Culturally Relevant Teaching Approach

Impact of Culturally Relevant Teaching on Literacy Development of African American Students in Urban Education
Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
Educational programs across the country have been characterized by reforms that seek to enhance student outcomes. Reform initiatives have contributed to the development of various educational interventions and programs. One of the interventions that have emerged as a crucial component to enhance student outcomes is culturally-relevant teaching. The inclusion of aspects of the students’ cultural environment in the arrangement and instruction of the classroom is considered essential in today’s learning environment (Ladson-Billings, 1995). According to Byrd (2016), culturally relevant teaching is a potent intervention and strategy for lessening achievement gaps and improving student engagement and achievement. Despite the significance of this teaching strategy, African-American students are still disproportionately assigned to educational opportunities in special and general education classrooms. Consequently, the academic outcomes of these students are significantly lower than those of their Latino, White, and Asian American counterparts. The proposed study seeks to examine the impact of culturally relevant teaching on literacy development of Black students in urban educational environments.
Overview of the Research Issue
The modern classroom environment comprises students from different racial and ethnic backgrounds. While the majority of student populations and teachers across the United States are Whites, the number of minorities has continued to increase rapidly in recent years. For example, the number of African American students has increased gradually in the recent past and generated new demands for teachers. As the number of African American students in the modern classroom increases, the discrepancy in academic performance continues to widen. The U.S. public system has witnessed a growing increase in the discrepancy in student academic performance as certain groups are likely to excel than others. Howard & Terry Sr. (2011) contend that African American students continue to lag behind in their academic performance compared to other student populations like Asian American, White, and Latino students. The gap in academic performance is an indicator of systematic racism existing within the school system.
The discrepancy in academic performance between different student populations is attributable to various factors. Cultural differences is seen as one of the major contributing factors towards the poor academic performance of African American students. African Americans have a unique communication pattern that is no similar to the patterns adopted in most classrooms (Paulk, Martinez & Lambeth, 2014). The unique communication patterns have contributed to the lack of communication between teachers and students, which is brought by the different cultural backgrounds of the individuals. According to Gay (2010), African American students are disproportionately assigned to special education since teachers/educators do not have knowledge regarding their socialization and cultural values. This in turn contributes to the relatively poor academic performance of these students by affecting their learning behaviors.
The relatively poor academic performance of African American students in comparison to their peers has attracted the attention of policymakers and other stakeholders within the education sector. It is believed that the educational quality of these students can be improved significantly by adopting instructional practices and programs that reflect their cultural perspectives, heritages, and experiences (Gay, 2010). Therefore, culturally responsive teaching is viewed as an approach that could help improve their learning behaviors, experiences, and outcomes. Howard & Terry Sr. (2011) contend that culturally responsive teaching has been touted to be a teaching approach that could overturn the persistent poor academic performance of these students.
The concept of culturally relevant pedagogy was developed in 1995 by Gloria Ladson-Billing whose landmark article has acted as a coherent theoretical statement for this approach to teaching. This concept was developed following insights obtained from the experiences and outcomes associated with teaching and learning using an approach that is relevant and responsive to cultural practices, literacies, and languages of students. Culturally relevant pedagogy seeks to promote and foster cultural, linguistic, and literate pluralism as part of a school’s democratic project (Paris, 2012). This approach helps teachers to effectively respond to the multiethnic and multilingual classroom environment. Ladson-Billings (1995) developed the concept on the premise that pedagogy should be a major focus of investigation into measures to enhance education, diversity, and equity.
The proposed study seeks to examine the impact of culturally relevant pedagogy on the literacy development of African American students in urban education. While it is touted as an approach that would improve student performance and lessen achievement gaps, there is limited research to demonstrate its effectiveness based on students’ experience. This research seeks to consider African American students’ perspectives regarding the effectiveness of this approach. The consideration of their perspectives is essential to determine the extent to which it can help reduce the persistent poor academic performance of African American students.
The general argument in this paper is that culturally relevant practices and cultural socialization should be adopted in urban educational settings to effectively improve the learning behaviors and outcomes of African American students. As Byrd (2016) reminds us, elements of culturally relevant pedagogy have proven essential in improving student achievement and engagement, which in turn lessens achievement gaps. This implies that culturally relevant pedagogy is linked to positive academic outcomes and experiences that are relevant in today’s educational settings.
References
Byrd, C.M. (2016, July 25). Does Culturally Relevant Teaching Work? An Examination From Student Perspectives. SAGE Open, 6(3), 1-10.
This article examines the impact of culturally relevant pedagogy based on the perspectives of African American students. The findings of this study will help understand the views and opinions of African American students regarding the use of culturally relevant teaching practices.
Gay, G. (2010, November 25). Culturally Responsive Teaching in Special Education for Ethnically Diverse Students: Setting the Stage. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 15(6), 613-629.
The authors examine the role of culturally responsive teaching in multiethnic special education settings. Insights from this study will be used in the current research to demonstrate how culturally responsive teaching should be part of mainstream schools.
Howard, T. & Terry Sr., C.L. (2011, October 19). Culturally Responsive Pedagogy for African American Students: Promising Programs and Practices for Enhanced Academic Performance. Teaching Education, 22(4), 345-362.
The article demonstrates the findings of a three-year study on interventions used to enhance college enrollment of African American students. It demonstrates that cultural responsive pedagogy is a suitable approach to enhance student engagement and achievement of African American students. It’s findings will be used to demonstrate how culturally relevant teaching can be used to reduce the persistent achievement gaps between African American students and others.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.
This article provides a theoretical basis for the concept of culturally relevant teaching as a suitable approach for multiethnic and multilingual classrooms. It will be used to provide an overview of the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy.
Paris, D. (2012, March 29). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice. Educational Researcher, 41(3), 93-97.
The article argue the case for the use of culturally sustaining pedagogy in current teaching practice. The findings of this article will be used to provide an overview of this concept and demonstrate its role and significance in teaching.
Paulk, S.M., Martinez, J. & Lambeth, D.T. (2014). Effects of Culturally Relevant Teaching on Seventh Grade African American Students. The Journal of Middle Level Education in Texas, 1(1), 37-60.
The authors explore the link between culturally relevant pedagogy and science achievement of seventh grade African American students. This relationship is examined in comparison to standards-based instruction. The findings of this article will be used to explore how culturally relevant pedagogy shapes student participation and achievement.