Overview:
Culturally responsive curriculum requires more than checklists and rubrics; it demands ongoing self-reflection, collaboration, and the active inclusion of students and families to authentically represent diverse experiences in learning.
Curriculum is ever evolving, as are the approaches educational leaders and teachers take to implement culturally responsive curriculum. Key resources can guide the process, and ideally, there is much more to it than checking boxes and scoring rubrics.
Ah, July, time to plan for next school year. Three days should do it, right? No, maybe four. Who am I kidding? We need at least five days for each curriculum committee this year. When it comes to this work, my teachers always tell me, “We need more time to research, plan, and write curriculum.” I also specifically remember a committee of high school world language teachers emphasizing how important it is to include culture in every content area, not just for French, Italian, Latin, and Spanish classes we were offering. And so, this got me thinking about finding a resource that my teachers and I could utilize to ensure all of our students could see themselves reflected in all of our curriculum.
While this approach was well-intentioned, I quickly realized that measuring each curriculum’s cultural responsiveness with a checklist or rubric was only the beginning. Educational leaders like myself elicit true cultural responsiveness via ongoing self-reflection and collaboration, which over time, can lead to cultural proficiency. In my professional journey, I found these four resources to be a valuable starting point:
The Center for Culturally Proficient Educational Practice – Rubrics
The roots of these rubrics are Culturally Proficient Leadership: The Personal Journey BeginsWithin. Published in 2018, this book was written by Raymond D. Terrell, Eloise K. Terrell, Randall B. Lindsey, and Delores B. Lindsey, and focuses on self-reflection with respect to the Cultural Proficiency Continuum. The provided rubrics can be utilized by teachers, educational leaders, and parents. Each of the rubrics reflects the six levels of the Cultural Proficiency Continuum, from Cultural Destructiveness to Cultural Proficiency. Members of the Professional Development Committee could self-administer the Professional Development Rubric to audit district offerings. Educational leaders could make use of the Parent Engagement Rubric to determine the extent to which the community impacts decision-making around cultural topics.
Illinois State Board of Education Curriculum Evaluation Tool
Published for use in the 2021-2022 school year, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Curriculum Evaluation Tool can help with evaluating curriculum and making decisions about the selection of new instructional materials. A committee of faculty members tasked with revising department courses would benefit from completing the curriculum as well as the assessment and impact components of this resource. The succinct checklists will assist with determining needed revisions for both content and practices. Equally integral, I have observed educational leaders who have had their data teams frame their work around the assessment and impact and implementation and support components of this resource.
MAEC Criteria for an Equitable School – Equity Audit
Of significance, the Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) has established these questionnaires to conduct equity audits: Criteria for an Equitable School, Criteria for an Equitable Classroom, and Teacher Behaviors That Encourage Student Persistence. For educational leaders, I recommend reviewing the Criteria for an Equitable School checklist 2-3 times during the year as a guide for goal setting and analysis. This could be accomplished at one school or across multiple schools in a district. Additionally, teachers could complete the Criteria for an Equitable Classroom checklist to inform their professional development experiences for the academic year. The sections pertaining to classroom environment and instructional strategies are particularly helpful.
NYU Culturally Responsive Curriculum Scorecards
Many of my New Jersey City University graduate students have explored the NYU Culturally Responsive Curriculum Scorecards for English language arts and STEAM when completing course projects. Each scorecard has statements specific to representation, social justice, and teacher’s materials. There are also sections for documenting attempts at cultural responsiveness. A committee of teachers could use this resource to evaluate literacy programs being considered for district pilot or adoption. With much success, I have had teachers audit their classroom libraries with this resource and then weed their collections accordingly. Other educational leaders would likely find this to be a valuable practice.
As I reviewed these four resources, I reminded myself that completing checklists and rubrics to measure cultural responsiveness is only part of the educational leader’s work. Developing teachers’ cultural proficiency levels through self-reflection and inviting students and parents to collaboratively participate in curriculum design and development are equally relevant and essential. When this engagement occurs alongside the customization of sound resources, educational leaders learn more about how best to represent their students’ lived experiences in the curriculum. Doing so shifts the work from compliance to the true betterment of all students, an approach we can be proud of.
Dr. Jeanette Baubles is a former New Jersey public school district teacher, vice principal, principal, director and superintendent. Dr. Baubles served as a director and assistant superintendent in New York public school districts as well. As a current Assistant Professor at New Jersey City University, her research agenda is designed to support aspiring and present educational leaders.
