What Is Culturally Responsive Teaching?

A 2019 analysis by the think tank New America found that all states include some combination of culturally responsive teaching competencies into their professional teaching standards, but some are more widely incorporated than others. For example, every state’s standards says teachers must work with families and develop relationships to learn more about students’ cultural background, and 28 states say that teachers should bring real-world issues into the classroom, but only three states—Alabama, Minnesota, and Washington—advise that teachers learn how institutional racism and other biases can hinder students.