Culturally Responsive Education Resources for Federal, State, and Local Stakeholders

Out-of-school (OST) programs and organizations tailored to Black girl literacies play a pivotal role in supplementing the educational experiences of Black girls, offering them opportunities often absent in conventional school settings. These programs serve as invaluable platforms that foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of Black culture, history, and literature, which are frequently marginalized or overlooked within mainstream curricula.

Today’s political and social climates have caused a power struggle in schools over what topics are allowed, how teachers should engage on topics that are approved, and what materials students should have access to.

This policy brief summarizes a meta-analysis of more than 160 studies that reveal the connection between culturally responsive materials and learning, as well as the disparity in the frequency and portrayal of different racial, ethnic, and gender groups within educational materials. This brief offers three policy considerations for educational settings, materials, and teaching and learning practices that create a sense of belonging, develop cultural authenticity, and recognize nuanced identity.

This brief summarizes a recent report that synthesizes more than 160 studies to explore the connection between culturally responsive materials and learning, and to assess the frequency and portrayal of different racial, ethnic, and gender groups within printed and digital educational media. Findings suggest there is disparity in representation of characters from different racial, ethnic, and gender groups. When portrayals of these groups are present, they tend to be affirming. However, stereotypes, limited roles, and inaccurate information are still present and tend to be unique to specific communities. The results of the synthesis indicate a need for educational materials that create a sense of belonging, develop cultural authenticity, and recognize nuanced identity in different characters. This brief concludes with questions to prompt reflection for three audiences: (1) education leaders, curriculum specialists, and coaches, (2) designers and developers of educational materials, and (3) families.

Research shows that students learn best when they have educational materials that reflect their own backgrounds and open windows for seeing people who are different from themselves. But where do these educational materials come from? How do teachers find them? And could the use of openly licensed materials help fill the gaps?

During November 2022, New America convened a roundtable of out-of-school time (OST) and youth development professionals to better understand how their work connects to digital learning, culturally inclusive education, and open educational resources (OER). This roundtable is part of a series with stakeholders to explore the intersection of culturally inclusive education and digital equity.

As teachers around the country tackle distance and blended learning, one of the biggest challenges is making sure all students are supported and able to learn. Fostering a safe, inclusive, and productive learning environment is key to this type of success, but doing so virtually may look different than it does in the physical classroom. Digital technology, change of space, and being disconnected from peers or supportive faculty can be particularly challenging for LGBTQ students and the teachers supporting them. Luckily, Gender Inclusive Classrooms is here to help.

Critical race theory (CRT) is a theoretical framework developed in the 1970s and 80s by legal scholars as a way to understand the intersection of race, power, and policy. It has been debated by scholars and academics for many years, but last year CRT was brought back into the public discourse by former President Trump.

Sabia Prescott and Jenny Muñiz explain why open educational resources offer a prime opportunity to deliver resources needed for distance learning that do not sacrifice quality or cultural relevance.

Sabia Prescott, Jenny Muñiz, and Kristina Ishmael explain how OER resources can help teachers foster more inclusive learning experiences.

Jenny Muñiz spotlights one of Wisconsin’s equity initiatives, which involves preparing teachers and leaders to adopt culturally responsive practices.

Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has made a commitment to "fully fund" programs that promote culturally relevant education practices, explains Jenny Muñiz.

Students, parents, and community members across the country are advocating for an increased focus on anti-racist education and culturally responsive teaching initiatives, argues Isabel Herburger.

Jenny Muñiz outlines the growing body of research shows that culturally responsive teaching practices can provide students with a range of social and cognitive benefits.

Are culturally responsive practices supported by research? In this blog, Jenny Muñiz explores the exciting research on culturally responsive teaching.

The era of remote instruction brought on by the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated many challenges that schools and families already faced, but perhaps none as widespread as the digital divide—or the gap between those with reliable internet access and those without.

This report is a reminder that students' educational opportunities and well-being must be at the center of all decision-making. Otherwise, we’ve relegated ourselves to petty political power struggles.

Black History Month is an opportunity to intentionally focus on the contributions and his(her)(their)stories of Black and African Americans. While the official celebratory month is ending, this is an instrumental time to reflect on its origin, catalog information gathered, note unanswered questions, and determine how to continue building this knowledge throughout the year.

During the month of March, the U.S. nationally recognizes Women’s History/Herstory Month as a designated time of year to acknowledge the contributions and accomplishments of American women.

April is nationally recognized as Arab American Heritage Month, a time to learn and reflect on Arab Americans’ contributions to the United States and society overall. As we conclude this celebration, there is an opportunity for us to build on this momentum to ensure Arab Americans, their stories, and contributions are included in history curricula and other disciplines.

It has been six months since we observed Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. As education institutions and organizations continue to emphasize the importance of including Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) throughout the year, reviewing and understanding research regarding experiences of people within these communities offers guidance on how educators can improve learning experiences for students.

Having familiarity with the complex history of Native peoples, Native peoples’ perspectives, and media representation of this social group can be helpful in understanding the importance of intentionally integrating Native history, culture, and people in educational experiences.

Produced by Frontlines of Justice, this video explains how teachers can recognize and redress systemic bias in education.

Hosted by Digital Promise this webinar highlights how teachers can take steps to supporting students’ agency and racial identity validation.

Hosted by the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, this webinar answers copyright and fair use questions that have come up for K-12 teachers in the emergency transition to online teaching and learning.

In this webinar hosted by the Hunt Institute, Jenny Muñiz explains why integrating culturally responsive teaching into professional teaching standards can create a common language for instruction.

Hosted by the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property, this webinar covers how to understand the ways open licensing can support and enable LGBTQ-inclusive learning through the examination of existing structural systems.

Hosted by Open Education Global, this webinar outlines how educators can curate and develop OER in ways that promote LGBTQ-inclusive environments.

In this video, teachers at Capital City Lighthouse Charter School in North Little Rock, Arkansas, show why Culturally Responsive Education is an essential element of empowering teachers and students topromote equity in the classroom and social justice in the community

Students learn better, are more engaged, and are better served by education when the teaching materials take into account their experiences, identity, and cultural perspectives. Educators who are invested in culturally responsive education often find that commercial offerings either do not exist or are not adaptable to their needs. When they move beyond the realm of commercial publishing, a toolkit of copyright and open licensing knowledge can be useful in creating Open Educational Resources that can be authored centering specific student populations and adapted when needed. Open Educational Resources (OER) are free resources, including textbooks, activities, and supplemental resources.

This webinar examines specific hypotheticals and fair use cases where educators create culturally responsive learning materials that represent diverse student populations. It features panelists from the Virginia Department of Education, the Westmoreland Intermediate Unit, and the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME).