Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Thomas Vontz / Today, more than ever, educators throughout the United States need to know more about the challenges, opportunities, and value diversity brings to their schools. In one decade, 2003 to 2013, the population of K-12 public school students who identified as white decreased by 9%, or by 3.2 million. During this same time, the number of Hispanic students in the K-12 public school system increased from 19% to 25%, or by 3.5 million (NCES, 2016). Projections for K-12 student enrollment in public schools indicate a continued decline in the number of White students and increases in students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds within another decade (NCES, 2016). We must consider the ways in which we socialize, communicate, and act within these unfamiliar and new spaces – especially those spaces where our beliefs intersect with observable actions in the classroom. The literature is replete with research on teacher epistemologies and culturally responsive teaching, yet research on the dynamic interaction between the two does not exist. Research in this area is needed to better understand how a teacher’s individual epistemology interacts with culturally responsive teaching practices. The purpose of this study was to examine whether individual teacher’s epistemologies, as measured by the Epistemic Belief Inventory (EBI) can predict their level of effective practice with culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students, as measured by the Biography-Driven Practices (BDP) rubric. Further, five subscales of the EBI – Simple Knowledge, Certain Knowledge, Innate Ability, Omniscient Authority, and Quick Learning – were examined individually to test for potential correlations. Results show that, overall, a teacher’s epistemic beliefs do not predict their level of effective practice at a statistically significant level; however two subscales, Simple and Certain Knowledge significantly predicted effective practice with CLD students.

It is the purpose of this study to compare the readiness and achievement of older and younger first grade students. Other purposes of the study involved a comparison of girls and boys in the first grade as to their readiness and achievement.

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP) is a framework designed to help traditionally marginalized students. Other frameworks have previously tried to draw on culture to help students in similar ways. However, Paris (2012b) claimed that the word sustaining enclosed a meaning of maintaining and enhancing these students' language and cultural practices that no other frameworks did until that point. There is some confusion for educators and others about CSP since it is a newer framework and that there are many of these cultural frameworks analyzing similar concepts. Therefore, the purpose of this literature review was to examine these previous main frameworks that Paris cited as influencing culturally sustaining pedagogies (i.e., funds of knowledge, culturally responsive pedagogy, culturally relevant pedagogy, and culturally responsive teaching) and how these frameworks overlap with the four main key features of CSP. These four key features are: (a) centering of dynamic communities, their valued languages, practices, and knowledge across the learning setting; (b) student and intergenerational community agency and input; (c) working to be in good relationship with the land, with students, and communities; and (d) structured opportunities to contend with internalized oppressions, false choices, and inward gazes (Paris, 2021). The level of emphasis of each key feature by the main frameworks was also highlighted. Findings illustrate that the first CSP key feature was the most predominant since it was found in all previous frameworks. On top of that, the main framework that has influenced CSP the most is Culturally Relevant Pedagogy by Ladson-Billings since the four CSP features were represented in this framework.

This capstone project was part of a group project completed by five school and district administrators in Hillsborough County, Florida. The project began because of our passion for teachers who are able to establish a culture of care in their classrooms that support students academically but transform their learning through experiences that enable them to be more highly engaged and productive students, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, perceived academic abilities, and backgrounds. Our school district has spent significant resources attempting to address the deficiencies that exist within its lower performing schools. A variety of curriculum specialists have addressed challenges these largely Title 1 schools are facing, with little to moderate improvement shown over the course of several years. Selected literature over the past ten years was reviewed to gain insight into developments and discussions that have materialized around the notions of culturally relevant (curricular/pedagogical) leadership in schools. My component of this project was guided by the question: How is cultural diversity addressed in curriculum so as to be relevant to the success of traditionally marginalized students (students of color and/or those from communities of low socio economic status)? Insights from the literature reviewed suggest that Appreciative Inquiry as a more holistic approach to cultural relevancy creates greater opportunity for deliberate and intentional building of relationships of respect and responsibility, giving rise to social consciousness and not just improved test performance.

The purpose of this qualitative action research was to explore how early primary children respond to the implementation of culturally relevant oracy practices in an inclusive classroom. This study, which took place over five months in an inner city school in Western Canada, focused on children’s oracy skills following four events facilitated by an Aboriginal Elder. Data consisted of an oral assessment, transcriptions of the four events, artefacts created by the students, photographs, and the teacher’s research journal. Data analysis consisted of a comparative assessment of the student’s oral language skills and a content and discourse analysis of the transcriptions. Data analysis revealed that children respond favourably to culturally responsive oracy practices, that they are able to meet the B.C. Ministry of Education prescribed learning outcomes, and such practices adhere to the Aboriginal Enhancement Agreement (2005). / Graduate / 0727 / 0524 / winona.waldron@shaw.ca

Culturally responsive teaching benefits students in racially and culturally marginalized groups that the public education system has historically failed. However, knowledge regarding developing into a culturally responsive educator is yet to emerge. This phenomenological study explores participants' experiences in the development of this area. The major findings of this study include the entry into culturally responsive teaching occur along racial lines and the relationship that the access to professional development has on the effective implementation of culturally responsive teaching. A conclusion includes the implications of this study on practice and policy. / Educational Leadership

Culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) has become increasingly used within academe. There has not been much research, however, into how much CRP is being used within the public school system. I am particularly interested in the area of professional development. This report seeks to answer the questions, how have issues of diversity influenced professional development in the past, and how is the theoretical framework of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) used within professional development today? I begin with the reasoning behind my exploration of these questions and the problems that we are facing today within the educational system. I then provide an in-depth description of what I understand to be culturally relevant pedagogy. A historical survey of culturally-centered professional development is then presented, followed by a look at current research and writing on culturally relevant professional development. / text

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This study was designed to determine if teachers in one public school in Virginia were prepared to be evaluated based on culturally responsive practices (CRP) after completing Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) Cultural Competency Training Module. This qualitative study sample included eight teachers from a suburban school division. The conceptual framework illustrated the connections between the evaluation of CRP and teacher preparedness after teachers completed VDOE's Cultural Competency Training Module. The research questions that directed this study were: (1) How has Virginia Department of Education's Cultural Competency Training Module prepared teachers to implement culturally responsive practices? (2) To what extent do teachers feel prepared to be evaluated based on culturally responsive practices after completing Virginia Department of Education's Cultural Competency Training Module? The research method included a basic qualitative research design that used interview protocol. Interview prompts were created based on Virginia's Cultural Competency Domains that underpin legislation approved by the 2021 Virginia General Assembly requiring that teacher evaluations include a standard for CRP. Interviews took place during the summer months of 2023 as virtual meetings using the Zoom video conferencing platform. Interview transcriptions were utilized as the data set. As categories and themes emerged, the interconnectedness of data was examined using open coding. The findings of this study revealed that teachers indicated a support for Virginia's Cultural Competency Domains. However, teachers perceived that VDOE's Cultural Competency Training Module did not achieve the desired focus of providing educators with the tools needed to implement CRP. Instead, teachers perceived that their lived experiences framed their individual approach to understand and implement CRP. The implications of the study encouraged VDOE to consider a redesign of the Cultural Competency Training Module. Another implication emphasized the need for school divisions to consider investing in professional trainers to provide deep level culturally competency training in a format that also accounts for the emotional security and comfortability of teachers. / Doctor of Education / This study was designed to determine if teachers in one public school in Virginia were prepared to be evaluated based on culturally responsive practices (CRP) after completing Virginia Department of Education's (VDOE) Cultural Competency Training Module. This study included eight teachers from a suburban school division. The conceptual framework illustrated the connections between the evaluation of CRP and teacher preparedness after teachers completed VDOE's Cultural Competency Training Module. The research questions that directed this study were: (1) How has Virginia Department of Education's Cultural Competency Training Module prepared teachers to implement culturally responsive practices? (2) To what extent do teachers feel prepared to be evaluated based on culturally responsive practices after completing Virginia Department of Education's Cultural Competency Training Module? The research method included teacher interviews. Interview prompts were created based on Virginia's Cultural Competency Domains that reinforced legislation approved by the 2021 Virginia General Assembly requiring that teacher evaluations include a standard for CRP. Interviews took place during the summer months of 2023 as virtual meetings using the Zoom video conferencing platform. Interview transcriptions were utilized as the data for the study. As categories and themes emerged from interview responses, the connection of data was examined. The findings of this study revealed that teachers indicated a support for Virginia's Cultural Competency Domains. However, teachers perceived that VDOE's Cultural Competency Training did not achieve the desired focus of providing educators with the tools needed to implement CRP. Instead, teachers perceived that their lived experiences framed their individual approach to understand and implement CRP. An implication of the study encouraged VDOE to consider a redesign of the Cultural Competency Training Module. Another implication emphasized the need for school divisions to consider investing in professional trainers to provide deep level culturally competency training in a format that also accounts for the emotional security and comfortability of teachers.

No description available.