Culturally Responsive Instruction

Culturally Responsive Instruction

Jones, Shelley.

The article takes a critical look at the No Child left Behind Act (NCLB). NCLB increases the accountability that a school has by requiring states to set clear timelines for improving student achievement with attention being given to low-income and minority students. The disparity between these two groups of students is known as the achievement gap. Although the achievement gap is identified there are contributing factors that stop the gap from closing or widening. The article addresses the significance of incorporating students’ cultural background in the classroom that sometimes NCLB fails to address. In reference to the results of NCLB it is evident there is a cultural and racial disconnect between students and their educators. To combat the low academic levels of low-income and minority students, culturally responsive, standards-based instruction (CRSBI) has been introduce. CRSBI is a teaching style that validates and incorporates students’ cultural background, ethnic history, and current societal issues into standard-based lessons. CRSBI is comprised of five components: caring, communication, curriculum, instruction, and a focus on California content standards.

This article is very aligned to the beliefs that I have about NCLB and the achievement of low-income and minority students. I honestly believe in NCLB in the aspect that it addresses that low-income and minority students are not being granted the same opportunities as their rich and White counterparts. The problem that I have, what is being done to address the issue. As the article suggests, I know it is vital to incorporate CRSBI in our classrooms. The article provides a detailed outline of the components of CRSBI. It is important to note that all of the components of CRSBI are important; one component really hit home for me as former student and now as an educator. Caring is extremely vital in education. Although in the “teaching” profession it is assumed that all teachers care, unfortunately this is not the case. It is very important for me to let my students that I care about their future successes. Caring along with the other components of CRSBI will go along way.