Policy Implications for Inclusive Educational Materials

This is a working brief identifying policy recommendations for inclusive educational materials based on the takeaways from prior research described above. Please share your insights on these and any other policy recommendations to consider.

In her third edition of her book, Geneva Gay, University of Washington professor emerita of education, describes culturally responsive education as an asset-based approach that uses “the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant to and effective for them.”[1] This approach supports students in feeling they are a part of the educational community, becoming engaged learners, enhancing their accurate knowledge of diverse people and awareness of different perspectives, and using their existing knowledge to build bridges to new content.

Ohio State University professor emerita of education Rudine Sims Bishop describes children’s experience with literature as mirrors (materials that make connections with students’ daily life), windows (materials that expose students to other contexts and cultures), and sliding glass doors (materials that invite students to be a part of the author’s created world).[2] Multicultural education practices, like culturally responsive and sustaining practices,[3] have emphasized the importance of materials that are mirrors and windows. Research indicates that when materials are mirrors, students are more active and engaged learners and more likely to complete assignments and ask questions. Materials that are windows help students learn new perspectives and discover relatability to characters that vary from their daily experiences. Studies also show that students value gaining knowledge about different cultures and circumstances.

Scholars call educational materials, and media generally, societal curricula, because they indirectly inform students about: 1) language, attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and cultures, and 2) society’s expectations of and values about them and others based on social identity markers. Materials may also influence students’ racial-ethnic and gender identity development and understanding of different races, ethnicities, and genders.

Several Racial and Ethnic Communities are Underrepresented.

Multiple studies show White characters are presented more frequently than those of individual BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) communities.[4] Analyses of children’s books and textbooks indicate that White characters are presented in over half of the characters or pictorials (with some cases up to 80 percent), while BIPOC characters may be featured in 10 percent or less of the characters and pictorials. Some specific groups are featured as low as 1 percent of the time.

Gender Representation has Become More Balanced but Remains Binary.

Studies indicate while female representation in children’s books was about 20 percent in the 1960s, this rate has fluctuated and increased, with some studies showing females are more balanced with males. In educational software and programming, males are presented at a higher rate than females. Analysis of award-winning children’s books found no non-binary characters, while a study of LGBTQ-themed books found some transgender characters.

Characters are More Likely to be White or Male.

For characters who are the intersection[5] of race/ethnicity and gender, research indicates female characters are more likely to be White. BIPOC characters are more likely to be male.

Racial and Ethnic Stereotypes and Limited Portrayals are Frequent.

Studies indicate that there are both patterns of narrow[6] and problematic portrayals for racial and ethnic groups as well as recommendations of promising and positive depictions, as shown in Table 1. Narrow and problematic portrayals reinforce stereotypes, consistently limit certain groups to specific roles, and present inaccurate information. Positive and promising depictions accurately portray people and communities in context, show full and complex characters, and affirm cultural identities.

While Female Portrayal is More Varied, Gender is Still Binary.

Research indicates it is common for females to be limited to traditional and home-based activities, such as shopping, cleaning, preparing food, and caretaking, and portrayed as passive and dependent. Though studies conducted within the past decade have indicated a shift toward females being more active and engaged in careers outside the home, traditional portrayals are still prevalent. For transgender and non-binary characters, the story line tends to center on their gender identity. In some instances, their gender identity is seen as a problem by others, which changes by the end of the story.

More Research is Needed on Intersection of Gender and Race and/or Ethnicity.

Analyses of characters who represent intersections of marginalized racial/ethnic and gender identities show that they portray traits traditionally associated with females or those unique to their racial/ethnic and gender identities. However, more studies are needed that investigate characters with these multiple identities, particularly those who represent gender non-binary communities.

Takeaways from the analysis indicate a need for a fuller story of the United States, its people, and the ways different cultural communities have contributed to society as well as missed opportunities for many students to have mirrors of themselves and windows that present the complexities and nuances of people within different social groups. As policymakers consider culturally responsive materials and instructional practices, an understanding of students’ identities and experiences is critical. The meta-analysis of representation in educational materials informs policymakers of three ways to improve curricula: 1) expand the definition and vetting of “high quality” educational materials to include “culturally responsive and sustaining practices,” 2) incentivize and strengthen the development, promotion, and dissemination of culturally responsive and sustaining materials and resources, and 3) better ensure the recruitment, preparation and professional development equips the educator workforce to identify and use responsive materials.

1. Adopt a definition for “high quality” that includes “culturally responsive and sustaining practices” when evaluating and selecting educational materials.

When choosing and developing educational materials, it is important for educators and others to examine not just the characters and activities depicted but also the creator's ability to represent the complexities of student identities. In order to vet materials well, a shared understanding of how to identify high-quality materials is critical. As our previous work has shown, in addition to grade-level content and alignment with college- and career-ready standards, “high-quality instructional materials” are those that are free from bias and represent students’ identities, histories, and experiences, help students incorporate academic skills and concepts into their everyday lives, and foster connection to disciplines and careers. Including culturally responsive and sustaining teaching and learning practices in the definition for high quality ensures that curricular materials affirm and support all students. Policy makers should take this opportunity to invest in and promote access to research-based vetting systems and to create repositories for educational materials that include character and social group representation in their measures of quality.

For example, groups like Chiefs for Change, a membership organization made up of state education leaders across the country, have been encouraging states to define what high quality means for both instructional materials and professional development. The Collaborative for Student Success, an organization that works on high-quality assessments and accountability systems, has created a repository of high-quality materials by state availability. Policymakers can strengthen these practices by embedding social group representation in the definition of high-quality instructional materials.

2. Invest in the development and dissemination of high-quality and culturally responsive and sustaining books, media, and instructional materials.

For students to affirm they are part of learning environments and communities, representation of demographic subgroups needs to be woven into curricula and educational materials. Policymakers can ensure that decisions made regarding access to books and materials expand the accurate portrayal and full representation of diverse student identities. This means not only including materials that portray diverse social identities, but also avoiding the restriction and exclusion of these materials. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides states and districts the opportunity to invest federal funds in high-quality instructional materials. Massachusetts, for example, created CUrriculum RAtings by TEachers (CURATE) to lay a foundation of great curricular materials, so that teachers can focus on making those materials work for the students they know best.

A related opportunity is increasing access to high-quality culturally responsive materials by investing in materials that are openly licensed. Open educational resources (OER) are those that can be freely downloaded, edited, and shared. OER has been in practice in districts since at least 2011. In 2015, the Department of Education coordinated resources on a national level through the #GoOpen initiative. Investment in developing and disseminating high-quality, openly licensed materials is a clear opportunity to broaden access to materials for use and creation by practitioners across the country. While the role of the federal government in developing curricular materials is limited, we recommend that any new curricular resources and digital media created using federal funds should be openly licensed.

3. Recruit, prepare, and support the professional development of a diverse and culturally responsive educator workforce.

Policymakers can prioritize recruiting and training educators who understand and can deliver culturally responsive and sustaining education. Our work on Grow Your Own (GYO) educators has shown why investments in local communities can address both teaching shortages and increase racial and linguistic diversity in the educator workforce. These efforts to recruit teachers who are reflective of and responsive to the local community strengthen the pipeline of teachers who are ready to identify and use materials that are relevant to the identities and cultures of their students. Many states have competitive grant programs designed to support these efforts.

For example, education leaders in the Keystone State developed the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium to recruit, prepare, and retain culturally responsive educators. Their recommendations include monitoring teacher diversity, improving retention, and preparing culturally responsive teachers. By working together with institutions of higher education, districts, charter networks, and other stakeholders, the consortium is making major shifts in educator preparation and diversity in its state.

The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), another membership organization of state education leaders, launched the Diverse and Learner-Ready Teachers Initiative in 2018. At its launch, 10 states committed to enacting policies aimed at ensuring that the educator workforce was diverse in nature and culturally responsive in practice. As a result, Colorado put together a team that developed shared definitions for diversity and culturally responsive practice as well as a series of briefs that explain how they each intersect across nine other policy initiatives that impact the teacher pipeline. While the current state of the DLRT initiative is unclear because of state shifts in priorities in response to the pandemic, CCSSO developed a vision and guidance for both the student and teacher experience of diversity and culturally responsive practice. Policymakers can use this example as a starting point for including guidance and/or incentives to professional development opportunities that help educators advance their practice and help them identify high-quality materials.

New America’s analysis of state professional teaching standards points to the need for state policymakers to assess, revise, and adopt standards that are aligned with culturally responsive teaching practices. States like Washington and Alaska have developed and implemented stand-alone teaching standards that focus on the knowledge and skills that are central to culturally responsive teaching. While the adoption and implementation of teaching standards will vary across states, policymakers can incentivize the preparation and support of culturally responsive educators through aligned professional development standards.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the current social and political climates have more openly forced education stakeholders to confront and address issues within educational materials, technology, and teaching practices. Culturally responsive and sustaining materials and teaching practices matter for creating educational communities that invite and encourage students to engage in different subjects, disciplines, and fields. All learners benefit when educators develop and select materials that reflect students’ experiences and expose them to diverse perspectives and people. Preparing educators so they teach in a manner that optimizes the use of these materials will build a stronger and more effective teacher workforce. In addition to developing policies related to developing curriculum and recruiting and preparing educators, policymakers should prioritize crafting and implementing policies that are inclusive of and responsive to all learners and consider funding research-based practices that support all learners.

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This is a working brief identifying policy recommendations for inclusive educational materials based on the takeaways from prior research described above. Please share your insights on these and any other policy recommendations to consider.

Notes

[1] Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice, 3rd ed. (New York: Teachers College, 2018).

[2] Rudine Sims Bishop, “Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors,” Perspectives: Choosing and Using Books for the Classroom 6, no. 3 (Summer 1990), https://www.readingrockets.org/sites/default/files/Mirrors-Windows-and-Sliding-Glass-Doors.pdf

[3] Culturally sustaining pedagogy centers on teaching and learning practices that sustain cultural, literate, and linguistic pluralism and recognizes the fluidity and dynamic nature of culture and the interplay between past and present ways of knowing. Schooling is a place for “sustaining the cultural ways of being of communities of color.” For further information, see: Django Paris, “Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy: A Needed Change in Stance, Terminology, and Practice,” Educational Researcher 41, no. 3 (April 2012): 93-97; and Django Paris and H. Samy Alim, Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World (New York: Teachers College Press, 2017).

[4] The BIPOC term includes people who identify as African American, Asian American, Pacific Islanders, Hispanic, Latinx, Alaskan Native, American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Middle Eastern.

[5] “Intersectionality” is a term coined by Black Feminist feminist scholars to describe the multiple identities of a person and how those identities are interconnected and impact a person’s experiences and oppressions based on race, gender, class, sexual orientation, etc. For further information, see Patricia H. Collins, Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory (Durham: Duke University Press, 2019); and Sumi Cho, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw, and Leslie McCall, “Intersectionality: Theorizing Power, Empowering Theory,” Signs 38, no. 5 (Summer 2013), 785–810.

[6] Narrow portrayals do not equate to being negative. Rather, they are portrayals scholars noted certain racial and ethnic groups are commonly limited to certain portrayals and roles.