects of our modern world. Since the opening of the museum, the number one question people ask us is how to talk about race. The NMAAHC education department’s mission has made deliberate strides toward being a “brave space” to discuss race, equity, and inclusion. Educators play a valuable role that impacts how our young people operate in the world by giving them a nuanced perspective on race. By teaching about the historical foundations of race and its role within political and social structures, we can help students better understand how race affects their own lives.

ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT

The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people’s history in middle and high school classrooms across the country. Based on the lens of history highlighted in Howard Zinn’s best-selling book A People’s History of the United States, the website offers free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and reading level.

CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION - UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

The Center for Urban Education’s vision is to be a space of learning and sharing with communities to positively transform educational opportunities and experiences. CUE structures its research, service, and knowledge dissemination into three areas:  Community Partnership & Engagement, Educator Development & Practice and Student Academic & Social Development