PEOPLE OFTEN ARE surprised to hear that as a student in the New York City Public Schools, I had no black teachers. Because of that lack of representation, I enrolled in North Carolina A&T State University, an historically black college, where I learned and felt the benefits of a culturally affirming education.

Students of color comprise more than half of the student population in public elementary and secondary schools nationwide. However, teachers of color represent only about 20 percent of the teaching force. A diverse teaching staff benefits all students, yet we have not adequately diversified our nation’s teaching force.

Research shows that teachers of color provide more culturally relevant instruction and develop stronger rapport with students of color. They also hold more positive expectations of students of color compared to their white counterparts.

Clearly, schools must make diversifying the teaching force a primary goal, but they must go further — they must change the way educators teach students of color by incorporating culturally affirming strategies.

The Roadmap

We have seen a linear progression toward incorporating culture in teaching and learning, from teaching tolerance to promoting cultural relevance to fostering cultural responsiveness — all to better meet the needs of historically underserved students.

Education researcher Gloria Ladson-Billings introduced the idea of culturally relevant teaching more than two decades ago. Her threefold approach to ensuring that all students are successful, described in a 2019 interview with The 74, covers focusing on students’ learning; developing their cultural competence; and increasing their critical consciousness of inequity.

Other scholars’ work is equally relevant: A. Wade Boykin’s talent development model for students placed at risk; Donna Ford’s research on diverse students in gifted education; and Linda Darling-Hammond’s studies around preparing teachers for diverse learners.

This roadmap emphasizes the importance of being student-centered, developing a knowledge base of different cultures, teaching within the context of culture, incorporating cultural knowledge into the curriculum, communicating high expectations and having positive familial perspectives.

Continuing progress will advance this movement from a place of acknowledgment to a place of empowerment.

Affirming Culture

The action word toward people of color and other marginalized groups is appreciation, not just tolerance or awareness. Educators demonstrate cultural affirmation when they commit to understanding, respecting and meeting the needs of students from culturally diverse backgrounds. They intentionally engage parents, families and the cultural community at large by co-constructing reflective learning experiences that promote student achievement and positive cultural identity. Inquiry is their primary teaching and learning tool.

When my son first learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in school, he told me that he was glad he wasn’t brown back then. My heart sank. I countered with familial stories of struggle, purpose, resilience and triumph. By the end of our conversation, he was proud to be black and that his grandma marched with King.

When the material is presented through the lens and perspective of ordinary people and their role in social movements that have shaped our democracy, all students are more likely to see themselves reflected in the curriculum and more positively in society. Teachers must show how extraordinary the ordinary was.

Widespread Value

Our future depends on schools embracing culturally affirming practices that lead not only to improved student outcomes but also to student empowerment that eradicates the perceptions of marginalization for our diverse student population.

Culturally affirming practices also hold value in schools where the student population is majority white. Students need to see all educators embrace and affirm our diverse society, even if that diversity is not present in their own classrooms.

Students of all racial backgrounds benefit from a diverse teacher workforce and a culturally affirming curriculum. This advocacy provides a more just presentation of the democratic society in which our youth will participate.

DAWN WILLIAMS is dean of Howard University School of Education in Washington, D.C. E-mail: dgwilliams@Howard.edu. Twitter: @HU_Ed_Prof