Caring and Understanding “As Nearly as Possible”: Towards Culturally Responsive Caring Across Differences

Although teachers claim that caring for students is their main reason for entering the profession, research indicates that many urban students describe their teachers as uncaring. This article delineates a culturally responsive form of caring that juxtaposes Nel Noddings ’ theory of care and Gloria Ladson-Billings ’ theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. Responding to the demographic imbalance between teacher and student populations in urban schools, culturally responsive caring is facilitated by three factors: White teachers need to (1) develop a culturally diverse knowledge base; (2) interrogate their identity, position, and privilege; and (3) critically examine curriculum and pedagogy. These factors can potentially influence White teachers ’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices, which may enable racialized minority students to accept, rather than reject, their attempts to care