Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Culturally Responsive Schools Toolkit

• Ohio
• DSC Created Publications & Tools
• Member Created Resource

The West Dayton Youth Taskforce (WDYTF), Racial Justice NOW! (RJN!) and the Dignity in Schools Campaign (DSC) are developing a Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Culturally Responsive Schools Toolkit.

#DSCWoA2017 Toolkit for Download

During our 2017 National Week of Action Against School Pushout from October 21-29, we released a toolkit which you can download here in PDF. We are also adding new links and resources below to continue building out this online toolkit page.

You can also watch all the webinars we’ve had on this topic here.

Toolkit Outline

You can visit this page for ongoing updates to our toolkit outline with links to examples of the resources we are compiling:

1. 1. An introduction with the mission and vision of WDYTF, RJN! and DSC, which explains how culturally relevant curriculum fights the school-to-prison pipeline.
   2. Definitions of key terms like pedagogy, culture, curriculum, Rites of Passage and more!
   3. Research and scholarly articles on the positive impacts of culturally relevant curriculum from Dr. Molefi Asante, Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and Dr. Cheryl Grills.
   4. The “Centric Idea,” which was the greatest takeaway from year one of WDYTF and RJN!’s campaign. “Through observations, inquiry, and discussion, I’ve found that children who are centered in their own cultural information are better students, more disciplined, and have greater motivation for school work.” – Dr. Molefi Asante, Article: Afro-centric Curriculum, Educational Leadership, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
      
   5. A Guide for Advocates, including how to add books to your school’s course of study, how to approach your school board and superintendent, how to change curriculum, and how to measure how culturally responsive your school is. For example:
      • School Cultural Assessment Matrix (SCAM) Guide–TM Victor Gibson
      • Watch an interview with Victor Gibson on the School Cultural Assessment Matrix (SCAM)
   6. The Portland Baseline Essays – The concept of the Baseline Essays was introduced by Dr. Asa G. Hilliard III, consultant to the Portland School District’s desegregation plan, in 1982. The term when used by Portland Public Schools means a series of essays that gives information about the history, culture and contributions of a specific geo-cultural group in the areas of art, language arts, mathematics, science, social science and music. The purpose of the essays is to provide the reader with a holistic and thematic history of the culture and contributions of a specific geo-cultural group from ancient times to the present.
      
   7. A Sample 12-Point Plan to Push School Districts Forward that can be adopted by groups looking to implement culturally relevant curriculum in their local schools.
   8. A Book List featuring examples for different subjects in school like novels, poetry, fiction and non-fiction, including titles such as The Mis-Education of the Negro and Up From Slavery and more!

Resources for Toolkit on Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Culturally Responsive Schools

• Preview of Culturally Relevant Curriculum Toolkit
• Sample 12-Point Plan to Push School Districts Forward
• School Cultural Assessment Matrix (SCAM) - TM Victor Gibson
• Definitions of Key Terms from CRC Toolkit
• CRC Advocates Guide

Videos for Toolkit on Culturally Relevant Curriculum and Culturally Responsive Schools