Challenge

How do we support states, districts, and schools to ensure that educators engage in ongoing professional learning to deepen their knowledge in culturally responsive teaching and leading practices? In creating a technical assistance training program, Westat answers 2 questions:

• Does culturally responsive teaching and leading impact student achievement?
• How can culturally responsive teaching and leading serve as a vehicle for effective teaching and student learning?

Solution

Westat offers equitable and effective teaching and leading practices to education groups. The training includes a high-quality learning series on culturally responsive teaching and leading, ensuring that:

• Each student learns and achieves at high levels
• Students’ culture, home languages, and lived experiences are honored, including the unique ways in which each student is smart
• Legitimizes the student voice in the learning process

Results

Culturally responsive teaching and leading serves as the foundation to design differentiated, rigorous, high-quality, and engaging instructional academic programming. The programming, in turn, supports the unique learning needs of each student, honoring and using students’ cultural and linguistic capital as a vehicle for effective teaching and learning.

Westat training and evaluation in this area results in a higher level of awareness, sensitivity, and implementation of best practices at all levels of educational practice.