Culturally Responsive Teaching

Learn more about how to use students’ customs, characteristics, experience, and perspectives as tools for better classroom instruction

Explainer

conceptual illustration of a classroom with colorful roots growing beneath the surface under the teacher and students
What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?
Here's what it means to be a culturally responsive teacher and where critical race theory ties in—or not.
View Explainer
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion Making Culturally Responsive Teaching Work: Zaretta Hammond Corrects 3 Big Misconceptions
The author and coach explains how to avoid several common mistakes in culturally responsive teaching.
Larry Ferlazzo, September 26, 2023
•
10 min read
Collage of a young student reading a book.
Laura Baker/Education Week via Canva
Equity & Diversity Researchers Find Need for More High Quality, Culturally Relevant Curriculum
A new report from The Education Trust examines the limited complexity of representation in children's books deemed to be high quality.
Ileana Najarro, September 25, 2023
•
5 min read
PLB Thumbnail 01 BS
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Equity & Diversity Video A Native Community Revitalized a Language. Here’s How a School District Carries It On
Native students' well-being and grad rates improve when they're exposed to their cultural languages. How one district is making that happen.
Kaylee Domzalski, June 9, 2023
•
4 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion The Big Questions Teachers Are Asking Themselves Right Now
Teachers have lots of questions, chief among them why there's such a mismatch between teacher-prep and school district needs.
Larry Ferlazzo, June 7, 2023
•
12 min read
Image of a mother working on homework with her son.
Marco VDM/E+
Mathematics What Parents Say Would Make Math Class More Relevant
Parents agreed that their children would be more likely to succeed in math classes that are relevant and engaging.
Evie Blad, April 21, 2023
•
3 min read
Photo of student reading.
E+ / Getty
Reading & Literacy Using a Curriculum Rich in Arts, History, and Science Led to Big Reading Improvements
Students taught using the approach outperformed those in other schools, a new study finds.
Sarah Schwartz, April 11, 2023
•
6 min read
This May 8, 1964 file photo shows Linda Brown Smith standing in front of the Sumner School in Topeka, Kan. The refusal of the public school to admit Brown in 1951, then nine years old, because she is black, led to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the "separate but equal" clause and mandated that schools nationwide must be desegregated.
This May 8, 1964 file photo shows Linda Brown Smith standing in front of the Sumner School in Topeka, Kan. The refusal of the public school to admit Brown in 1951, then nine years old, because she is black, led to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court overruled the "separate but equal" clause and mandated that schools nationwide must be desegregated.
AP Photo
Equity & Diversity Educational Inequality: 4 Moments in History That Explain Where We Are Today
A new Columbia University report highlights how inequality was embedded in the creation of public education in the United States.
Ileana Najarro, March 20, 2023
•
5 min read
Tue., March 07, 2023, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
School & District Management Webinar How Culturally Responsive Leadership Leads to Student Success
Discover how to create a learning environment where all students feel valued and supported, and how to accelerate learning for English learners and students of color.
Register
March 7, 2023
Two diverse teachers at a table in a library reviewing materials
iStock/Getty
English-Language Learners Professional Development Tips for Supporting English Learners
Many teachers aren't well prepared to work with English learners. PD can help fill that knowledge gap.
Ileana Najarro, February 28, 2023
•
5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion Gholdy Muhammad Champions 'Unearthing Joy' in Her New Book
The esteemed educator explains the importance of bringing joy into the classroom and incorporating it into the curriculum.
Larry Ferlazzo, February 1, 2023
•
15 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion How to Build a Culturally Responsive Community of Writers
Acclaimed educators Gholdy Muhammad and Marie Moreno share insights into reaching all students in the classroom.
Larry Ferlazzo, November 1, 2022
•
10 min read
Conceptual illustration of culturally diverse people
iStock/Getty Images
Curriculum Are These ELA Programs Culturally Responsive? (And Who Gets to Decide, Anyway?)
Reviewers said the materials present one-sided narratives and use dehumanizing language to refer to characters of color.
Sarah Schwartz, October 26, 2022
•
8 min read
Diverse elementary students sitting in a circle and talking to a Black male teacher.
E+/Getty
Teaching Profession Q&A Award-Winning Teachers Are Pushing Back Against Attacks on 'Honest Education'
They plan to host conversations, educate school boards, and write op-eds about why affirming, culturally responsive classrooms matter.
Madeline Will, October 24, 2022
•
8 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty
Teaching Opinion Teachers, Be Brave in the Face of Unjust Laws
Particularly in these politically fraught times, all students need to be exposed to literature that invites diverse perspectives.
Larry Ferlazzo, October 19, 2022
•
9 min read
Load More ▼