Staffing for Cultural Responsiveness in Diverse Odds-Beating Schools

By Aaron Leo

As the student population in New York State and across the country continues to become more socioeconomically, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse, the challenge of engaging each child also increases. One promising approach articulated by Geneva Gay is culturally-responsive teaching (CRT).  Gay described CRT as “using 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.”

CRT has gained a foothold in schools across the country. A New America report, for example, claims that all 50 states have elements of CRT incorporated in their teaching standards (though to varying degrees). While there is no consensus on exactly what CRT should look like, research has shown that its inclusive approach fosters student engagement and positive attitudes toward learning.

Staffing for CRT

An aspect of CRT that has generally been overlooked is how school and district leaders account for CRT in their staffing decisions. The need to find teachers with the capabilities and sensibilities to work with diverse students is especially crucial given the growing number of English learners and students from diverse socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds in U.S. schools. Unfortunately, many teachers lack the training to effectively engage students from diverse backgrounds using CRT strategies. And although more than half of all students in public schools across the country are reported to fall into a racial and ethnic minority subgroups, only one of every five teachers is a member of one of these groups.

In the odds-beating schools included in NYKids’ studies, we found that leaders pay close attention to their hiring practices often with CRT in mind. In Freeport, for example, leaders prioritize the hiring of Spanish-speaking and English New Language (ENL)-trained staff to support the growing Central American population. As a school leader explained, “[District leaders] want to know that you can handle this population, that you have experience with this population and have knowledge about it.”

For teachers without these credentials, the district provides support for educators who are willing to acquire an ENL or bilingual extension. In addition to new teaching hires and Spanish-speaking administrative staff, Freeport added two bilingual counselors, a social worker, and a psychologist to strengthen their services for linguistically diverse youth and families.

Port Chester, also serving a highly diverse student population, works to find skilled candidates who share commonalities with their students. As the principal explained:

“I knew I wanted teachers who looked more like my students. I knew that I wanted to hire qualified applicants who were filling niches. . . . African-American teachers, Hispanic teachers, Spanish-speaking teachers. Those were what we certainly looked for very hard when we were filling positions, with always, though, the idea that merit is what mattered most.”

Teachers at diverse odds-beating schools often shared a common identity with their students and gave them deep insights into how to teach their students in meaningful ways. As one teacher at Port Chester explained, “I really thought that I could make an impact with such a large Hispanic population. Me being bilingual and growing up in a household where my dad was an immigrant… I felt like I could relate to the students.”

Educators in rural odds-beating schools also shared commonalities with their students and often grew up in the district where they now taught. A teacher at Alfred-Almond said, “I do feel like there is a sort of sense of pride in this school. I’ve lived here my whole life, and a lot of the people that I talk to are proud to be associated with this school.”

For many teachers and support staff, this connection to the community and its culture provides them with capabilities and sensibilities to engage their students effectively as well as communicate with families. As a teacher from Sherburne-Earlville reported, “When you have a lot of our teachers that live in the district, you get to know families. We’re part of the community, we know each other, and so we feel comfortable… they listen to what we are saying.”

To read more about the staffing practices to address increasing diversity in schools, see findings in the NYKids report.