Date Approved

7-30-2025

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Education-Instruction and Curriculum: Secondary Education (M.Ed.)

Degree Program

College of Education

First Advisor

Sherie Klee

Academic Year

2024/2025

Abstract

Culturally responsive education has long been accepted as critical to supporting students’ academic, social and emotional success at school–particularly for those from historically marginalized communities. Under the current presidential administration, however, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have come under attack, and many educators avoid their professional and moral obligation to implement culturally responsive curriculum for fear of political and professional repercussions. Grounded in Gloria Ladson-Billing’s theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Gholdy Muhammad’s framework of Culturally and Historically Responsive Education (CHRE), this project aims to reaffirm the value of culturally responsive teaching and learning. Chapter One outlines the problem, rationale, and purpose of the study. Chapter Two provides a review of the existing literature, highlighting the harmful impacts of the systematic exclusion of marginalized communities from curricular and instructional practices. Chapter Three introduces the tools created through this project to support educators in their pursuit of actionable change: the Culturally Responsive Curriculum Evaluation Tool (CRCET), the Culturally Responsive Curriculum Improvement Guide (CRCIG), and the professional development facilitator’s guide to implementation. Ultimately, this project aims to disrupt the traditional Eurocentric perspectives in curriculum development and empower educators with the tools to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in their own classrooms–despite, and perhaps in defiance of, the political tyrants working to silence them.

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