Three Ways for School Leaders to Champion Cultural Responsiveness

To understand how much equitable representation matters in our schools, one doesn’t need to look any further than the newest data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). According to NCES, more than half of all students—54%—in K-12 public schools identify as people of color. That means that in our public schools, there are over 27 million students who would benefit from seeing and interacting with school leaders, teachers, and staff members who serve as a reflection for who they are—and the success that’s possible for them. 

In fact, all students benefit from educator diversity in schools. Positive exposure to individuals from a variety of races and ethnic groups—especially in childhood—can help to reduce stereotypes and biases and help promote bonding among students from a variety of cultures and experiences. Being educated by teachers from different cultural backgrounds better prepares all students to succeed in an increasingly diverse world. 

Being educated by teachers from different cultural backgrounds better prepares all students to succeed in an increasingly diverse world. 

Diverse hiring is one key way to address the lived reality of our students and families. Culturally responsive school leadership is another. Prioritizing cultural responsiveness means we ensure students experience affirmation and belonging at school. 

The state of equitable representation in our schools—and why it matters

The face of teacher and school leader diversity in our nation’s schools is shifting, but we still have a long way to go. The racial and ethnic diversity of the 6.6 million teachers in the United States has certainly increased over the past 30 years—but has yet to catch up with the diversity of our students. About one quarter of our nation’s teachers, 22 percent of our principals, and eight percent of our school superintendents identify as people of color. 

The disparity between students and educators of color illuminates the need for culturally responsive leadership because many students of color do not see themselves reflected in their schools. It also means that the culture they experience at home and in their communities is not often represented at school, or is reflected in a stereotypical or superficial way. This is another well-researched inequity that students of color routinely face—along with limited access to resources, less access to rigorous coursework, a less-stable teacher workforce, and more frequent discipline. 

Prioritizing cultural responsiveness in our nation’s classrooms and schools can help historically underserved and underestimated students feel pride in and affirmation of their own identities—and promote a sense of safety and belonging. Let’s dig into a few of the ways school leaders can champion more culturally responsive teaching and culturally responsive learning environments for their students. 

Prioritizing cultural responsiveness in our nation’s classrooms and schools can help historically underserved and underestimated students feel pride in and affirmation of their own identities—and promote a sense of safety and belonging.

Advocate for culturally relevant instruction

Great principals have a laser-like focus on the instructional quality within the schools they lead. They have an evidence-informed understanding of what truly drives student achievement—and make responsive instruction a priority. Having a relentless focus on teaching and learning also means making sure your school curriculum is both academically rigorous and culturally relevant—a pedagogy that uses students’ customs, characteristics, experiences, and perspectives as tools for better classroom instruction. 

There are three key areas where cultural responsiveness is particularly important in curriculum:

• Course content, where materials or readings used in classrooms can reflect the diversity of students in addition to a diversity of contributors in a particular field of study
• Pedagogy, where teachers leverage cultural references to make content come alive for students and use instructional practices that build students’ capacity for independent learning
• Assessment, where multiple ways for students to share and show knowledge can be created

As you work through these key areas, there’s another critical distinction to consider—being able to distinguish between multicultural education, social justice education, and culturally responsive education—especially if you have a goal of educational equity. National education consultant and author Zaretta Hammond says it best when she notes that often, these three types of education are seen as interchangeable approaches that have the same impact on student learning and outcomes, which isn’t the case. 

Hammond says that while it’s important to have multicultural books in your school’s library, or read books about civil rights, for example, it’s important to think about these actions as a supplement to culturally responsive teaching. She says that culturally responsive teaching is the heart of instructional equity as it “leverages the science of learning by exploiting (for good) the cultural schema—or funds of knowledge—students come in with to make learning ‘sticky.’” In addition, she says, “When we build instructional practices around opportunities to process information in ways that make learning sticky, then students become able to carry more of the cognitive load that leads to doing more rigorous work.”

When we work to depict and celebrate the narratives that represent our students, their homes, and their community through what we teach, we give them consistent reminders that where they come from matters. 

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Understand and uncover blind spots throughout your school

When principals work hand-in-hand with teachers, staff, students, and parents to cultivate a school culture free from bias and limitation, all students benefit. Students get to see first-hand their leaders actively challenging stereotypes, replacing inequitable systems, and fostering an environment that prioritizes respect, high expectations, and inclusivity. 

Creating that kind of school culture starts with recognizing—and working hard to eliminate—the blind spots we have not only as educators, but as human beings. This is a key part of personal leadership, recognizing how our values and beliefs influence our leadership actions.

One way to kick-start that recognition is to take a physical audit of your school. As you walk through classrooms and down halls, view your surroundings through the eyes of your greater school community. What stories are being told in your school? Who are the main characters? Does the decor reflect the languages, cultures, and stories of all students who walk the halls, or just a few main groups? 

As you walk through classrooms and down halls, view your surroundings through the eyes of your greater school community. What stories are being told in your school? Who are the main characters? 

If you notice a lack of representation and cultural responsiveness, focus on the changes you can make to create a more inclusive environment. Are there opportunities—through surveys, advisory groups, or another mechanism—for students and families to give feedback on what more representation for them might look like within your school culture? In this way, uncovering your own blind spots can help you lead the charge for others in your school community to do the same. 

Create opportunities for place-based learning

Cultural responsiveness can be learned outside our classrooms and schools as well. One of the ways to do this is through place-based learning, an approach that engages students within their communities by sharing knowledge about their physical environment, local culture, history, and people. 

Through place-based learning, students discover that every community has individuals and experiences that have left a lasting impact—an impact that can be felt in the present day through a connection to that person’s perspectives or lived experiences. Not only do students build communication and inquiry skills and learn how to interact with environments other than school and home, they also gain a better understanding of themselves and their place in the world.

Through place-based learning, students discover that every community has individuals and experiences that have left a lasting impact—an impact that can be felt in the present day through a connection to that person’s perspectives or lived experiences.

In a school in Hood River, Oregon, for example, an educator wanted her students to learn about an unsung hero of their community, Minoru Yasui. Yasui, a Japanese-American, had stood up for Japanese-Americans who had been forcibly interned during World War II. Although the majority of the students who learned about Yasui weren’t Japanese-American themselves, they connected with Yasui’s actions because they appreciated that he stood up against something he believed was wrong. Learning about Yasui led to the students writing a letter to then-President Barack Obama, asking him to recognize Yasui with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he eventually did. 

Practicing place-based learning is a great way for students to not only learn about their communities, but to create pride among all students, particularly those who may have been underrepresented in the past. 

Cultural responsiveness fuels student success

Just as equitable representation in educational leadership can fuel student belonging and success, cultural responsiveness can do the same. When school leaders ensure students are engaged in the learning process in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them and their lived experience, it strengthens their identities and creates a sense of empowerment.

And it’s that empowerment that causes them to widen the aperture in their lives, shows them what’s possible, and demonstrates without a doubt they belong.