By Lilly Gullickson
Summary of Memo
Problem Statement
There is a lack of diverse representation in America’s current K-12 curriculum. Implementing a culturally relevant curriculum will expose all children to different cultural perspectives, aid the identity development of children of color, and allow children of color to identify with the material. Identifying with the material will result in better learning for children of color. I argue it will also aid the education debt, also known as the achievement gap.
Background and Context
There are many societal effects of a non-inclusive curriculum because schooling shapes our society. Curriculum shapes the type of citizens schools produce. Therefore, curriculum is about processing people in addition to information (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). Challenging racism within the K-12 curriculum looks like including people of color at multiple levels (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). Students who do not see themselves represented in the curriculum will not have an organic connection to schooling and will view it as separate from their intellectual development (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). Curriculum organizes informal racial experiences into formal expectations, and teaches students how race matters, or does not matter, in their lives (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014).
A New America research report titled “The Representation of Social Groups in U.S. Educational Materials and Why It Matters,” found that most children’s book characters are White. The sample studied ranged from half to 90 percent of illustrations being White characters, while 10 percent or fewer illustrations were of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities (Armstrong, 2022). The same can be said for the K-12 curriculum. The current curriculum is not inclusive of underrepresented identities and lacks representation of students of color, low socioeconomic backgrounds, different abilities, citizenship status, LGBTQ+ identities, and first-generation students.
Students cannot engage with curriculum they do not identify with, and this further contributes to the education debt. The education debt is defined as historical, economic, sociopolitical, and moral inequities that have accumulated over time (Ladson-Billings, 2006). The American education system has a larger problem than a gap in achievement between Black and White students based on standardized test scores.
It is important to note that schools that serve primarily students of color are more likely to have less resources than schools with a White student majority. This means students receive a different quality of education depending on what school they attend. This also contributes to the education debt. Implementing an inclusive curriculum can begin to address inequities through academic learning.
Introduction
Everyone should care about providing future generations of students with an inclusive curriculum because of the serious developmental impacts a non-inclusive curriculum has on students. When the history of non-Western people and places is neglected by the curriculum, an implicit message is sent to students of color that their own ancestors’ accomplishments are not worthy of attention, and their own accomplishments do not matter (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). This challenges the ability of students of color to excel while adding to the self-efficacy of White students (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014).
In addition, a curriculum that neglects race adds to the marginalization of people of color in academia, reinforces current racial arrangements in society, and produces a lower achievement rate (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). An inclusive curriculum will provide all students with self-efficacy and a foundation of cross-cultural understanding. All students benefit from a culturally relevant curriculum.
To address this problem, it should be acknowledged that students cannot engage in material they do not identify with. This is because, psychologically, information is not stored in long term memory unless it makes sense and has meaning to the learner (Sousa, 2006). Creating meaningful links to the curriculum for students who have been historically left out of the curriculum lens would contribute to lessening the education debt.
Additionally, students need to experience a sense of belonging in the classroom before they can be expected to show motivation and engagement (Booker & Campbell-Whatley, 2018). In K-12 settings, school belonging is defined as valuing, connection, and caring (Goodenow, 1993; Osterman, 2000, as cited in Booker & Campbell-Whatley, 2018). In order to thrive to their fullest potential, students need a welcoming learning environment (Maslow’s theory, 1943, as cited in Booker & Campbell-Whatley, 2018).
Recommendations
Proposed Solutions: I propose implementing a culturally relevant curriculum in conjunction with culturally responsive teaching practices to address the lack of diverse representation in K-12 education.
A Culturally Relevant Curriculum
The new curriculum would be enforced by a federal program composed of goals and guidelines. Participation is voluntary, but schools that opt-in would receive additional funding to implement the curriculum. The new curriculum would be intentional about how people of color are written about and described. Neglecting people of color in the curriculum is one form of racism in education, but how people of color are portrayed when included in the curriculum can be another form (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). Including accurate and unbiased representations of marginalized identities is an important aspect of a new curriculum. It does students a disservice to oversimplify racial history and portray it as uncontroversial (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014).
A significant note is a culturally relevant education does not have to occur in a context where the teacher and student share the same racial identity (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). A new culturally relevant curriculum can be implemented into all American public schools regardless of the teacher and student racial makeup. Another significant note is excellence is not sacrificed for ethnic content in a culturally relevant curriculum. Academic relevance includes cultural relevance (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014).
Culturally Responsive Teaching
In addition to a culturally relevant curriculum, culturally responsive teaching prepares all students with knowledge about cultural diversity by using ethnically diverse perspectives as instructional resources to improve educational achievement (Gay, 2013). It is important to emphasize the teaching responsibility is on the teacher to use diverse perspectives as instructional resources, not the diverse students themselves. This can be done by intentionally building bridges across cultural differences, and replacing existing beliefs about racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity with positive and constructive attitudes. It is also important that the teacher acquire and demonstrate proficiency as to how race relates to class content. Teachers should make their expectations and standards clear when teaching to and through cultural diversity (Gay, 2013).
An instructional method to begin culturally responsive teaching is through “mirrors” and “windows.” The concepts of “mirrors” and “windows” can be used to describe student experiences in literature. Mirrors are materials that connect to students’ daily experiences. Windows expose students to different contexts and cultures while promoting an appreciation for them (Armstrong, 2022). In addition, creating a sense of belonging, developing cultural authenticity, and recognizing nuanced identities are three strategies for educators to implement a culturally relevant curriculum (Armstrong, 2022).
Sense of belonging is a psychological experience described as the foundation for feelings of value, acceptance, and fit to exist in an environment (Hagerty & Patusky, 1995). Including underrepresented perspectives in a new curriculum will establish a sense of belonging for the identities that are often left out of the conversation. Developing cultural authenticity means using materials created by people of color to ensure accurate representation. Recognizing nuanced identities is understanding the complexity of identity and ensuring materials have opportunities for students to identify with the content. An intentional culturally responsive education allows all students to feel they are a part of the educational community (Armstrong, 2022). An inclusive curriculum should prioritize fostering an environment with psychological safety to support the sense of belonging and learning of all students. These are specific methods of instruction I propose schools use to practice a culturally relevant curriculum.
A significant note is current K-12 teaching and learning instructs students to master information rather than learning to think critically about it (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). An improved curriculum can address this setback by moving away from memory-based examinations and toward essay-based examinations. This will produce students, and eventually citizens, who think critically and come to their own conclusions after analyzing a problem.
Analysis of Solutions
Funding would be necessary to implement a culturally relevant curriculum. Education experts are needed to ensure the best teaching practices and curriculum structure are incorporated into the program goals appropriately. History experts may be needed to ensure historical accuracy in the suggested instructional materials. Funding would be used to compensate the experts involved in creating new curriculum goals, train teachers in culturally responsive teaching, and ensure all participating schools have the necessary resources to fully engage with the new curriculum.
In addition, culturally relevant teaching is not synonymous with critical race theory (Sawchuk, 2021). Culturally relevant teaching is an intellectually rigorous teaching approach that seeks to affirm the identities of marginalized students. Likewise, a culturally relevant curriculum aims to create authentic connections to schooling for students of color by improving diverse representation. The goals are similar to critical race theory as culturally relevant teaching encourages students to reflect on social inequality in their own lives. However, the new curriculum I am proposing is not critical race theory but an intentional method of educating students through diverse materials and perspectives.
Lastly, some may argue it is unconstitutional for the federal government to endorse a culturally relevant curriculum. In response I argue it is unconstitutional to enforce the current curriculum of racial ignorance. The Fourteenth Amendment in the Constitution states all citizens should be treated equally. A non-inclusive curriculum does not treat everyone equally. It heavily prioritizes White American history, resulting in significant developmental and societal impacts.
Alternatives
In the classroom, teachers and students must navigate interactions that highlight issues of power, privilege, and access in a post-racial environment (Niehaus & Williams, 2016, as cited in Booker & Campbell-Whatley, 2018). For this reason, an alternative to changing the curriculum is putting an emphasis on building quality relationships with students during the schooling process to become a teacher. This can be made possible by implementing workshops on building relationships with students during teacher orientations. This option is likely less costly and easier to implement than creating a program to incentivize schools to teach a culturally relevant curriculum. Quality student-teacher relationships are a core factor when creating an inclusive environment in school (Kim & Sax, 2017, as cited in Booker & Campbell-Whatley, 2018).
In addition, collaboration, communication, and active listening are all tools for faculty to create a sense of belonging in their classrooms (Booker & Campbell-Whatley, 2018). Fostering psychological safety in schools to promote a sense of belonging for all students is a less expensive option, but it will be less effective in solving the lack of diversity problem in the K-12 curriculum. However, when used in conjunction with an updated curriculum, it has the potential to greatly improve the educational experiences of students with marginalized identities.
Limitations and Barriers
While these findings can be applied to the general population of American K-12 schooling, every school is different and should approach the issue of diversity and representation with their own unique combination of solutions. A culturally relevant curriculum does not address all the problems a school may face. Focusing on improving sense of belonging, psychological safety, and student-teacher relationships should adequately address conflicts like violence and misbehavior that an improved curriculum may not address. Feedback from students at every school should be used to improve their sense of belonging. Listening to students themselves is just as important as learning from the research.
Additionally, a culturally relevant education does not guarantee student success (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). Outside economic and social factors like poverty and mental health impact student success, and it is not reasonable to expect schools to overcome these barriers. However, schools have the power to address the education debt with a culturally relevant curriculum and we as a society should want our children to have an equitable educational experience. Schools and society may not change with a new curriculum; however, no social change happens without it (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014). A new curriculum can use American history and culture to transform into a new society (Leonardo & Norton Grubb, 2014).
Conclusion
There is much work to be done in the American education system to improve student experiences and the quality of education offered by different schools. Implementing a culturally relevant curriculum can provide representation for underrepresented students. This can result in increasing academic success and lessening the education debt as underrepresented students feel a sense of belonging and improve their learning. If we as a society value student success and educational equity, we will take steps to make all students feel accepted and included. This means providing a safe space for all identities to learn and accurate representation in the instructional materials.
References
Armstrong, Amanda. “A Troubling Lack of Diversity in Educational Materials,” Edutopia, March 8, 2022. https://www.edutopia.org/article/troubling-lack-diversity-educational-materials.
Booker, Keonya C., and Gloria D. Campbell-Whatley. “How Faculty Create Learning Environments for Diversity and Inclusion.” InSight: A Journal of Scholarly Teaching no.13 (2018): 14–27.
Gay, Geneva. “Teaching To and Through Cultural Diversity.” Curriculum Inquiry 43, no. 1 (2013): 48–70.
Hagerty, B. M., and K. Patusky. “Developing a Measure of Sense of Belonging.” Nursing Research 44, no. 1 (1995): 9–13.
Ladson-Billings, Gloria. “From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt: Understanding Achievement in U.S. Schools.” Educational Researcher 35, no. 7 (Oct. 2006): 3-12.
Leonardo, Zeus, and W. Norton Grubb. Education and Racism: A Primer on Issues and Dilemmas. New York: Routledge, 2014.
Sawchuk, Stephen. “What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It Under Attack?” Education Week, May 18, 2021. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/what-is-critical-race-theory-and-why-is-it-under-attack/2021/05.
Sousa, David A. How the Brain Learns. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press, 2006.