Cultural Competence

According to Gloria Ladson-Billings, culturally relevant pedagogy and practices recognize the importance of including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning. Culturally relevant practices: expect and yield academic success, help students develop positive ethnic and cultural identities while simultaneously helping them achieve academically, and support students’ ability to recognize, understand, and critique current and past social inequalities.

The EdEquityVA Framework is informed by Virginia achievement data, best practice, and research. We frame the work as Two Pillars of Inputs, one being cultural competence, which includes the following Culturally Responsive Competencies:

• -Reflect on one’s cultural lens
• -Model high expectations for all students
• -Draw on students’ culture to shape curriculum and instruction
• -Promote respect for student differences
• -Recognize and redress bias in the system 
• -Bring real-world issues into the classroom
• -Communicate in linguistically and culturally responsive ways 
• -Collaborate with families and the local community 

 The following resources are meant to support teachers and leaders in developing these competencies within themselves, their staff, and the larger school community:

Introductory Resources

• –Culturally Responsive Pedagogy: Some Key Features (Sonia Nieto)
• –Culturally Responsive Teaching: An Introduction (Brown University)
• –Culturally Responsive Teaching: An Overview (ASSIST)
• –Understanding Culturally Responsive Teaching (New America Foundation)
• –5 Ways Culturally Responsive Teaching Benefits Learners (New America Foundation)
• –But That’s Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings)
• –Culturally Responsive Teaching Matters (Equity Alliance)
• –Culturally Responsive Teaching (Education Northwest)
• –Frequently Asked Questions About Culturally Responsive Instruction

Books

• –Walking the Equity Talk: A Guide for Culturally Courageous Leadership in School Communities (John Roert Browne II)
• –The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children (Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings)
• –Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice (Dr. Geneva Gay)
• –Multiplication Is for White People: Raising Expectations for Other People’s Children (Dr. Lisa Delpit)
• –Finding Joy in Teaching Students of Diverse Backgrounds (Dr. Sonia Nieto)
• –Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (Zaretta Hammond)
• –Start Where You Are, But Don’t Stay There: Understanding Diversity, Opportunity Gaps, and Teaching in Today’s Classrooms (Dr. H. Richard Milner IV)
• –Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching and Learning – Classroom Practices for Student Success, Grades K-12 (2nd Edition) (Dr. Sharroky Hollie)
• –We Got This: Equity, Access, and the Quest to Be Who Our Students Need Us to Be (Cornelius Minor)
• –Managing Diverse Classrooms: How to Build on Students’ Cultural Strengths (Dr. Carrie Rothstein-Fisch and Dr. Elise Trumbull)
• –Unlocking English Learners’ Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible (Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner and Dr. Sydney Snyder)

Videos, Webinars, and Podcasts

• –Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (VDOE)
• –Strategies to support LatinX and Dual Language Learners (VDOE)
• –Successful teachers of African American students (Video featuring Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings)
• –What Is ‘Culturally Competent’ Teaching? (Education Week)
• –Reading A Long Walk to Water with Students from Yemen (Colorín Colorado)
• –Windows and Mirrors: Learning About Difference — and Belonging — Through Books (Edutopia)
• –The What and Why of Culturally Responsive Instruction for Native American Students (UCLA CRESST)
• –Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Mathematics: A Critical Need (Dr. Shelly Jones)
• –Situational Appropriateness: Using African American History to Discuss Language Use (Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning) 
• –12 Ways to Make Culturally Responsive Instruction Work in Your Classroom (Larry Ferlazzo: BAM! Radio Show)

American Indian/Alaska Native Students

• –Ways to Become More Culturally Responsive in Engaging American Indian and Alaska Native Families (Education Northwest)
• –Creating a More Welcoming and Culturally Responsive School Community to Engage American Indian and Alaska Native Families (Education Northwest)
• –Culturally Responsive Instruction for Native American Students (WestED/CRESST)
• –Lessons Learned in Teaching Native American History (Edutopia)
• –Exploring Culture Through Art (Teaching Channel)
• –Tips for Choosing Culturally Appropriate Books & Resources About Native Americans (Colorín Colorado)
• –Relearning the Star Stories of Indigenous Peoples (Science Friday)

Multilingual Language Learner
Students

• –How to Create Culturally Responsive Classrooms for ELLs (Valentina Gonzalez)
• –Are You Practicing Culturally Responsive Teaching? (Valentina Gonzalez)
• –Equity for English-Language Learners (Edutopia)
• –Breaking Out of the Bilingualism Double Standard (Zaretta Hammond)
• –A Hidden Language: Supporting Students Who Speak Mixtec (Colorín Colorado)

Students with Special Needs

• –Creating a Welcoming Classroom for Students with Special Needs (Cult of Pedagogy)
• –What are My Choices? Facilitating Meaningful Conversations with Families of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students during the Disabilities Referral Process (Colorín Colorado)
• –Why Are So Many Minority Students in Special Education?: Understanding Race and Disability in Schools (Beth Harry)

Asian/Pacific American 

• –Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s Learning Together Page (Smithsonian)
• –Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage and History in the U.S. (National Endowment for the Humanities)
• –Asian Pacific American Heritage Teaching Resources (Smithsonian Institution)
• –Teaching with Historic Places: Lessons on Asian American and Pacific Islander History (National Park Service)
  

Culturally Responsive Family Engagement

• –Family Engagement Toolkits: Partnering with Diverse Families (compiled by Colorín Colorado)
• –Making Immigrant Students and Families Feel Welcome (Colorín Colorado)
• –Engaging ELL Families: 20 Strategies for School Leaders (Colorín Colorado)
• –Culturally Responsive Family Engagement (EDC)

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