ABSTRACT
Persistent achievement disparities among students and enrollment patterns in urban schools demand serious consideration of culturally responsive teaching. Minimally, this consideration should examine why it is important to incorporate the cultural heritages, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students into educational programs and practices designed for them, how this can be accomplished in practice, and what consequences it generates. This discussion addresses these issues. It begins with a brief overview of the urban education context and why culturally responsive teaching is a good fi t for it. This is followed by a summary of major assumptions, attributes, and principles of culturally responsive teaching. Third, some samples of culturally responsive programs and practices are examined. They target a variety of ethnic student populations, including African Americans, Asian/Pacifi c Islanders, Latino Americans, Native Americans, and Native Alaskans, and different levels of schooling (elementary, secondary, and college). In addition to describing the features of these practices, the results they accomplish in improving student achievement are presented. These achievements are academic, social, cultural, and personal.
