Anti-Racism, Bias, Relevance, and Cultural Responsiveness
Space to explore“When teachers give students the space to explore how what they are learning connects to the current realities of their personal lives, local community, and wider world, students become engaged and excited about school.”
The systemic racism that has stratified our country since white people first came to these shores has been made even more plain by the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on Black, Latinx, and low-income communities. Many of these students have experienced and continue to experience trauma related both to COVID-19 and to dramatic examples of racial injustice, particularly toward Black people by white people. Anti-racism is gaining traction as an essential approach to dismantling systemic racism, and students must see the adults in their school taking a proactive approach to being anti-racist. Part of this approach is uncovering and addressing biases and embracing curriculum and other strategies that are culturally responsive and relevant to the families and students in the district and/or school community.
Guiding Questions
Evidence-based Resources“Select anti-racist resources that are evidence-based. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to choose with careful deliberation.”
- What do we need in order to continue our growth as an anti-racist community?
- What professional development will help us ensure that we are always thinking about relevance, bias, and cultural responsiveness within our practice?
High-leverage Strategies | Aligned Resources |
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Help staff and personnel at all levels, from districts to schools, identify and eliminate implicit bias. |
Build professional development around Teaching Tolerance’s Equity Matters: Confronting Implicit Bias webinar on creating equitable classrooms. |
Build awareness and understanding among staff to better understand cultural differences. |
Use this set of resources from Understood to help staff learn how to make sure families of color are heard by the school:
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Build competencies among teachers around culturally responsive education (CRE). |
Use these CRE resources to build professional development for your teachers:
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Expose teachers to explicit strategies to become anti-racist educators. |
Share and discuss these powerful resources on racial justice:
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