Eliciting Student Voice to Explore the Need for Culturally Responsive Teaching in Secondary Schools

The aim of this research was to elicit student voice in regard to school climate, belonging, racial identity, and culturally responsive teaching, to glean a greater understanding of the academic achievement gap in a secondary school with predominantly White students and a minority group of students of color. Current studies are limited when it comes student perspective on the effects of culturally responsive teaching, identity formation, belonging, and school climate in this specific demographic. The purpose of this research is to discover how students experience culturally responsive practices and to understand how school programs, extracurricular programs, and actions by other students and teachers that are designed to address the achievement gap affect students\u27 day to day experiences in school. Methodology included an anonymous online survey with 52 participants and three distinct focus groups with 13 total participants. Findings indicate that while a large body of research has shown the value of Culturally Responsive Teaching for students of color, belonging and school climate matter to all students. Within the demographic of a student population comprised of majority White and affluent students and minority lower socioeconomic status students of color, student participants identified three major themes that contribute to lived experience of belonging and positive school climate: 1) pervasive awareness of differences and its effects on identity-formation; 2) daily interactions with school peers; and 3) personalized educational experiences constructed by adults