Background

Although the term Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) was coined by Gloria Ladson-Billings in 1995, the concept of teaching in culturally appropriate ways have been discussed extensively utilizing assorted nomenclature including but not limited to, culturally appropriate, culturally congruent, and culturally responsive by  (Au & Jordan, 1981; Mohatt & Erickson, 1981; Cazden & Leggett, 1981).  These authors suggested if there was compatibility between home and school culture, students would achieve greater academic success. Ladson-Billings argued, these studies, while foundational to the body of literature that tied cultural influence to classroom practices, addressed the issue of academic performance at a micro level (classroom specific) and didn’t account for institutional and societal contributions, or macro levels. These studies allowed for an accommodation of home culture to be inserted into mainstream culture therefore sustaining inequity in the classroom; furthermore, they have not targeted Black students specifically.

Over a three-year period beginning in 1988, Ladson-Billings interviewed, observed, and videotaped eight elementary school teachers in northern California where the student population was predominately Black. These teachers were nominated by parents of students and principals, as successful teachers of Black students. Success was measured by students’ performance on standardized testing scores being above the average of what was projected for that school and overall district. While at surface level the teachers’ instructional methods were heterogeneous in execution, there were commonalities embedded in their philosophical beliefs and understandings of what it meant to be a teacher.

“Initially, as I observed the teachers I could not see patterns or similarities in their teaching…It seemed to be a researcher’s nightmare…However, when I was able to go back over the interviews and later when we met together as a group to discuss their practice, I could see that in order to understand their practice it was necessary to go beyond the surface features of teaching…” (Ladson-Billings, 1995a. p.162).

Three themes emerged as a result of considering teachers beliefs and ideological perspectives. One was the teacher’s conception of self and others. These teachers believed all students could be academically successful and were intentional in positioning themselves as a part of the community. Likewise, if a student struggled in their academic performance, teachers considered their own shortcomings instead of engaging discourse of what the student may have lacked. The second theme was how social relations were structured. Ladson-Billing described the relationship between the students and teachers as “equitable and reciprocal” allowing students opportunities to also teach. Additionally, the teachers promoted a community learning environment where students learned from each other and held each other accountable for academic success. The third theme surrounded the teacher’s concept of knowledge. 

Ladson-Billings summarized the teacher’s conceptions of knowledge by saying, “knowledge is not static; it is shared, recycled and constructed...[it] must be viewed critically. Teachers must be passionate about knowledge and learning…[they] must scaffold, or build bridges, to facilitate learning. Assessment must be multifaceted…” (p. 481). As a result of her investigation of those excellent teachers of Black students and her positionality as a researcher, with the theoretical underpinnings mentioned above, she constructed a pedagogical model that has three main propositions: “(a) Students must experience academic success; (b) students must develop and/or maintain cultural competence; and (c) student must develop a critical consciousness through which they challenge the status quo of the current social order” (Ladson-Billings, 1995a, p. 160).