Running head: IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Improving Student Achievement Through the Use of Culturally Responsive Practices

Lisa A. Debany
Post University

IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

The ethnicity of the United States reflects a changing ethnic profile. By 2010, the total
U.S. population of white non -Hispanics was 64%, 15 % white Hispanic, and 12.6 % black. By
the year 2050, the minority population is expected to be equal to the white non-Hispanic
population (The changing state of U.S. ethnicity, 2012). Our school systems will be faced with
an increasingly diverse student population with unique experiences, language proficiency,
immigration status, and social class. In 2005, the U. S. had 11 million school aged children of
immigrants, approximately one-fifth of the school population. It will be vial to address the
changing demographics in education to ensure student achievement and expectations remain
high. Implementing culturally responsive strategies in the classroom can improve student
achievement and reduce the achievement gap.
This paper will attempt to analyze how culture affects learning and how the culturally
responsive strategies of building on student prior knowledge, planning curriculum based on
culture, and building a caring and culturally responsive climate could decrease the achievement
gap. The connection between two EDU 604 course objectives are evaluated. These objectives
are: Identifying strategies that can reduce the achievement gap and culture affecting learning and
achievement. It is hypothesized that culturally responsive teaching practices will be effective at
reducing the achievement gap because student culture affects learning and achievement.
Cultural Effects on Learning:
Disparities in test scores and educational outcomes exist between black and white students in
the United States, as well as with other minority groups. The achievement gap between white and
black and high and low socioeconomic status can be as high as 40-50% (Murphy, 2010). In
2004, the math score between white and black nine year olds was 22.9 points. More concerning
is that the gap for African Americans and Hispanics has been relatively constant from 1990-2004

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(Murphy, 2010). A cultural explanation for why racial and ethnic backgrounds translate to
differences in school performance has been hypothesized to be due to an oppositional culture
theory. This theory relates to the attitude and perhaps pressure of black students to act white.
Barack Obama, while State Senator of Illinois, in 2004 stated, There is real culture problem that
needs to be dealt with. We need to eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is
acting white. (Diamond & Huguley, 20014, p 749).
To further understand the racial minority experiences and attitudes pertaining to education,
understanding how they migrated to the United States is helpful. Some minority populations, for
example from Latin American, voluntarily came to the U.S. for better opportunities and have
experienced a harder life in their homeland. These students have a more favorable view of
education. Other groups such as African American, Native American, and some Mexican groups
have a past history of involuntarily migrating to the U.S. and have a more negative outlook on
education and on their conditions as compared to whites. This culture affects learning outcomes
because they may resist education, limiting students efforts to succeed (Diamond & Huguley,
2014).
The Achievement Gap:
The achievement gap is the difference in learning outcomes among groups of students. The
achievement gap is seen between socioeconomically advantaged and disadvantaged peers. White
and wealthy students outperform minority disadvantage students (Murphy, 2010). The issue of
the achievement gap has been around for many years and still continues to be a concern. One
could argue that it is even more a concern today in our postindustrial society. The educational
requirement of students today needs to align to a global workforce. Students need to be equipped
with 21st century skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, and communication. These are

IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

ambitious performance tasks and require high standards for all students regardless of
background. Schools are being held accountable for proving that students are meeting these
standards.
Currently in the United States, social and economic inequalities contribute to the achievement
gap. The rate of poverty among children in the United States is higher than other nations
(Murphy, 2010). With poverty comes factors that lead to barriers in achievement by students.
These barriers include poor health care and nutrition, lack of adequate or safe housing, and lack
of parental support.
Connection to Society:
The achievement gap is not only a school issue, but a societal issue. The future and productivity
of our nation could be affected since the achievement gap is seen primarily in minority
populations and the minority population is growing. This could lead to lower standard of living
and quality of life in general (Murphy, 2010). Our society cannot maintain an economic
advantage if in 25 years, approximately 50 % of the population is twice as likely to be
unemployable because of lower educational background. (Bridging the achievement gap, 2012).
Implementing culturally responsive strategies in the classroom can improve student achievement
and reduce the achievement gap.
Culturally responsive strategies to reduce the achievement gap:
The first component of successfully implementing culturally responsive practices that could
impact student achievement is for teachers to recognize and understand the cultural differences in
their classrooms and also believe that all students are capable of learning and achieving (Lanier
&Glasson, 2014). Teachers need to understand students experiences and abandon the colorblind approach to teaching, and look past students race. This approach assumes all students are

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all the same and does not acknowledge the cultural diversities in the class. Teacher demographics
are primarily made up of white, middleclass females and may not relate to minority students. If
interpersonal conflicts are not resolved, then student achievement will be decreased (Irizarry &
Antrop-Gonzlez, 2008). Individual teachers can affect the direction students take in education.
Conversations about race and ethnicity are necessary to uncover subtle biases and stereotypes
that could hinder teaching and learning. Once the awkwardness of these conversations is faced,
bigger issues can be addressed (Irizarry & Antrop-Gonzlez, 2008).
Once teachers know their students and their cultures, they can use it to build on prior
knowledge. To build on prior knowledge and on the experiences of students, teachers can use
information from students culture, connect this to knowledge gained in school and by bridging
these two spaces together, a third space is created. In this space, teachers and students share
information and are learning from one another (Lanier & Glasson, 2013). The teaching
environment becomes more student centered and active. Engagement and achievement are
improved.
Some curriculum strategies that have been successful are scaffolding, especially for English
Language Learner (ELL) students (Oliver, 2013). Scaffolding techniques give students the
opportunity to make visual representations of their topic before writing. Reading experts
recommend that students make predictions for better comprehension of material and use visual
organizing tools. In order to make good prediction, students must activate prior knowledge.
Activating prior knowledge will allow students to make connections to their lives. Each student
will have a different view because of culture and experiences (Bui & Fagan, 2013). Themes
relevant to students could be used in the curriculum. For example, topics of immigration and
globalization could be used as interdisciplinary lessons to foster learning English. Students in

IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

English and History could reflect on their own immigration or the immigration of their parents.
Teams of teachers working together to come up with relevant curriculum and assignments that
deal with content as well as English are necessary to blend students culture with curriculum. By
including topics that are relevant to students, they will feel more connected to school and
improve their achievement (Lee, 2012).
Another culturally responsive practice is for teachers to engage and interact with their
students and their families. This allows students and parents to make decisions on how learning
could be improved. This type of interaction is not limited to immigrant or minority students but
is applicable for the entire student body. By using this approach across the school, a caring and
culturally responsive climate would result and students would be more engaged in the learning
process (Ford, 2013).
Negative Consequences related to immigrants and minorities:
An issue that is associated with implementing culturally responsive strategies to improve
achievement is that often times, small towns lack the resources that urban areas have to dedicate
to successfully training teachers and schedule team time for developing curriculum. With the
increasing number of immigrant students entering schools, many may migrate to small towns
that would not have the resources to support students (Lee 2012).
Another controversial issue surrounding the education of immigrants and minorities are the
stereotypes related to race and ethnicity. Educators may view students that do not speak English
as not smart and view it as a deficit and in turn have low expectations (Nieto, 2012). English
Language Learners are often tracked in classes where they learn English but are excluded from
challenging academic courses and later are unprepared for graduation or beyond (Lee, 2012).
Conclusion and Further Study:

IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

The culture of students will affect their learning and achievement. This is evident in the
achievement gap between white and minority students. Since the dominant culture is white, there
is a bias in curriculum and teaching to this dominant culture. Culture is an intricate and
complicated factor and is uniquely different for everyone based on experiences, race, ethnicity,
and much more. It would be wise then to use culturally responsive teaching practices to address
the diversity in classrooms, which are expected to continue to become more and more diverse.
Some of these practices include cultural awareness of students and building on their prior
knowledge, using prior knowledge and culture references in curriculum to allow students to
make connections and feel connected, and finally to involve parents in the learning process in
order to build a community of caring and cultural responsiveness. Studies have shown that these
practices will engage students and families and make the acquisition of knowledge greatly
enhanced.
Further studies in this topic should address teacher preparation courses. In order to
disseminate culturally responsive practices to all students, new teachers need to receive training.
Cost effective professional development programs also need to be investigated in order to ensure
that current teachers are culturally aware and can implement culturally responsive practices.

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References
Bui, Y.N., Fagan,Y.M. (2013). The effects of an integrated reading comprehension strategy: A
culturally responsive teaching approach for fifth-grade students reading comprehension.
Preventing school failures, 57 (2), 59-69. doi: http:// dxdoi.org/
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Bridging the achievement gap. (2012). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zG6var7MTg4
Diamond, J. B., & Huguley, J. P. (2014). Testing the Oppositional Culture Explanation in
Desegregated Schools: The impact of racial differences in academic orientations on
school performance. Social Forces, 93(2), 747-777.
Irizarry, J. G., & Antrop-Gonzlez, R. (2007). RicanStructing the discourse and promoting
school success: Extending a theory of culturally responsive pedagogy for diasporicans.
Centro Journal, 19(2), 36.
Lanier, M., & Glasson, G. (2014). Investigating strategies for enhancing achievement for urban
African American students in middle school science classroom. Insights on Learning
Disabilities, 11(1), 9-32.
Lee, S. J. (2012). New talk about ELL students. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(8), 66.
Murphy, J.(2010). The Educator's Handbook for Understanding and Closing Achievement Gaps.
Thousand Oaks, Calif : Corwin, 2010. ISBN: 9781412964555.
Nieto,S., (2012). Debunking Deficit Views. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=mAOUci3aI64
Oliver, B. b., & Oliver, E. e. (2013). Culturally responsive teaching: How much more data do we
need? Journal of International Education & Business, 4(1), 5-25.

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The changing state of U.S. ethnicity, (2012). Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QOeuMymIezg