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This website provides educators with tons of books, resources, articles and more of simple adjustments that can be made in a classroom to encourage social justice. The books are organized in a manner such that they are easy to find for whatever purpose the teacher would need without having to sort through tons of books before deciding on one. The website is a whole movement of focusing on this concept of social justice in the classroom, which I think is very important and see necessary to incorporate into my educational philosophy.

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This video is a link to a TED Talk where the speaker focuses on how to learn about the backgrounds of students that are different from your own. She focuses on urban schools as she gives her talk as a way to encourage teachers to think about their students individually and not just in groups based on outside features. She encourages this idea of not making assumptions about students or comparing them to others similar to them, which I find is important but also so easy to overlook in the classroom setting. Becoming aware of your own biases is the first step in becoming better, and this video brought light as to how to do this.

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A Tale of Two Teachers | Melissa Crum | TEDxColumbusWomen

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Easy little ice breaker activities such as this one below are a great way for students to get to know each other beyond being just peers. This lets students learn fun little facts about their peers in order to encourage new friendships and new connections among each other.

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This article shows actual reasons beyond "it's nice!" as to why a classroom needs to be culturally responsive to the students that are in it. As an educator, knowing the reasons is useful to help motivate all of the extra work that goes into making a classroom environment what it is. It is also helpful to know the purpose behind why these ideas and methods are useful so that proper adjustments can be made if these results are not being seen from the students.

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Around the country, more and more investments are being made to build a culturally responsive teaching workforce. In New York State, for example, a broad range of education stakeholders recently developed the state's first Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Framework, a guidance document intended to help educators connect home and school cultures, engage students in rigorous learning, and empower students as agents of social change. District and school leaders in the state are also carving out opportunities for teachers to inspect their personal biases and design learning experiences that cultivate the engagement and curiosity of culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse students.

But are these investments a good idea? Research increasingly suggests they are. This research tells us that culturally responsive teaching practices promote the social, emotional, and academic development of all students by:

Facilitating brain processing

Previous studies have found that drawing from students' cultural knowledge and norms contributes favorably to reading comprehension and mathematical thinking. According to neuroscience research, this is partly because everyone learns new information best when it is linked to what they already know. In other words, using texts, materials, and examples that draw from students' cultural schemas and background knowledge makes learning easier because it leverages students' existing neural pathways. But that's not all. We also know from neuroscience research that culture drives how brains process information; for instance, students who share strong oral traditions are primed to learn new information best through music and storytelling. For this reason, when culturally responsive teachers use repetition, rhythm, movement, and visuals during instruction they're also strengthening neural pathways for comprehension.

Motivating and engaging students

Culturally responsive teachers connect academic concepts to the everyday lives of their students, a strategy that makes learning experiences more personally meaningful, engaging, and effective. Research back this idea. For instance, in one study of roughly 1,400 San Francisco high school students, researchers discovered that participating in an ethnic studies course that emphasized cultural affirmation was associated with improved attendance as well as GPA gains. In a related but smaller-scale study, researchers gathered the reflections of six Black students who participated in a culturally relevant mathematics course. These students reported feeling more motivated to engage in mathematics as well as more confident in taking standardized tests. Conversely, scholars have long argued that failing to demonstrate the value of school learning on students' everyday lives contributes to the lack of motivation and engagement experienced by far too many students of color.

Cultivating critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Research on culturally responsive teachers reveals that, beyond foregrounding students' culture in the classroom, these teachers build students' awareness of social justice issues encountered in their daily lives and communities through rigorous, project-based activities. For example, one case study of seventh- and eighth-grade math classrooms, Latinx students used traffic stop data to understand racial profiling in their community and gain a stronger understanding of math concepts. A second case study describes the efforts of a group of students to investigate zoning laws in their community. These students presented their research to the state Senate and local city council, which led to the closure of two liquor stores near their school. Researchers believe that engaging students in investigations of meaningful, open-ended problems is an ideal way to get students to analyze, formulate questions, and generate solutions to challenging authentic problems.

Strengthening students' racial and ethnic identities

Because culturally responsive teachers center students' identities in the classroom, they support the development of students' racial and ethnic pride. According to one study of 315 middle and high schoolers, for instance, students who reported experiences with culturally responsive teaching practices expressed a deeper sense of racial identity. A trove of studies favorably link racial and ethnic pride and belonging to school engagement, interest in learning, and even better grades. Still other research has found that a stronger racial identity can even buffer the effects of racial discrimination and stereotype threat (the idea that individuals can perform worse on assignments than they might otherwise when they feel they are living up to a negative stereotype). On the other hand, there is also evidence that confusion, ambivalence, and anxiety about their racial identity can sap students' engagement and, in turn, derail their academic performance.

Promoting a sense of safety and belonging

Research shows that a sense of belonging, safety, and support in school is critically important for learning. Case studies of culturally responsive practitioners have shown that these teachers cultivate such feelings through various strategies, such as by demonstrating care, encouraging socialization among students, and establishing respectful relationships with learners. For example, in one study, students who participated in a culturally responsive, mathematics and science university outreach program reported feeling a sense of belonging as well as sense of affirmation for their own and others' cultures.

Far more research is needed on the impact of culturally responsive practices. Indeed, today's body of evidence mainly consists of small-scale studies, few of which investigate the impact of culturally responsive practices on student outcomes. Nevertheless, existing research already presents a compelling case for giving teachers opportunities to learn how to make learning more inclusive and effective for culturally, linguistically, and racially diverse students everywhere.

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5 Ways Culturally Responsive Teaching Benefits Learners

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Around the country, more and more investments are being made to build a culturally responsive teaching workforce. In New York State, for example, a broad range of education stakeholders recently developed the state's first Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Framework , a guidance document intended to help educators connect home and school cultures, engage students in rigorous learning, and empower students as agents of social change.

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This is a sample lesson that would be great for younger students to learn about their own personal history, as well as sharing with the class to learn their classmates' histories. This project encourages students to speak with family members to learn key events that are important for their family, which will be different for each and every student regardless of how similar they may seem. This is a great activity for students to see and appreciate how unique and different everybody really is.

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Below is a poster that I have made for another class that I feel is also relevant for this project. It is a poster that has guidelines for how the class should function in order to encourage each student to reach their fullest potential in the classroom environment. Setting these standards early on as well as enforcing them is key to creating a positive classroom environment.

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This website provides great detail as well as examples of how to include diversity and inclusion methods into the classroom. There is even a link at the bottom of the website where educators can sign up for a weekly newsletter related to bettering themselves for their class through various professional development resources.

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In 2019, more than half of the students enrolled in a K-12 institution were students of color. As the US becomes more diverse, the need for culturally responsive teachers is critical for schools to provide an equitable educational experience. Simply teaching tolerance is insufficient. Insead, institutions should make commitments to diversity and make a concerted effort to incorporate inclusive teaching strategies.

A single workshop will not provide an instant solution. Instead, ongoing training that provides awareness and insight is the ideal investment in a teaching team. Creating an inclusive culture that champions inclusive teaching and learning will not only benefit educators, but students as well.

Here are just a few tips and ideas to jump-start a professional development plan for teachers on diversity and inclusion.

Passive Education

The power of passive education should never be underestimated. A subtle message can make a transformative difference. Educators can create a poster series that provides tidbits of learning about diversity and equity.

A poster hung in the teacher's lounge or by the mailboxes can offer instant education, reminders and professional development. Possible topics include:

Confronting bias

Cross-cultural communication

Race and ethnicity terms

Teaching culturally diverse students

Cognitive bias

Identity stripping

Teachers can become a part of the project by contributing a poster each week to the daily passive education library.

Email Enlightenment

A daily email that explores diversity and inclusion is an effective way to provide ongoing professional development for teachers. It's easy to create a digital diversity digest that offers books, articles, video links and demographic data related to equity and best practices.

Teachers can contribute to this professional development effort by identifying topics that would be most meaningful and helpful in an educational setting.

Memorable Moments

An online posting board is an effective way to allow teachers to share how they have practiced equity and inclusion in the classroom environment. A "Tips for Teachers" site will allow colleagues to contribute best practice ideas that have made an impact in the learning environment.

An anonymous site fosters teamwork instead of competition. Positive reinforcement by administration is an effective way to recognize individual contributions. Be sure to highlight any educators who go above and beyond to celebrate diversity.

Quick Quizzes

A quick quiz about diversity issues at the beginning of the day can provide insight into equity and inclusion. Teachers can check the answers at the end of the day to learn more about content areas. Possible topics include:

Stereotypes

Microaggressions

Bias incidents versus hate crimes

Inclusive classroom practices

Intersectionality

Sexual orientation and gender identity

Social justice

Case Studies

Similarly, case studies are a great way to stimulate conversation. A case study can be presented and teachers can post their thoughts on an internal forum. A summary of the results sent by email can provide an overview of thoughts and ideas. Teachers can dive more deeply into the topic during a weekly staff meeting.

For example, a case study might discuss a bias incident that could happen in a school environment. Discussion questions could include:

1. Is this a bias incident or a hate crime?

2. What factors contributed to your answer?

3. How would you respond?

Rewards and Recognition

It's important to recognize individuals who are serving as Diversity Champions. Offering a weekly award that acknowledges a staff member who is going the extra mile for equity and inclusion will serve as a model for others to follow.

Students and staff can nominate someone who has made a difference for others, which helps to elevate equity as a valued priority. Additionally, fun initiatives like these serve to improve employee engagement and the overall employee experience.

Craft a Plan

A daily diversity development plan is a transformative approach to prioritizing and normalizing equity and inclusion into the educational environment. Teachers can even serve on a diversity education team to help execute the plan. By mapping these plans out in advance, schools can organize corresponding events, speakers and professional development opportunities for additional learning.

More from SmartBrief Education:

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Professional development for teachers: Diversity & inclusion

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In 2019, more than half of the students enrolled in a K-12 institution were students of color. As the US becomes more diverse, the need for culturally responsive teachers is critical for schools to provide an equitable educational experience. Simply teaching tolerance is insufficient.

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Small activités such as this one shown below are easy ways that students can become aware of their differences and similarities in order to appreciate how these make each student who they are.

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The link below is a useful tool for seeing what racial inequalities occur within a state, a school district, and even the school alone. These statistics are helpful for a teacher to know so that they can be more aware of these injustices that are taking place, as well as an activist for making school more fair and equal.

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Is There Racial Inequality at Your School?

Based on civil rights data released by the U.S. Department of Education, ProPublica has built an interactive database to examine racial disparities in educational opportunities and school discipline. Look up more than 96,000 individual public and charter schools and 17,000 districts to see how they compare with their counterparts. | About Our Data | Related Story Local Stories

School districts where White students are more likely to be in an Advanced Placement class or gifted and talented program, compared with Black students.

Note: When unified school districts do not exist, we display secondary school districts. In districts where there are too few students of a specific group to calculate a measure, we omitted the result.

Nationally, White students are 1.8 times as likely as Black students to be in an Advanced Placement class.

Compare student access to opportunities and discipline on average, across states. Click on each state for full details.

State

Nonwhite Students

Students Who Get Free/Reduced-Price Lunch

High School Graduation Rate

Opportunity (White students are this number of times as likely to be in an AP class, compared with Black students)

Discipline (Black students are this number of times as likely to be suspended, compared with White students)

State

Nonwhite Students

Students Who Get Free/Reduced-Price Lunch

High School Graduation Rate

Opportunity (White students are this number of times as likely to be in an AP class, compared with Hispanic students)

Discipline (Hispanic students are this number of times as likely to be suspended, compared with White students)

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Is there racial inequality at your school? Based on civil rights data released by the U.S. Department of Education, ProPublica built an interactive database to examine racial disparities in educational opportunities and school discipline. Look up more than 96,000 individual public and charter schools and 17,000 school districts to see how they compare.

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This is a YouTube link to a story that focuses on fruit "stereotypes" and how these can be easily looked past by seeing all of the similarities among the fruit instead of the differences. This is a book that can be used in an elementary classroom with other activities to get this point on inclusion across to the students in a way that they will understand.