Close the achievement gap by closing the culture gap

Teaching children from diverse backgrounds begins with educators asking simple questions: What is my culture? What are my students’ cultures? How does culture affect how I teach and how my students learn? Educators who address these questions and use the knowledge and culture students bring to school in a standards-based curriculum can help students achieve success. This comprehensive guide provides detailed examples that show why and how to create culturally responsive, standards-based (CRSB) teaching in the classroom, schoolwide, and at the district level. Results of effective programs include:

• Increased academic success for all learners
• Engaged and motivated students
• Development of critical thinking necessary for higher learning
• Strengthened partnerships between students, families, and communities

This new edition—published jointly by Education Northwest and Corwin Press—is enhanced with nationwide examples, up-to-date resources, and tools that can be implemented immediately. Principals, administrators, K–12 teachers, curriculum and staff developers, and college instructors will find this handbook a valuable and powerful tool for turning around disengaged students and improving struggling schools. (2011)