ABSTRACT
Culturally Responsive Education (CRE) is a mental model that is useful for identifying themes and tools of practice for closing opportunity gaps. The CRE mental model provides a conceptual context for policies and practices that focus on Equity without marginalizing some students relative to others. It actively enlists the awareness of culture, race, ethnicity, gender, ability, and other social identity markers that shape the perceptions of educational opportunities. This chapter discusses what is meant by responsiveness and how the CRE mental model is situated within a larger historical mission of American public schools.
