Analyzing and Addressing the Need for Culturally Responsive Teaching

A need exists in the school systems for educators to familiarize themselves with the central tenets of culturally responsive pedagogy. Professional development can be utilized to address this need to both inform and educate teachers on the topic. The necessity of a culturally responsive pedagogy can be seen as a response to the changing demographics in schools across the country, at a time when teachers require training to meet the demands of a new population of students (Mohl, 2003). Maintaining a culturally responsive pedagogy in the classroom could serve as the solution to fostering the educational and social development of our culturally and linguistically diverse students. The issue is analyzed and addressed in this practice project in progress. Artiles, Kozleski, Trent, Osher, & Ortiz (2010) recommend that the implications resulting from difficulties that students face from diverse cultures are researched and addressed in the classroom. Through this interactive symposium, educators and related personnel challenge their previously held narrative, and collaborate to understand the strengths that their students hold, as well as their cultural differences, thus working to minimize the achievement gap (Ford & Russo, 2016)