Aligning Classroom Instruction to Culture Necessary for High School Equity
Coalition Calls for Federal Education Policy that Supports Culturally Based Teaching
WASHINGTON — While No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) reauthorization stalls, civil rights and education leaders continue to urge Congress to take immediate action. The Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), the leading coalition of high-profile civil rights organizations focused on education reform, held a Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill to promote the importance of culturally based teaching in high schools.
Culturally based teaching is an approach to education that integrates native language, culture and traditions into the classroom — an approach that experts argue can close the achievement gap between minority and white students in U.S. high schools.
“It is critical to the success of all students that federal, state and local education policies account for culturally based teaching programs and provide teachers with tools and resources to effectively incorporate culture into the classroom,” said Michael Wotoroson, director of CHSE.
Data reveal that more students thrive in the classroom when culture is integrated into their course work, creating an environment where all students excel, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. According to the National Indian Education Association (NIEA), a CHSE member, learning in an environment that incorporates culturally based teaching — especially the addition of a second language — increases student mastery of and achievement in science and math. For example, students enrolled in a Navajo immersion school in Arizona have done as well or better than their peers enrolled in learning environments that do not incorporate culturally based teaching.
“Teaching content areas and native language and culture are not mutually exclusive, but rather complementary and enhance academic achievement in other subject disciplines,” said Dr. Willard Sakiestewa Gilbert, president of the NIEA.
Other speakers at the briefing, including Dr. Sheryl Denbo, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Equity Center; Mr. Rushern Baker III, executive director of Community Teachers Institute; and Dr. Luis A. Vázquez, associate graduate school dean of New Mexico State University College of Education, shared their perspectives on the important role culturally based teaching plays in helping all students receive a quality education that prepares them for college, work and life.
At the briefing, CHSE highlighted activities that should be considered for integrating culturally based teaching into U.S. education policy, including:
- promoting culturally relevant content knowledge and teaching in the classroom will prepare all students to be effective participants in a global economy; and
- implementing a variety of quality high school models shown to support different learning styles, cultures and student situations is critical to achieving success for all students; and
- promoting instructional practices designed to meet the needs of diverse learners, such as reflexive learning and culturally competent learning techniques, will help all students succeed.
###
The Campaign for High School Equity is a diverse coalition of national civil rights organizations representing communities of color that believe high schools should have the capacity and motivation to prepare every student for graduation, college, work and life. CHSE was formed to address the unequal public education system that fails to provide high-quality education to students of color and youth from low-income neighborhoods. CHSE members include the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, the National Council of La Raza, the National Indian Education Association, the National Urban League, and the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center. The Alliance for Excellent Education serves as CHSE’s convener and coordinator.
CONTACT
Enid Johnson(202) 331-4323
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it