Culturally responsive instruction is recommended as a tool to help mitigate disparities in the recruitment and retention of culturally diverse students in gifted programs. However, the endorsement of colorblind racial ideology has been associated with lower multicultural teaching competency and the adoption of deficit perspectives among teachers. In addition to informing teachers' perceptions of students' abilities and potential, endorsing colorblind racial ideology may make it more difficult for teachers to recognize disparities that adversely impact students from traditionally minoritized and underrepresented groups. The current study examines the relationship between colorblind racial attitudes and multicultural teaching competency among teachers of students who have been identified as gifted and talented. In a large sample of Texas teachers, multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between colorblind racial ideology, multicultural teaching knowledge, and the implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices when teaching gifted and talented students. Results indicate that racial colorblindness, sex, and multicultural teaching knowledge are all significant predictors of the self-reported implementation of culturally responsive instruction, while gifted-specific training and the proportion of students of color had no effects. Implications relate to the necessity of addressing teachers' racial beliefs and ensuring that gifted-specific professional development equips teachers with the knowledge and skill necessary for meeting the needs of diverse gifted students.

The purpose of this autoethnographic study was to critically examine my personal experiences with culture and race to better understand myself, my perceptions of culture and race, and how my perceptions of educators' interactions with culturally and racially diverse students may have been impacted as a result. Autoethnography is the study of self in which researchers draw on their own experiences to understand a culture or phenomenon. The following research questions guided the study: 1) what does an examination of my lived experiences as an African American female educator reveal about me? and 2) what are the potential implications for my role as an administrator? Data sources consisted of journal entries, notes, and narratives based on my lived experiences. The data were analyzed by initial coding to uncover recurring themes in the narratives of: 1) negative perceptions of those offended by issues of race; 2) the need to promote cultural awareness; and 3) personal silence around issues of race. The themes were then examined through the lens of critical race theory with specific attention to the tenets of permanence of race, interest convergence, intersectionality, and storytelling. The insights provided here in response to the first research question were then considered in light of the framework of culturally responsive pedagogy and leadership, thus responding to the second question. The implications discussed provide insights for me personally as a teacher leader, for educators in general, and for future researchers.

This mixed-methods study examined teachers' culturally responsive teaching (CRT) self-efficacy beliefs and the relationships among selected academic, demographic, and experiential factors. Guided by theoretical and empirical research on CRT, teacher dispositions, and assessment in teacher education (TE) programs for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students, this study utilized an extended version of Siwatu's 2007 Culturally Responsive Teaching Self-Efficacy (CRTSE) Scale to conduct correlational and comparative statistical analyses. Data sources included surveys from 265 participants enrolled in TE classes in the spring 2012 in Texas (one private and one public university). Content analyses were also conducted on participants' descriptions of CRT activities using a priori and inductive coding methods to triangulate and elaborate the explanation of quantitative results. In this population, those with higher CRTSE were typically young (undergraduates), specializing in ESL and bilingual certification coursework, who felt their TE program prepared them well for working with CLD student populations. Regression analyses showed that certain certification areas (ESL, bilingual, elementary, and advanced) and perceptions of better quality in TE program preparation for working with CLD students emerged as significant predictors of increased CRTSE. Those with second language skills were more efficacious in delivering linguistically-responsive instruction, and those professing more experiences with and interest in diverse individuals felt more confident in applying CRT skills. While the younger teacher candidates felt more efficacious, their descriptions of CRT were less sophisticated than those with more teaching experience. Despite much of the literature relating to CRT and minority teachers, ethnicity was not a significant factor in heightened CRTSE. This study informs TE programs for better measuring and supporting teacher candidate CRT development by revising and extending Siwatu's 2007 study in three ways. First, the CRTSE Scale instrument was extended to include items that address greater depth and breadth of the culturally responsive teaching continuum as developed by the researcher, relating particularly to language and literacy development of English language learners. Second, this study involved a more varied and appropriate population, including both pre-service and in-service teachers. Third, specific participant factors were analyzed to see which correlated with higher CRTSE Scale scores.

In many ways, traditional arts in schools bear the bruises of the early years of multicultural education, and the failed practices that created what has been termed a tourist curriculum, comprised of the superficial study of folktales, festivals, foods, and facts. Consequently, the use of art forms of cultures is often approached with caution by teachers, or avoided altogether. This thesis re-frames the use of traditional arts in the classroom through current research and knowledge, defining their efficacy and role in today’s classroom. Traditional arts are examined through the lenses of arts integration, culturally responsive pedagogical practice and creative processes. A qualitative, research portraiture methodology was employed, and executed through the lens of four case studies in order to more coherently incorporate the arts-based nature of this research. The research sites include classes studying Maori visual arts, waiata (song), and haka (dance) in Christchurch, New Zealand, chant, hula, and plant weaving at an Hawaiian charter school, and social dance and song of the Oneida tribe in the US. Research results indicated that when teachers facilitate experiences in traditional arts in such a way that students are exposed to entry points for their own interaction with the forms, students respond with self reflection, engagement, and a tendency to elevate the status of affiliation with the culture undertaken. While students and teachers do not become conversant in the culture as a result of such study, working with traditional arts in this way may serve to break down culturally bound ways of seeing the world. When traditional arts are employed in classrooms, they may engage students in a creative process that takes the form of embodied or physicalized, interpretive, or improvisational interactions with the forms. When traditional arts are employed in this way, relying on creative process, they also meet goals for culturally responsive learning, legitimizing how students experience and make sense of the world. Traditional arts provide a critical, under-utilized, strategy for embedding culture in the educational setting. In order to best meet the goals of the learning setting, traditional arts must incorporate creative processes. Hybridization of the forms, while increasing accessibility for teachers and students, must be carefully undertaken. Traditional arts utilized in this way hold potential for addressing broader curricular content.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This inquiry began with a global question: Why are Aboriginal high school students underrepresented in the sciences? This led to the following series of questions: What is science? Is Aboriginal knowledge about nature and naturally occurring events science? What is science literacy? What are culturally responsive approaches to science education? The initial inquiry began as part of the Aboriginal Knowledge and Science Education Research Project, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Over time the inquiry morphed into two case studies. The first case study focused on a quantitative exploration to examine the current state of student performance in British Columbia secondary school science (Biology 12, Chemistry 12, and Physics 12), and mathematics (Principles of Mathematics 12). The examination of performance trends for over a decade confirmed the underperformance of Aboriginal students in secondary school sciences and mathematics when compared to non-Aboriginal students. The second case study sought to establish criteria, identify, and document a model project that incorporated the methods of western modern science (WMS) knowledge and ways of knowing represented by traditional ecological knowledge and wisdom (TEKW), local ecological knowledge (LEK), and indigenous knowledge (IK) in a local environment (place-based) and that was culturally responsive to students and faithful to science education principles. A model project was identified in British Columbia operating within the Heiltsuk First Nation territory by the Qqs (pronounced “kucks”) Projects Society. This project exemplified the Te Kotahitanga Project in Aotearoa/New Zealand by engaging student interns in science in place. Qqs partnered with a number of non-governmental organizations to develop the Supporting Emerging Aboriginal Stewards (SEAS) Initiative, whereby interns used WMS techniques to study their traditional territory in the Great Bear Rainforest. The SEAS project was deemed to make science more relevant for Aboriginal students, who may otherwise have rejected it because of a possible conflict with their cultural value systems and personal relevance. There is a persistent tension between science espoused by WMS, and the wisdom and sacredness of indigenous knowledge and wisdom (IKW). Finally, recommendations are proposed for a Two-row Wampum Belt or a trans-systemic practice that would enable IKW and WMS knowledge to operate in a spirit of mutual cultural responsiveness, followed by recommendations for future study. / Graduate

Thesis advisor: Elizabeth A. Twomey / Thesis advisor: James Marini / This qualitative case study focused on a Response to Intervention (RTI) literacy initiative in a suburban elementary school near an urban area in New England. The initiative incorporated professional development about RTI and implementation of components of an RTI model. The participant-researcher analyzed teachers' feedback regarding the professional development and the RTI model, as the initiative developed, with a specific focus on the teachers' perceptions about the impact of the initiative on the school's capacity to effectively instruct urban students of color who are participants in a voluntary desegregation program. The professional development about RTI incorporated three features which are recommended for professional learning communities: content which is research-based, process which includes reflection and dialogue, and context which is job-embedded. The RTI model utilized the "problem-solving" approach, and incorporated progress-monitoring and interventions. The findings from the study indicated that the combination of three elements (sustained professional development about RTI, implementation of RTI in the school setting, and conversations and questions about addressing the needs of urban students of color) resulted in increased teacher confidence in their ability to provide effective instruction to this population of students. Further, the interaction of these three elements resulted in identification of next steps which the teachers believe will specifically address these students' needs. However, several teachers questioned whether RTI was adequate to address the complex issues of students of color in a voluntary desegregation program. They recognized that they needed more information about effective instructional strategies to match the learning profiles of this population of students. Combining the results of this case study with the recommendations of the professional literature about culturally responsive teaching, it appears that Response to Intervention has the potential to address the learning needs of urban students of color, but only if practitioners incorporate some basic principles of culturally responsive teaching. Integrating the results of this study with the professional literature about Response to Intervention, culturally responsive teaching, and effective professional development, the participant-researcher recommends that policymakers and educators should consider incorporating culturally responsive teaching into their RTI models in order to truly make RTI effective for addressing the achievement gap. Further, the researcher recommends that schools should provide sustained professional development (with content based upon research, process which includes reflection and dialogue, and context which is job-embedded) to increase teachers' understanding about Response to Intervention and about culturally responsive teaching. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration.