Below are reflection questions for each Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading Standard from the Illinois State Board of Education. Reflecting on these questions allows educators and leaders to consider their practices and improve their effectiveness.
Standard: Culturally responsive teachers and leaders are reflective and gain a deeper understanding of themselves and how they impact others, leading to more cohesive and productive student development as it relates to academic and social-emotional development for all students.
Action: Educators and leaders reflect and leverage collaboration for personal growth. Actions that support this might include journaling, self-evaluating or enrolling in a quality professional development course.
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Standard: Culturally responsive teachers and leaders understand that there are systems in society, especially (but not limited to) in the school system, that create and reinforce inequities, thereby creating oppressive conditions. Educators work actively against these systems in their everyday roles in educational institutions.
Action: Educators and leaders understand systems in our society and systemic barriers. Actions for this standard might include examining school policies and practices, teaching students about local or global history, and expanding learning about historic inequities that impact education.
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Standard: Students as Individuals
Culturally responsive teachers and leaders view and value their students as individuals within the context of their families and communities.
Action: Educators and leaders collaborate with families and communities. Actions for this standard might look like asking students to co-create, scheduling one-on-one time to connect with students or inviting families and caregivers into the classroom.
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Standard: Culturally responsive teachers and leaders who fundamentally believe all students are capable center their learning on students' experiences. They position them as co-creators with an emphasis on prioritizing historically marginalized students.
Action: Educators and leaders center students’ voices, align learning with their needs and partner with students as co-creators. Actions that support this standard might include collaborating with students, creating a student-led club connected to a topic students care about and asking for student feedback.
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Standard: Culturally responsive teachers and leaders will support and create opportunities for student advocacy and representation in the content and classroom.
Action: Educators and leaders support opportunities for student advocacy in the classroom, school and community. Actions that support this standard might include using the un/HUSH framework to assess existing lessons and texts, inviting a group of students to a department meeting to share perspectives, or taking students on a field trip related to learning content so that they see connections beyond the classroom.
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Standard: Educators and leaders will partner with families and community members to engage in effective communication and collaboration. Actions for this standard might include sending a regular newsletter to families, using self-reflection to assess and improve communication with students and families, and creating procedures and classroom expectations that foster an environment of respect.
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Standard: Culturally responsive teachers and leaders intentionally embrace student identities and prioritize representation in the curriculum. In turn, students are given a chance to identify with the curriculum and are exposed to other cultures within their schools and local and global communities.
Action: Educators and leaders commit to creating and sustaining curricula and practices that are inclusive. Actions for this standard might include revising curricula, professional development related to culturally responsive teaching and leading, and using tools and resources to guide and implement culturally responsive practices.
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Standard: Student Representation in the Learning Environment
Culturally responsive teachers and leaders ensure that the diversity of their students is equally represented within the learning environment. In turn, all members of the student population feel seen, heard and affirmed. Exceptionally well-versed culturally responsive teachers and leaders provide exposure to underrepresented or misrepresented minority groups, even when they are not present within the population of their school and the community at large.
Action: Educators and leaders ensure that the diversity of their students population is represented, helping all students see themselves in the learning space and the perspectives of others. Actions for this standard might include holding a Socratic seminar to allow dialogue and inquiry, creating a lesson that allows students to engage with oral histories or primary sources to expand their knowledge, collaborating with another teacher to create a lesson that celebrates an underrepresented group, and ensuring that your classroom has visual representation of diversity since visual representation is as important as content representation.
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