Culturally responsive pedagogy

Sleeter builds on the three dimensions of culturally relevant pedagogy as suggested by Ladson- Billings (1995) (referenced in the article). The three premises include upholding high academic performance and offering appropriate support; building on cultural competence by restructuring the curriculum and establishing stable relationships with students and their backgrounds. Culturally responsive pedagogy is understood merely as the relegation of focus to culture to the margins of instructions, disregarding low academic expectations for students, and ignoring power relations. The author also argues that there is dismal research connecting culturally responsive pedagogy to students’ achievement. Nevertheless, there are oversimplified and distorted perceptions of culturally responsive pedagogy which do not necessarily improve student achievement. This results in unequal access to educational resources and different academic outcomes.

As such, it is critical for teachers to mitigate the impacts of inadequate educational resources by implementing a pedagogical framework that mitigates the factors that impact students’ achievement. I believe that a, culturally responsive pedagogy is a useful tool for schools and classrooms that endeavors to address the differences in student’s outcomes. Particularly in urban schools, students are exposed to completely different schooling from the same level of access in rural areas (Bonner, Warren, and Jiang, 2017). Building on Sleeter’s concept of neoliberalism, neoliberal policies are shifting the focus of schools from being public institutions to increasingly private institutions. Moreover, the curriculum should accommodate for regular professional development and incorporate strategies related to the content area of teachers. In summation, the current education systems emphasize on accountability over culturally relevant pedagogy that underlines on students achievement, affirmation, and cultural relevance.