Culturally Responsive Education

What is Culturally Responsive Education

• Culturally responsive education empowers students by respecting their identity and interests as central to the learning process. Research has shown that the delivery of effective, meaningful, culturally relevant pedagogy is integral to improving educational outcomes for students of color, particularly for Black and Latino male students. Building capacity within schools around culturally responsive educational practices has been a core tenet of ESI.
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• Culturally Responsive Education is a framework that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references (or lived experiences) in all aspects of learning. Identity formation is a vital part of young people’s development. It is how they define themselves politically, socially, and historically.Identity affirms the need for self-understanding and is the basis for self-definition. Schools are an ecosystem of academic, physical, and developmental possibilities. In this context, educators have a responsibility to understand the ways in which their students learn best in order to effectively teach subject area content.
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In addition to teaching content, educators are also purveyors of opportunity and guardians of equity. The goal of undertaking CRE as a professional learning community is to create an optimal environment for Black and Latino males to thrive.