Creating a Culturally Responsive Teaching Practice: Does attainment of Minnesota State Standard of Effective Practice Standard 3 – Diverse Learners lead to developing a culturally responsive practice?

With an increase of students of colors in k-12 education and the lack of representation of teachers of color entering the profession, teaching licensure programs need to prepare teaching licensure candidates to teach in a multicultural classroom. This dissertation examines if attainment of Minnesota State Standard of Effective Practices, specifically Standard 3 – Diverse Learners and the accompany criterion in a teaching licensure program leads to teaching licensure candidates in developing a culturally responsive practice. The researcher utilized a triangulation design that included a qualitative and quantitative approach to interview and survey licensure program completers, and interview faculty to gather data. In addition, an auto-ethnography approach was utilized to analyze curriculum and for an overall interpretation of the data obtained. The research found that program completers were overall satisfied with the licensure programs approach to creating a culturally responsive practice, however more still could be done to prepare them to teach in multicultural classroom such as assessing their level of cultural competency. The researcher recommends to meet the needs of the teaching licensure candidates, that teaching licensure programs should allow for critical self-reflection for faculty and teaching licensure candidates as well as being intentional on how they develop the curriculum and program design