Enhancing Culturally Responsive Practice in a District: Engaging Families through Culturally Responsive Practice

Thesis advisor: Martin ScanlanAs the populations of public schools in the United States grow increasingly more diverse, it is critical for district and school leaders to understand how educators make sense of their responsibility to improve outcomes for historically marginalized students. Culturally responsive practice (CRP) is a framework of beliefs and practices to enhance these students’ success. Additionally, it is well established that family engagement in schools also supports student achievement. This qualitative case study explores the intersection of CRP and family engagement by focusing on two research questions: (1) How do educators understand CRP in efforts to engage families of marginalized students and (2) How do educators enact that understanding in practice? It is part of a larger case study examining understanding and enactment of CRP in a diverse Massachusetts school district. Along with Mapp’s (2013) Dual Capacity Building Framework of family engagement, I apply Maitlis’ (2005) organizational sensemaking theory to data collected from semi-structured interviews, document review and an online survey. Findings reveal that educators understood CRP in regards to family engagement as the need to know students and families and recognize differences in their cultures. Also, educator understanding emanates from both personal and professional experiences including learning from colleagues, students and families. However, educators lack a common definition or understanding of CRP in regards to family engagement. Consequently, family engagement practices vary and tend to be more traditional versus reflective of CRP. This study revealed the need for stronger district direction and support for CRP and family engagement.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Culturally Responsive Practice in Indian Child Welfare

The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) is an important piece of legislation that governs the removal of Native American children from their families. Although many practitioners from child welfare, law, the juvenile justice system, and tribal governments may be familiar with the act, it is unclear whether there is enough support and training around culturally responsive services (National Indian Child Welfare Association, 2015). Providing a historical context as to why ICWA is important for all Child Welfare workers will strengthen professionals’ cultural competency in direct practice and improve systematic interventions (Lucerro & Bussey, 2012; Lawrence, Zuckerman, Smith, & Liu, 2012). This study explores culturally responsive practice through a lens of historical trauma specifically with Native Americans. This research attempts to bridge Western research and Indigenous research methodologies in order to engage in a meaningful dialogue about the complexities of child welfare practice with Native American children and families. Two Native American elders practicing in the child welfare system were interviewed in order to better understand what Indian child welfare workers need to know in order to provide culturally responsive services? The findings that emerged from this study suggest that one may need to de-colonize the dominant belief system to be culturally humble and meet Native Americans where they truly are. The findings of the study further previous research suggesting that social workers need to be provided specialized training regarding the unique history of Native Americans and the impact of historical trauma on the loss of cultural identity

Enhancing Culturally Responsive Practice in a District: Understanding Culturally Responsive Practice Through Supervision & Evaluation

Thesis advisor: Martin ScanlanThis qualitative case study of a medium-sized Massachusetts school district was part of a larger study exploring how educators throughout a school district make sense of and enact culturally responsive practice (CRP). This individual study focused on how school leaders and teachers incorporated their understanding of CRP into the supervision and evaluation process. Despite a growing body of literature on the effectiveness of educator evaluation standards on teacher practice, there is little on how these tools increase teachers’ capacity to support the learning of historically marginalized students. Specifically, this research asks two questions: (1) How do teachers and school leaders understand CRP? (2) How does the supervision and evaluation process contribute to a shared understanding of CRP for teachers and school leaders? Data were collected from 22 semi-structured interviews of school leaders and teachers, document review, and an online survey. Incorporating a cognitive framework for policy implementation, findings revealed that school leaders and teachers understand CRP through their own identities and life experiences and through their interpretation of the district’s professional environment. Findings further noted that the lack of a shared definition of CRP in the district contributed to inconsistent application and prioritization of CRP in the supervision and evaluation process. Without a shared understanding, educators often pivoted to other district initiatives to describe CRP. Implications include the need to establish a system of reflection and practice for educators to explore the beliefs they hold about historically marginalized students and how those beliefs inform practice.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Hispanic and White Teachers Teaching Hispanic Youth: Are we Culturally Responsive to our Students?

abstract: This study explores the implications of a cultural and language match/mismatch between teachers and their Hispanic students. The study is particularly relevant given the disproportionate percentage of Hispanic students enrolled in Arizona schools who speak Spanish compared to a majority of teachers who are white and speak English. The purpose of the study was to learn how the experiences of matched/mismatched teachers differed in their efforts to connect with Hispanic students and families. The framework for this study relies on culturally responsive practice which suggests that maintaining both cultural and academic excellence for our Hispanic students and families promotes positive learning outcomes in schools. The research is based on case studies of eight teachers at an elementary school with a predominately Hispanic student and parent population. The data included surveys, interviews and lesson observations to assess culturally responsive practices. The results of this study indicated that teachers who share common cultural and language characteristics exhibit significantly more behaviors associated with culturally responsive practice than their mismatched counterparts. Mismatched teachers, however, were able to draw on specific school wide and pedagogical resources associated with culturally responsive practice to help support their students' learning.Dissertation/ThesisEd.D. Educational Administration and Supervision 201

Identifying Cultural Framework for Assessing Cultural Components in Client Systems and Recommendations for Agency and Practitioner Level Culturally Responsive Practice

A lack of cultural appropriate practice introduces barriers to case assessment, diagnostics assessment, intervention, and evaluation (Kirmayer, Groleau, Guzder, Blake, & Jarvis, 2003; Tyson & Flaskerud, 2009; Zayas, Torres, & Cabassa, 2009). Addressing these barriers starts with identifying a framework that provides holistic approach in promoting culturally responsive practice

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a Structure for Culturally Responsive Practice

Alaska is rich with cultural and ethnic diversity. In fact, it is one of the three most diverse parts of the country. Culturally relevant practice both needed and required in Alaskan schools. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that may assist educators in this endeavor. While UDL provides a framework for implementing instruction, the Alaska Cultural Standards for Educators tell us what best practice looks like for our diverse student population, especially our Alaska Native students. This article explores examples of implementation of the Alaska Cultural Standards for Educators within a UDL framework

Building Teacher Empathy and Culturally Responsive Practice Through Professional Development and Self-Reflection

Today’s teachers face growing demands and mandates to support every aspect of a student’s academic success, with additional expectations to support students’ social and emotional needs both inside and outside of the classroom. In the face of increasing student cultural, racial and linguistic diversity, the teaching pool remains relatively homogeneous, consisting largely of white, European-American educators. This disconnect between the lived experiences of teachers and their students makes it difficult for teachers to value and connect to a diverse student body. This qualitative study explores how a collaborative multi-tiered critical professional development model between a non-for-profit organization and a University, shaped educators’ thinking about teaching, their students, and their role as change agents. The model provides sustained pre- and in-service training in social justice, empathy-building, and culturally responsive pedagogy to help teachers support diverse student groups. We present findings regarding the impact of this program on teacher practice and the ways in which teachers repositioned themselves as reflective, empathic, culturally responsive and socially just educators

Enhancing Culturally Responsive Practice in a District: How Teachers Make Sense of Their Cultural Proficiency

Thesis advisor: Martin ScanlanWhile the U.S. student body is increasingly racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse, the teaching population itself, however, does not mirror this same diversity. As such, there is an urgent need for teachers who can adequately meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population (Sleeter, 2001). Some teachers are undeniably more successful at the task of educating diverse student populations than others. How then - are these teachers in particular - successfully able to effectively teach students across various lines of difference? The purpose of this qualitative individual study is to explore teachers’ views on how they have developed their cultural proficiency. How do teachers who have been identified by school leaders as particularly effective at teaching diverse student populations develop their culturally responsive practice, and more pointedly - their capacity to effectively teach students from historically marginalized groups (i.e. students from racially minoritized groups or socio-economically disadvantaged groups)? Utilizing a sense-making framework, and gathering information using methods including semi-structured interviews, teacher questionnaires, and reflective journaling, this study uncovers emergent themes and trends in how individual teachers within a diverse Massachusetts school district make sense of the process by which they developed their culturally responsive teaching capacities and practice. If educational leaders form a better understanding of how teachers effectively develop their cultural competencies, then principals and district leaders will be able to use this information to more effectively design professional development programs that sustain teachers’ cultural proficiency and better equip them to successfully serve the increasingly diverse student population.Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2020.Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education.Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Bridges for Academic Success: Opening Spaces for Culturally Responsive Practice in an Urban Pre-School

It has become widely understood that formal early childhood education can be an important factor in school success. Equally significant is the role of culture as a determinant in negotiating school. Thereby, the inclusion of student culture remains an important aspect in conversations on school success. This discourse is capable of promoting learning using the lives of students by building on what they already know, while offering opportunities for academic achievement. This study investigated how professional development workshops on culturally responsive practice for urban pre-school teachers encouraged the examination of current classroom practices and offered a process for transformation