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The impact of culturally responsive teaching on the suspension rate of African American students: an evaluation study

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The impact of culturally responsive teaching on the suspension rate of African American students: an evaluation study

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Content Running head: THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 1

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING ON THE SUSPENSION
RATE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS: AN EVALUATION STUDY
By

Lorena Franco

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

May 2020

Copyright 2020 Lorena Franco

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 2
DEDICATION
Agradezco infinitamente a Dios y a la Santísima Virgen de Guadalupe por todas sus
divinas gracias y bendiciones. Primordialmente dedico este logro a mis padres, quienes desde
que tengo uso de razón inculcaron en mí el amor por el estudio, por el trabajo arduo, y por la
superación. Mi madre quien dedicó su vida a trabajar para darnos sustento, y quien, durante este
proceso, estuvo siempre ahí, apoyándome. A mi padre quien, vive y vivirá siempre en mi
corazón. Papá, sé que estas con Dios y que desde ahí estas sonriendo porque te sientes orgulloso
de mi.
I would like to dedicate this to my two brothers, Jorge and Sergio, who are my role
models, and whom I love immensely; they have provided encouragement, support, and love
along the way. I also dedicate my dissertation to my nephews Tomas and Mateo, and my niece
Magdalena. They make my heart smile and my life better. Without the love and support of my
family, this would not have been possible.
In addition, this work is also dedicated to my mentor Dr. Brenda Manuel who is a
visionary and the most amazing leader I know. Dr. Manuel’s unwavering dedication, and
disruptive ideas, have contributed greatly to improving the programs and services provided to the
students of Los Angeles. Her passion and compassionate nature inspire me daily.
Moreover, I would like to dedicate this work to all the African American students who,
when I was a classroom teacher, brightened my days and challenged me to become a better
educator. Finally, to all the undocumented immigrants who dream of a better future, who against
all odds, work hard each day and contribute greatly to making this nation a better place. The
dream of higher education and a better future is possible! ¡Si se puede!

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 3
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This has been an incredible journey, one that has changed me in ways that I could have
never imagined. It was thanks to my dissertation committee members, University of Southern
California Professors Dr. Monique Data, Dr. Mark Pearson and my amazing committee chair Dr.
Darline Robles, that I was able to accomplish this. I am inspired by each of you; your wisdom,
your humility, and your passion for serving others are deeply moving. Thank you for
challenging me, but, most importantly, thank you for believing in me, since, at times, I was
overwhelmed with doubts about my ability to complete this program. You all have been my
mentors and role models, and I will forever be thankful to you. May God bless you always!

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 4
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedication 2
Acknowledgments 3
List of Tables 7
List of Figures 8
Abstract 9
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 10
Organizational Context, Mission and Goal 12
Related Literature 12
Importance of Evaluation 15
Description of Stakeholder Groups 16
Stakeholder Group for the Study 17
Purpose of the Project and Questions 18
Definition of Terms 18
Organization of Dissertation 19
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature 21
Historical Context 21
African American Student Suspensions 22
School Climate 24
Zero-Tolerance Policy 25
School-to-Prison Pipeline 27
Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices and School Exclusion 28
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences Framework 32
Knowledge Influences 33
Knowledge Influence 1 Factual and Conceptual 33
Knowledge Influence 2 Procedural 35
Knowledge Influence 3 (Metacognitive) 35
Motivational Influences 39
Self-Efficacy 39
Attainment Value 41
Organizational Influences 42
Cultural Setting Influence 1 43
Cultural Setting Influence 2 44
Cultural Influence 1 45
Cultural Influence 2 46
Conceptual Framework for the Study: Integrating Knowledge, Motivation, and
Organizational Influences 49
Conclusion 50
Chapter Three: Methodology 52
Participating Stakeholders 52
Data Collection and Instrumentation 53
Interview Sampling Criteria 53
Interview Sampling and Rationale 53
Interview Sampling Recruitment Strategy 54
Consent Form 55
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 5
Interview Protocol 55
Interview Procedures 56
Documents and Artifacts 56
Credibility and Trustworthiness 57
Validity 57
Positionality 58
The Researcher’s Connection to the Organization 58
Data Analysis and Reporting 59
Ethics 60
Chapter Four: Results and Findings 63
Statement of Purpose 63
Research Design 64
Description of Participants 64
Demographics 65
Item Q1: What is Your Gender Identity? 65
Item Q2: Do You Currently Have African American Students Enrolled in Your Class? 66
Item Q3: How Long Have You Been a Classroom Teacher? 67
Item Q4: Approximately, What Is the Number of Hours That You Have Participated in
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Training? 68
Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes 69
Influence 1: Teachers Need to Understand the Principles of Culturally Responsive
Teaching Practice 70
Procedural Knowledge 71
Influence 2: Teachers Lack Self-Regulation About Their Expectations of Students 73
Results and Findings for Motivation Causes 76
Attainment Value 76
Self-Efficacy 78
Results and Findings for Organization Causes 81
Cultural Models 81
Cultural Settings Influence 1 83
Cultural Settings Influence 2 85
Document Analysis 88
Summary of Validated Influences 89
Chapter Five: Solutions and Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plans 91
Knowledge Influences and Recommendations 91
Increasing Teachers’ Factual and Conceptual Knowledge About the Principles of
Culturally Responsive Teaching 93
Increasing Teachers’ Procedural Knowledge About Effectively Implementing the
Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching 95
Increasing Teachers’ Ability to Engage in Self-Regulation 96
Motivation Influences and Recommendations 97
Increasing Teachers’ Self-Efficacy About Incorporating the Principles of Culturally
Responsive Teaching 99
Increasing Teachers’ Task Value of the Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching 100
Organizational Influences and Recommendations 101
Increasing Effective Culturally Responsive Teaching Training 103
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 6
Cultural Settings 105
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan: Implementation and Evaluation
Framework 105
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations 106
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators 107
Level 3: Behavior 109
Level 2: Learning 113
Level 1: Reaction 116
Evaluation Tools 117
Data Analysis and Reporting 119
Limitations 123
Conclusion 123
References 126
Appendix A: Interview Protocol 147
Appendix B: Immediate Evaluation Instrument 1 150
Appendix C: Immediate Evaluation Instrument 2 151
Appendix D: Sample Blended Evaluation Items Measuring Kirkpatrick Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 152
Appendix E: Data Analysis Chart 154

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 7
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals 17
Table 2: Knowledge Influences 38
Table 3: Motivational Influences 43
Table 4: Organizational Influences 49
Table 5: Participant Demographics 66
Table 6: Data Regarding Participants’ Years of Teaching Experience and Length of
Participation in Culturally Responsive Trainings 70
Table 7: Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations 93
Table 8: Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations 99
Table 9: Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations 103
Table 10: Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes 108
Table 11: Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation 110
Table 12: Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors 112
Table 13: Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program 116
Table 14: Components to Measure Reactions to the Program 117
Table 15: Key Performance Indicators 121

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 8
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Conceptual Framework for the Impact of Culturally Responsive Teaching in
School Exclusion. Figure 1 considers teachers’ knowledge, motivation and organizational
influences. 51
Figure 2. Data related to participants’ gender identification. 67
Figure 3. Demographical data associated to African American student enrollment. 68
Figure 4. Data regarding participants’ years of teaching experience. 69
Figure 5. Demographical data about the length of teacher participation in culturally
responsive training. 70
Figure 6. Great Charter School’s suspension data comparison. 121
Figure 7. Number of teachers who are incorporating culturally responsive teaching. 123
Figure 8. Number of teachers who are successfully using job aids. 122
Figure 9. Number of teachers who understand the principles of culturally responsive teaching.
123

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 9
ABSTRACT
This study examined the impact that the implementation of the culturally responsive teaching
framework has on African American students’ suspension rates. Seven teachers from a span
charter school (K-8) participated in the study. Participants’ knowledge, motivation, and
organizational influences were analyzed. A document analysis and seven personal interviews
were conducted. The data analysis generated eight themes, with the theme of teachers wanting
and needing additional professional development to further their capacity as the most significant.
The findings also indicated that teachers believe that culturally responsive teaching yields
benefits, but they do not believe that a reduction in school suspensions is one of those benefits.
Furthermore, the study uncovered that teachers are unaware of their organization’s suspension
rate goal for African American students. Finally, recommendations for improvement include
making job aids available, offering professional development training, and providing an
instructional coach.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 10
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Exclusionary discipline involves suspending or expelling students from school as a form
of punishment (Wood, Harris, & Howard, 2018). The use of school exclusion began in the
1960s as a method of decreasing student misbehavior, and it continues to be a prevalent practice
(Allman & Slate, 2011). In addition, the zero-tolerance policies first established in the 1970s
contributed to a steady rise in school suspension rates (Gastic, 2017; Martinez, 2009; Skiba,
2014). Axman (2005) pointed out that zero-tolerance policies are often misused to handle issues
never meant to be addressed by them. Moreover, school administrators often use these policies
to justify the overuse of school suspensions, preventing students from receiving the education to
which they are entitled (Axman, 2005; Civil Rights Project, 2000; Martinez, 2009). Researchers
argued that school suspensions have no benefits and are disproportionately used as a punishment
for minority students (Johnson, Anhalt, & Cowan, 2018; Kupchik & Catlaw, 2014). According
to Sauter (2001) and Wood et al. (2018) school exclusion promotes negative behavior instead of
addressing it. Furthermore, suspensions serve to marginalize low-income minorities by
hindering their educational opportunities and increasing their numbers in the criminal justice
system (Kupchik & Catlaw, 2014).
In 2018, the United States Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights released a
report highlighting that African Americans constitute 15% of the student population in the
United States, yet they represent 39% of students suspended. Wallace, Goodkind, Wallace, and
Bachman (2008) added that African American females were five times more likely to be
suspended than White females. In addition, despite making up only 18% of the preschool
student population, African American young children received almost 50% of all suspensions
(Gastic, 2017). Moreover, the American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 11
(2008), Johnson et al. (2018), Walker (2014) and Wood et al. (2018) found that African
American students often receive disproportionate consequences for the same infraction compared
to their White counterparts. Day-Vines and Day-Hairston (2005) and Wood and colleagues also
suggested that teacher biases regarding race and socioeconomic levels double jeopardize African
American students who misbehave and have a negative impact on students’ academic
performance and self-efficacy.
According to Gonsoulin, Zablocki, and Leone (2012) and Skiba (2014), culturally
responsive curriculum and social-emotional interventions have been shown to prevent behaviors
that result in school suspensions. Gonsoulin et al. (2012) reported that promoting school cultures
that support youth development and minimize harsh punitive measures has been effective in
decreasing school suspensions. Skiba added that, when school communities work to develop
action plans that encompass behavior modification supports, interventions for students and
reintegration, and a positive school climate, the percentage of students suspended decreases
significantly. In addition, teacher preparation programs that support teachers in becoming more
culturally sensitive and self-aware equip them with the tools to work effectively with students of
color (Camille, 2003). Furthermore, it is important for school districts to develop and implement
policies that place highly qualified teachers and administrators in schools with large numbers of
students of color (Camille, 2003).
Johnson et al. (2018) showed that cultural misunderstandings between African American
students and school personnel contribute to punitive actions that lead to school suspensions.
The researchers highlighted that the way in which some African American students communicate
is often misperceived as loud and confrontational. Culturally responsive teaching can prevent
cultural mismatch by equipping teachers with an understanding of the norms, nuances,
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 12
communication styles and idiosyncrasies of cultures different from their own and that do not
conform to the expectations of educational contexts (Johnson et al., 2018).
Organizational Context, Mission and Goal
Great Charter School was the pseudonym assigned to this organization to protect the
identity of the individuals who participated in the study. Great Charter School provides services
to students in grades Kindergarten through eighth grade. It is located on west coast of the United
States. Currently, there are 19 teachers providing service at Great Charter School. There are 365
students enrolled. Data reported by this organization indicate that the student population is
composed of 83% African American students, 16% Latino students, and less than 1% White
students. Four percent of the students enrolled are English learners, and 76.2% are eligible for
reduced-price meals. The organization’s mission is to provide excellence in education and to
develop future leaders who will honor their community and contribute to building a just and
progressive global society. This educational organization has invested resources, developed
policy, and implemented practices to reduce the number of African American students
suspended. During the 2018–2019 school year, the percentage of African American students
suspended was 3.2%. The goal of this educational organization is to reduce the number of
African American students suspended to less than 1% during the 2019–2020 school year.
Related Literature
Cagle (2017); Gregory, Cornell, and Fan (2011) reported that school suspensions
contributes to low academic achievement and poor performance on standardized tests, and
Anderson and Ritter (2017) added that students who are suspended exhibit low expectations.
Survey data collected from a random sample of African American students with at least one
suspension indicated that, after being suspended, students reported having negative academic
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 13
self-perceptions and a deficit mindset (Leone et al., 2012). Their results also indicated decreased
academic confidence and motivation among respondents. Kinsler (2011) found that the
overrepresentation of African Americans in school suspensions weakens the student-school
bond, which can have a negative impact on academic performance. Anderson and Ritter pointed
out evidence of a strong correlation among school suspensions, amplified misbehavior, and
academic failure. Research demonstrates that school suspensions have a negative effect on
academic performance and can contribute to students’ dropping out of school (Lindsay, 2017;
Mendez, Knoff, & Ferron, 2002; Okilwal, & Robert, 2017). Moreover, Gregory and Weinstein
(2008) explained that school exclusion hinders the potential benefits that students receive from
daily classroom instruction, which can also intensify academic difficulties.
Tajalli and Garba (2014) found that school discipline involves a loss of instructional time,
which carries negative implications linked to academic achievement and school dropout. Their
data showed that school suspensions denied students, on average, 15 days of instruction. Arcia
(2006) explained that students who are suspended are more likely to be truant, miss instructional
time, and drop out of high school. According to Baker-Smith (2015) adolescents who are
suspended often spend unsupervised time and become susceptible to negative influences,
increasing the likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior. Furthermore, students who are
suspended or expelled are at a greater risk to engage in criminal behavior that can eventually lead
to incarceration and other negative outcomes (Wood et al., 2018). Mendez and Knoff (2003)
found students who have been suspended or expelled are five times more likely to drop out of
school. Relevant to this study, the authors found that school suspensions cause African American
students to perceive a lack of respect, differential treatment, and low expectations, putting them
at a greater risk of school desertion (Mendez & Knoff, 2003).
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 14
Arcia (2006) reported that students excluded from school develop feelings of alienation
and often engage in delinquent behavior. In a study conducted in Washington state with
approximately 6,000 adolescents, Hemphill and Hargreaves (2015) found that school
suspensions increased the likelihood of antisocial and violent behavior. Their research revealed
that students suspended from school were 50% more likely to display antisocial behavior and
70% more likely to engage in violent behavior. When the researchers conducted a 12-month
follow-up, the negative effects of school suspension remained the same, as participants continued
to engage in negative behaviors. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on
School Health (2003) released data that showed that students who are suspended are five times
more likely to be associated with alcohol and drug abuse.
The overrepresentation of African American students in school suspensions carries
several negative implications. Students excluded from school are deprived of valuable
instructional time that contributes to academic failure and eventually school dropout (Wood et
al., 2018). In addition, Wood et al. (2018) argued that, when one group of students is
disproportionately excluded from school, the school’s climate is disrupted, becomes unfavorable,
and causes students to become disengaged and to develop negative attitudes towards education.
However, research indicates that the most significant consequence of school exclusion is its
correlation to criminal behavior that can potentially lead to incarceration (Skiba, Arredondo, &
Williams, 2014; Wood et al., 2018). For instance, Krezmien, Leone, and Wilson (2013) and
Skiba et al. (2014) pointed out two potential pathways to incarceration: (a) school youth are
criminalized by being referred to juvenile justice systems for school misbehavior and (b) the
overuse of expulsion and suspension which increases exposure and participation in negative
experiences and behaviors both in and out of school. In their study, the researchers found that, in
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 15
a sample of 128 high school students suspended, 105 of the participants engaged in negative
behaviors such as vandalism and alcohol abuse while on suspension.
Harlow (2003) highlighted that suspensions are linked to juvenile delinquency,
particularly to violent criminality in adulthood. Schools districts often have rigid policies that do
not allow flexibility in discipline alternatives outside of suspensions and expulsions (Gonsoulin
et al., 2012; Mallett, 2016). The amplified dependency on more severe consequences in response
to students’ undesired behaviors has also resulted in an increase of referrals to the juvenile
justice system for infractions that were previously handled in school. Many schools appear to be
using the juvenile justice system largely and, in a relatively large percentage of cases, for
infractions that would not have merited a referral to the justice system in the past (American
Academy of Pediatrics Committee on School Health, 2003; Hunter, 2015; Mallett, 2016).
Wilson (2013) explained that the correlation between school exclusion and criminalization is
described as the school-to-prison pipeline, resulting in 75% of individuals in state prisons and
59% of people in federal prisons dropped out of school (Harlow, 2003). Hoffman (2014) added
that school suspensions and expulsions often affect those who are already suffering from
poverty, racism, and academic failure. Furthermore, Smith (2015) argued that students who are
suspended are negatively labeled, which carries a debilitative psychological effect on academic
achievement and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy for the student who is not expected to
achieve excellence.
Importance of Evaluation
According to the Justice Policy Institute (2003), 52% of African American males who
dropped out of high school had an incarceration record prior to age 30. Hemphill and
Hargreaves (2015) also found that school suspensions reduce the chances of students completing
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 16
their education, severely limiting future employment opportunities. In addition, Day-Vines and
Day-Hairston (2005) stated that dropouts are condemned to a life of limited job prospects,
economic distress, and of overall poor quality, as they can suffer from low academic
performance, school dropout, unemployment, and encounters with the penal system. Anderson,
Howard, and Graham (2013) reported that low achievement and dropout can be directly linked to
economic struggles, delinquency and arrest, and communities suffer the consequences. As
Anderson et al. (2013) pointed out, students who are suspended or expelled from school are often
unsupervised and tend to engage in unlawful activities. Bell (2009) added that failure to
graduate African American students will carry a financial burden for society by increasing the
cost of incarceration, public assistance, and unemployment benefits. The effects of over
representing African American students in school suspension go beyond the boundaries of
schools, affecting society as a whole (Anderson et al., 2013; Bell, 2009; Day-Vines & Day-
Hairston, 2005).
Description of Stakeholder Groups
The stakeholder groups in this organization are students, parents, teachers, administrators,
and other school staff. Of the students enrolled, 83% identify as African American and 16% as
Latino. Nineteen teachers provide service in grades Kindergarten through eighth. They teach
students who come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse needs. All teachers employed at
Great Charter School hold a clear teaching credential, and all provide service in a classroom
setting. There is one pedagogical coach, one programs coordinator, a school nurse, six teacher
assistants, and three office staff members. This charter school employs two administrators: a
principal and an assistant principal.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 17
Stakeholder Group for the Study
Li (2012) highlighted that, by the year 2050, it is projected that over 50% of the U.S.
population will be African American, Hispanic, or Asian. Therefore, society, cannot afford to
risk the academic success of the future-majority school population. Teachers are the most
important factor in student academic achievement (Nye, Konstantopoulos, & Hedges, 2004) and
are central to meeting the goals and benchmark indicators of this organization. Therefore, while
a complete performance evaluation would include all stakeholders, for practical purposes, this
analysis focused on teachers at Great Charter School.
Table 1
Organizational Mission, Global Goal and Stakeholder Performance Goals
Organizational Mission
Great Charter School is committed to provide excellence in education and to develop future
leaders who will honor their community and contribute to building a just and progressive global
society.
Organizational Global Goal
Great Charter School’s main goal is to provide rigorous learning environments that cultivate
innovative leaders who will reach their highest potential and are prepared for high school
graduation and beyond.
Stakeholder 1 Goal
African American Students
Stakeholder 2 Goal
Classroom Teachers
Stakeholder 2 Goal
Classroom Teachers
The number of African
American students suspended
will be reduced to less than 1%
during the 2019–2020 school
year.

100% of teachers will
implement culturally
responsive teaching daily
during the 2019–2020 school
year.

100% of teachers will engage
in self-regulation during the
2019–2020 school year.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 18
Definition of Terms
The following definitions apply to relevant terms used throughout the dissertation.
Culturally responsive teaching: involves challenging academic content learned through
the lens of the rich cultural experiences and knowledge that students bring to school. The phrase
refers to teaching in student-centered, culturally diverse classrooms where the barriers to
learning and achievement are eliminated and culturally different students can reach their full
potential (Sleeter, 2011).
Knowledge influence: Individuals’ ability to know how to achieve their performance
goal (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Knowledge, motivation, and organization (KMO) framework: A framework used to
identify the root causes of performance gaps as they relate to KMO influences (Clark & Estes,
2008).
Motivational influence: The desire to work towards a specific goal/task with
perseverance and mental effort to accomplish it (Clark & Estes, 2008).
Organizational influence: The processes, procedures, resources, and organizational
barriers that might interfere with an organization’s ability to meet its goals (Clark & Estes,
2008).
Purpose of the Project and Questions
This study addressed the problem of the overrepresentation of African American students
in school suspensions by exploring the knowledge, motivation and organizational (KMO)
influences that affect teachers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact that the
implementation of culturally responsive teaching has on the organization’s ability to reduce the
number of African American students suspended to less than 1%. According to Clark and Estes
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 19
(2008), analyzing stakeholder influences aids in meeting organizational performance goals.
Three questions guided this study:
1. What is the impact of the implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices on
the organizations’ ability to reduce the percentage of African American students
suspended?
2. To what extent is the organization meeting its goal of reducing the number of African
American students suspended to less than 1% during the 2019–2020 school year?
3. What are teachers’ knowledge, motivation and organizational elements related to
achieving the organizational goal?
Based on the analysis of the findings, recommendations for organizational practice in the
areas of culturally responsive teaching practices and its impact on school suspensions will be
provided.
Organization of Dissertation
This study is organized into five chapters. Chapter One introduces the problem of
practice and its importance and provides the organization’s context, mission, and goals. It also
includes a description of the stakeholder groups, purpose of the project, and research questions in
addition to a conceptual and methodological framework and key definitions. Chapter Two
presents a review of literature related to the history of the overrepresentation of African
American students in school suspensions, the importance of the problem, including related
research on zero-tolerance policies, and the school-to-prison pipeline’s long-term consequence
for students of color. The chapter concludes with the conceptual framework that integrates KMO
influences. Chapter Three provides the study’s design and methodology for data collection and
analysis. Chapter Four presents the study’s results and findings and concludes with the study’s
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 20
implications. Chapter Five provides a summary of the organization, the stakeholder group for
the study and the purpose and research questions. It closes with recommendations for solutions.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 21
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Chapter Two presents the literature on the overrepresentation of African American
students in school suspensions and the negative outcomes it generates. It outlines the historical
context of this problem, highlighting the zero-tolerance policies that were first introduced to U.S.
schools in the 1990s. It also explores the connection of the zero-tolerance policies and the
school-to-prison pipeline that disproportionately affect minority student groups and criminalize
their behavior. Furthermore, it presents research on the favorable impact that the culturally
responsive teaching framework has on school exclusion. Chapter Two concludes with a gap
analysis that explores teachers’ KMO influences and how these influences contribute to the
suspension of African American students.
Historical Context
The stereotype of African American inferiority that originated in the late eighteenth
century continues to resonate as a reality in American society and is best described by Wallace,
et al., (2008) in the following quote:
Depictions and characterizations of African Americans as intellectually inferior are
ingrained in American society and perpetuated through the media and other social
institutions so much that it has been imposed as a part of the African American identity.
This identity, fueled by a legacy of racism and Black inferiority, is part of a hidden
curriculum that has framed the plight of the twenty-first century African American
student. (p. 59)
Wallace et al. (2008) added that, during the 1960s and 1970s, the Ethnic Studies Movement was
created to fight against the injustices and discrimination suffered by African Americans by
empowering them through education. However, according to the researchers, these efforts were
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 22
hindered when the tendency toward inclusiveness minimized the focus on African Americans,
and, as a result, the equity gaps that have historically affected African Americans still plague
schools today (Wallace et al., 2008).
African American Student Suspensions
Boucher (2016) asserted that Black and White students attend the same schools, yet their
educational outcomes are unequal. Whether the measurement is academic performance,
standardized test scores, or college completion rates, the gap is pervasive and persistent
(Boucher, 2016). According to the United States Department of Education’s Office of Civil
Rights (2018), African American students constitute 15% of the K-12 student population in the
United States, yet they represent 39% of students suspended. In California, 17.8% of all students
suspended are African American, even though they only comprise 5.8% of the state’s public-
school enrollment (Wood et al., 2018). Wood et al. (2018) reported that, during the 2016–2017
school year, 186 African American students received suspensions each day in California. During
the same year, California had an overall 3.6% suspension rate while the suspension rate for
African American males was 12.8%. The researchers added that in the primary grades (K-3),
African American males were 5.6 times more likely to be suspended than their peers.
Furthermore, the suspension rate of seventh and eighth grade African American males in foster
care was 41.0% (Wood et al., 2018).
Skiba (2014) reported that African American learners received more office referrals at
every school level than any other racial group. Johnson et al. (2018) indicated that students who
are suspended are more likely to struggle academically and present problem behaviors in the
classroom. Furthermore, students who are suspended miss important instructional time and
develop a negative academic identity, which may cause them to drop out of school (Gregory &
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 23
Weinstein, 2008; The National Association of School Psychologists, 2013). Skiba and Rausch
(2006) explained that school exclusion intensifies feelings of powerlessness and anger among
African American students. In addition, Bradshaw, Mitchell, O’Brennan, and Leaf (2010)
explained that students who perceived that their suspension was unfair are likely to become
hostile or aggressive and to display negative student-teacher interactions. School suspensions
also contribute to the recurrence of unacceptable school behaviors, causing additional
suspensions (Skiba & Rausch, 2006). Furthermore, Walker (2014) explained that school
administrators are increasingly opting to relegate school disciplinary practices and consequences
to law enforcement. This practice criminalizes students for committing traditional school-related
offenses, results in increased juvenile arrests, and places youth on the school-to-prison pathway.
Smith (2015) reported that, in the United States, African American males are incarcerated at
disproportionate rates compared to other groups. Fifty-two percent of African American males
who dropped out of school will have spent some time in prison by the time they reach their early
thirties; the strong correlation between school suspension and school dropout often results in
incarceration (Smith, 2015).
According to Suh and Suh (2007) school suspensions increase the likelihood of dropping
out of school by nearly 77.5%. The researcher added that school suspensions are a stronger
predictor of dropout than either grade point average or socioeconomic status. Larson, Pas,
Bradshaw, Rosenberg and Day-Vines (2018) argued that most office referrals lead to school
suspensions or expulsions. Furthermore, Kim, Losan, and Hewitt (2010) indicated that
disciplinary actions that culminate in school exclusion combine to systematically cause students
to drop out of school, which is known as the pushout phenomenon. The American Psychological
Association Zero Tolerance Task Force (2008) found that the disproportionate representation of
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 24
students of color in school exclusion may be due to inadequate teacher preparation in classroom
management and in culturally responsive pedagogy or caused by racial stereotypes.
School Climate
Research shows a strong correlation between unfavorable school climates and school
exclusion disparities (American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008;
Bottiani, Bradshaw, & Mendelson, 2017; Johnson, et al., 2018; Mattison & Aber, 2007; Skiba,
2014;). Nava Delgado (2014) defined school climate as the school’s learning environment,
safety, and emotional well-being, and how these elements impact student academic achievement.
Students who attend schools with positive school climates engage in fewer problem behaviors
and higher academic achievement (Nava Delgado, 2014; Sauter, 2001; Skiba, 2014). In a study
conducted over a 3-year period, Mendez and Knoff (2003) found that schools with negative
school climates had suspension rates up to seven times higher than schools with positive school
climates. In addition, in schools with negative climates, the likelihood of student misconduct
considered severe also increased (Mendez & Knoff, 2003).
Henry, Knight, and Thornberry (2012) analyzed data from the Rochester Youth
Development Study and concluded that school suspensions and expulsions contribute to students
sensing a negative school climate and being alienated and disengaged. The researchers also
found that that most African American students who were suspended reported feeling
disrespected and perceived their teachers as unfair and biased (Henry et al., 2012). In addition,
African American students are more likely to report negative school climates, experiences of
racism, and lower ratings of racial fairness as compared to their White counterparts; these
negative assessments can be linked to higher rates of school exclusion (Bottiani et al., 2017;
Skiba, 2014).
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 25
In their study, Bottiani et al. (2017) sampled 7,064 African American and 12,662 White
students from 58 suburban and rural Maryland public high schools. The researchers used a
school climate survey to assess students’ perceptions of school equity and cultural inclusion.
The researchers found that, at schools with higher suspension rates, African American students
perceived lower levels of school equity and school belongingness, and they were more likely to
perceive discriminatory treatment and a negative school climate as compared to their White
counterparts. In addition, Bottiani et al. (2017) stated that racial bias and unfair discipline
practices in schools are very apparent to African American youth and contribute to a host of
detrimental developmental outcomes such as increases in problem behavior, low academic
achievement, and school desertion.
School climate is an important element that can shape students’ trajectory (Henry et al.,
2012). Cramer and Bennett (2015) pointed out that schools should create a culture of tolerance
and respect where all students are accepted, treated with dignity and fairness, and encouraged by
school staff and each other, regardless of their backgrounds and abilities. Similarly, Johnson et
al. (2018) suggested that schools should actively involve all stakeholders in the development and
enhancement of learning environments that respect and value the diversity of students’ language,
culture and backgrounds by implementing culturally responsive and socially relevant programs
that support and celebrate their students’ diverse needs.
Zero-Tolerance Policy
Martinez (2009) argued that zero-tolerance policies, formally introduced to school
systems during the Clinton administration with the 1994 Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA), had the
purpose of addressing the issue of school violence. The GFSA required schools to impose a one-
year expulsion consequence to any student found with a firearm on campus, and not complying
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 26
would jeopardize the school’s federal funding. The GFSA was modeled after the zero-tolerance
policies of the 1980s that were developed to punish drug lords. However, introducing them in
school systems criminalized students. Initially, student behaviors that were categorized under
zero-tolerance policies included drug possession, participation in gang activity, and possession of
weapons (Martinez, 2009; Walker, 2014). Furthermore, Walker (2014) highlighted that the
original intent of zero-tolerance policies was to provide uniform discipline for certain behaviors
that jeopardized school safety.
However, over time, zero-tolerance policies began to be utilized for less serious
behaviors such as swearing, truancy, insubordination, disrespect, dress-code violation, and
school disruption (Civil Rights Project, 2000; Martinez, 2009; Skiba et al., 2014). Thus, the
zero-tolerance approach to discipline deviated from the original intent of cultivating school
safety and began to be used by school administrators to deal with students’ undesired behaviors
(Civil Rights Project, 2000; Martinez, 2009). Skiba et al. (2014) argued that suspending students
from school appears to be a widely used practice that is not limited to serious behaviors, but,
rather, it is used for subjective infractions such as disobedience, disrespect, and poor attendance.
Skiba et al. (2014) added that the zero-tolerance policy is often misused and abused for
incidents that were never meant to be covered under this policy. School administrators often use
these policies to justify the overuse of school suspensions, which prevents students from
receiving an education (Axman, 2005). According to Axman (2005); Robbins (2005); Skiba
(2014), zero-tolerance policies exclude students from school, which is contrary to the mission of
educating them, and these policies have resulted in millions of students being suspended or
expelled (Mallett, 2016). Furthermore, for youth of color, negative outcomes of policies that
foster suspension, expulsion, and placement in alternative schools have expanded to the school-
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 27
to-prison pipeline. Thus, zero-tolerance policies tend to do more harm than good, since research
shows that school exclusion is the prelude to prison (Mallett, 2016).
The ineffectiveness of zero-tolerance policies is well documented, yet they continue to be
enforced (Axman, 2005; Henault, 2001; Skiba et al., 2014). These policies defeat the original
purpose of creating a safe school environment and contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline
(American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008; Skiba et al., 2014).
According to the American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force (2008), data
show that the current implementation of these policies failed to improve student behavior or
school safety and has a negative impact on schools’ culture and climate. They have also
increased minority students’ overrepresentation in school exclusion (American Psychological
Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008; Martinez, 2009; Skiba et al., 2014) and have
created unintended consequences for students, families, and communities by shifting the
oversight of school discipline from the school setting to the criminal justice system (American
Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008).
School-to-Prison Pipeline
The concept school-to-prison pipeline has been widely used by advocates, researchers,
and policymakers to describe educational policies and practices that systematically push students
out of classrooms and indirectly into the criminal justice system (American Psychological
Association Zero Tolerance Task Force, 2008; Heitzeg, 2009; Skiba et al., 2014). Kim et al.
(2010) highlighted three important elements that create and support the school-to-prison pipeline.
The first element is the zero-tolerance policies, which contribute to school exclusion and connect
juveniles to the criminal justice system. These policies affect primarily youth of color and can
be deemed institutional racism. The second is school dropout, a cumulative process connected to
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 28
school exclusion, and, finally, the third element is the connection of school dropout and
incarceration (Kim et al., 2010).
Smith (2015) and Welch and Payne (2010) argued that the school-to-prison pipeline
persists because student behavior continues to be criminalized, which generates increased school
suspensions. Thus, the school-to-prison pipeline becomes the constant flow of students from
targeted communities that play into the stereotypes of criminalization (Smith, 2015; Welch &
Payne, 2010). Zero-tolerance policies have also increased the use of profiling, a method of
identifying students who may be at risk of committing violence or disruption by comparing their
profiles to those of others who have engaged in such behavior in the past (Henry et al., 2012).
Scott (2017) and Boucher (2016) added that these policies are discriminatory and target students
of color. Moreover, Smith reported that African American males predominantly become the
targets of educational penal codes that promote the school-to-prison pipeline, which is also
directly connected to race, class, and gender. Research highlights that regardless of
demographics or academic achievement, school exclusion carries negative consequences such as
school dropout, criminal activity, and ultimately incarceration (Boucher, 2016; Gonsoulin et al.,
2012; Mallett, 2016; Skiba et al., 2014).
Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices and School Exclusion
Taylor (2010) reported that the education system in the United States is failing culturally
and linguistically diverse student populations. Many of the academic challenges ethnic minority
students face can be linked to cultural discontinuity (Ebersole, Kanahele-Mossman, &
Kawakami, 2016; Subero, Vila, & Esteban-Guitart, 2015; Taylor, 2010; Tyler et al., 2008).
Souto-Manning and Mitchell (2010), Townsend (2000), and Tyler et al. (2008), explained that, in
schools, cultural discontinuity occurs when minority students interact in dominant culture school
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 29
settings and are obliged to be aware of both the minority and the dominant cultures. In addition,
it is often the expectation that members of the minority culture will accommodate the dominant
culture (Tyler et al., 2008) while members of the dominant culture are not required to be familiar
with cultures other than their own (Subero et al., 2015; Taylor, 2010). With the manifestation of
cultural discontinuity, and in an attempt to preserve their own culture, minority students often
reject the values and behaviors of the dominant culture, generating a struggle between the two
groups (Souto-Manning & Mitchell, 2010). Cultural discontinuity often results in school failure
(Townsend, 2000; Tyler et al., 2008), since, as Souto-Manning and Mitchell (2010) highlighted,
cultural discontinuity can be linked to low self-efficacy and a negative self-concept among
students. Larson et al. (2018) argued that educators must recognize that elements of culture
range from language and food to norms, notions of self, and prejudices and that the
misconception of such elements leads to a disconnect between the school and home. Therefore,
it is imperative for educators to possess a solid understanding of their students’ culture (Larson,
et al., 2018; Souto-Manning & Mitchell, 2010; Townsend, 2000; Tyler et al., 2008).
Understanding and incorporating students’ culture into the classroom is known as
culturally responsive teaching (Larson et al., 2018; Subero et al., 2015). McCarther and Davis
(2017) explained that culturally responsive teaching practices were first introduced 20 years ago
as a response to the deficit mindset and stereotypes that were typically used to describe students
of color. McCarther and Davis added that culturally responsive teaching is grounded on the
following three principles: (a) all students must experience academic success, (b) all students
must acquire and/or maintain cultural competences, and (c) all students must gain sociopolitical
consciousness to challenge the status quo and improve their learning experiences and those of
others.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 30
Culturally responsive teaching creates equity in education and supports all students’
academic success by celebrating their backgrounds, viewing their unique cultural experiences as
assets, and leveraging those experiences to enhance the process of teaching and learning (Heitner
& Jennings, 2016). The strategies of culturally responsive teaching support students of color to
excel academically and become productive citizens (McCarther & Davis, 2017; Talpade &
Talpade, 2014). Culturally responsive teaching empowers students to become intrinsic learners
who understand and appreciate their culture and the culture of others (Ladson-Billings, 2014;
Sleeter, 2011). In addition, as reported by Villegas and Lucas (2002) culturally responsive
teaching allows teachers to confront their biases regarding different student groups. Cramer and
Bennett (2015); Fallon and Mueller (2017); Samuels, Samuels, and Cook (2017) stressed that the
main goal of culturally responsive teaching is to create a shift in our educational system from
deficit-based to one that views student culture as an asset that is leveraged in the learning
process.
According to Larson et al. (2018), the school-to-prison pipeline phenomenon originates
in the classroom, and, consequently, must be addressed in the classroom through proactive
behavior management and culturally responsive teaching practices. The researcher argued that
there is strong connection between students’ culture and their behavior (Larson et al., 2018).
Therefore, understanding a student’s behaviors through culturally responsive teaching can
decrease incidences of cultural misconceptions and improve the outcomes of students from
minority backgrounds (Larson et al., 2018). According to Fullam (2017), the impact of
culturally responsive teaching resonates at the classroom level by providing the structures to
create a more socially just learning environment. It also contributes to a decrease in office
referrals related to discipline, which as a result, has a direct impact on the reduction of school
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 31
suspensions (Fullam, 2017). Anderson et al. (2013) also reported that schools that implement
culturally responsive teaching show a decline in school suspensions and expulsions. In addition,
in their case study, Fallon and Mueller (2017) found that integrating culturally responsive
teaching practices helped improve behavior regulation. Furthermore, incorporating culturally
responsive pedagogy into a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) school
program, promotes positive student behavior, creates nurturing school climates, and results in a
reduction in exclusionary discipline practices (Fallon & Mueller, 2017).
Educators who apply the principles of culturally responsive teaching engage their
students as active learners (Ladson-Billings, 2014; McCarther & Davis, 2017), focus on
academic achievement rather than behavior issues (Talpade & Talpade, 2014; Villegas & Lucas,
2002), emphasize cultural competence versus cultural assimilation (Ladson-Billings, 2014;
Sleeter, 2011), and engage learners in tasks that ignite social consciousness (Ladson-Billings,
2014). However, teachers often do not feel competent or motivated to use these practices
(Anderson et al., 2013; Fullam, 2017). Guskey (1986) showed that high-quality professional
development is a key component in improving classroom education. Guskey pointed out that
change is difficult and takes time and commitment. Even teachers who are committed to
improving academic achievement are often hesitant to embrace teaching practices that differ
from what they know or are used to. Fullam (2017) added that culturally responsive pedagogy
teacher training builds teacher capacity and supports educational equity. Souto-Manning and
Mitchell (2010) highlighted that, although educators are often aware of the connection between
student behavior and their cultural customs and norms, the reaction of teachers to student
behavior is not culturally appropriate and indicates a lack of understanding of culturally
responsive theory. Both Souto-Manning and Mitchell added that understanding students’ culture
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 32
and family values allows for the accurate interpretation of students’ actions and behavior and
minimizes the occurrence of conflict and discipline issues, therefore lowering the probability of
punitive consequences and school exclusion.
Culturally responsive teaching contributes to the reduction of cultural discontinuity in
schools, supports the prevention of school exclusion, and improves the academic outcomes for
African American students. Understanding the KMO influences that affect teachers is essential
to determine the impact of culturally responsive teaching on the suspension rate of African
American students. The following section explores some of the KMO causes.
Knowledge, Motivation and Organizational Influences Framework
The problem-solving approach presented by Clark and Estes (2008) provided a
systematic framework for improving organizations’ performance by guiding them through the
process of identifying performance gaps and their connections to stakeholder KMO influences
that affect the organization’s ability to meet its performance goals. Conceptual knowledge refers
to a database of semantic knowledge that supports procedural knowledge, or task-appropriate
actions (Amsel, 2011). In addition, Gube and Shore (2018) indicated that self-regulation and
metacognition are central to learning, or the acquisition of knowledge. Furthermore, it is
important to analyze motivational influences such as self-efficacy (Bandura & Locke, 2003) and
expectancy value (Putwain, Remedios, & Symes, 2015). For instance, Bandura and Locke
(2003) explained that self-efficacy influences the complexity and quality of the goals individuals
choose for themselves. Lastly, as an important component of a comprehensive gap analysis, it is
important to evaluate the effect that organizational influences have on stakeholder performance
(Clark & Estes, 2008).
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 33
Clark and Estes’ (2008) gap analysis framework guided this study. Consequently, it was
important to analyze the KMO influences that might be interfering with the effective
implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices and, consequently, with the school’s
efforts to reduce the percentage of African American students suspended. Teachers contribute
significantly to student academic achievement and are, therefore, central to meeting the goals
and benchmark indicators of this institution. According to Clark and Estes (2008), analyzing
stakeholder influences helps in meeting organizational performance goals. The analysis for this
study will evaluate the impact of culturally responsive teaching practices on the percentage rate
of African American students suspended.
Knowledge Influences
Developmental psychologists have grouped knowledge into factual, key information;
conceptual, the understanding of abstract concepts; and procedural, knowing how to use and
apply those concepts, meaning proficiency and performance (Amsel, 2011; Schneider & Stern,
2010). In addition, Artelt and Schneider (2015) defined metacognition as a person’s ability to
know and understand their capacity to process information, to recognize the cognitive demands
of a task, and the strategies needed to manage the task. Metacognition also involves skills
related to the monitoring and self-regulation of one’s own cognitive activities (Artelt &
Schneider, 2015). It is imperative to identify gaps in the conceptual, procedural or metacognitive
knowledge of stakeholders (Clark & Estes, 2008). Exploring teachers’ knowledge influences is
central to the focus of this study.
Knowledge Influence 1 Factual and Conceptual
Factual knowledge is the basic information about a subject or discipline. Possessing
factual knowledge supports job performance since it serves as the foundation to comprehend
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 34
more complex associations needed to successfully perform any task (Lambon & Matthew,
2014). Crooks and Alibali (2014) defined conceptual knowledge as the understanding of
associations and connections within a domain. Amsel (2011) and Lambon and Matthew (2014)
explained that conceptual knowledge refers to a database of semantic knowledge that supports
the transfer of comprehension into task-appropriate behavior. According to Crooks and Alibali
(2014) and Lambon and Matthew (2014), factual and conceptual knowledge function jointly to
support deeper and longer-lasting understanding. Individuals with greater factual and conceptual
knowledge are more likely to become flexible problem solvers with the ability to generalize
across different domains to solve problems (Crooks & Alibali, 2014).
Teachers need to understand the principles of culturally responsive teaching practices
(Stronge, Ward, & Grant, 2011). In a culturally responsive classroom, a genuine understanding
and appreciation for culture diversity guides teachers’ philosophy and approach to both the
learning process and the learners involved (Ford, 2010). Irvine (2009) defined culturally
responsive teaching as teaching in student-centered culturally diverse classrooms where
educators work with a sense of urgency to understand, respect and meet the needs of all students
so that the barriers to learning and achievement are eliminated and culturally different students
can reach their full potential. The goal of culturally responsive teaching is to provide nurturing
environments for all learners by capitalizing on their rich culture, strengths, prior knowledge and
prior experiences (Colbert, 2010; Ebersole, Kanahele-Mossman & Kawakami, 2016). However,
Lee (2017) argued that educators commonly only possess a superficial notion of the principles of
culturally relevant pedagogy. Sleeter (2011) indicated that teachers conceptualize culturally
responsive pedagogy as one-dimensional learning about other cultures or simply as a cultural
celebration. Instead, culturally responsive teaching involves challenging academic content
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 35
learned through the lens of the rich cultural experiences and knowledge that students bring to
school (Sleeter, 2011). Lee (2017) added that educators are willing to embrace culturally
responsive pedagogy, but they lack knowledge and training and, therefore, need to engage in
learning opportunities that will increase their cultural assets and cultural knowledge.
Knowledge Influence 2 Procedural
Teachers need to build pedagogical competence to implement the principles of culturally
responsive teaching effectively (Heitner & Jennings, 2016; Stronge et al., 2011). According to
Chinnappan and Forrester (2014), highly qualified teachers possess both content knowledge and
procedural knowledge; both kinds of knowledge complement each other and are central to
fulfilling the demands of the teaching profession. Procedural knowledge predicts performance
ratings and training success (Motowidlo & Beier, 2010). Meadows (2013) added that teachers’
procedural knowledge might be observed and evaluated during classroom instruction as they
deliver lessons, apply skills and strategies, differentiate instruction, and integrate different
learning aids such as technology. Moreover, Stronge et al. (2011) suggested that a key
characteristic of an effective teacher is the capacity to apply and integrate knowledge and/or
skills to diverse populations of students in different settings. The researcher reported that
applying the principles of culturally responsive teaching is an important teacher quality (Stronge
et al., 2011). However, Sleeter (2011) underlined that the inadequate and simplistic way in
which culturally responsive pedagogy is often understood poses significant challenges. The
researcher concluded that simplifying the benefits, purpose and classroom application provides
the erroneous impression of having made meaningful progress without having done so (Sleeter,
2011).
Knowledge Influence 3 (Metacognitive)
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 36
Teachers need to engage in self-regulation to confront their biases and influence on
school suspensions (Cramer & Bennett, 2015). Teachers often attribute school suspensions to
students’ conduct and lack of interest in school when this issue is often the result of teacher
expectations and lack of self-reflection (Babad & Taylor, 2004; Cramer & Bennett, 2015;
Ebersole et al., 2016). Novice teachers are more likely to attribute students’ achievement or
behavior to poverty, school facilities, limited parental involvement, and lack of administrative
support instead of engaging in self-reflection and improving their pedagogical practices (Al-
Fadhi & Singh, 2006). Ladson-Billings (2014) reported that teachers often misperceive students
of color and low socioeconomic status and are less likely to have high expectations of them. Al-
Fadhi and Singh (2006) and Cramer and Bennett (2015) stated that educators’ beliefs about their
students have a strong influence on student performance. Colbert (2010); Devine, Forscher,
Austin, and Cox (2012) argued that teacher personal biases affect their interactions with their
students of color and their ability to provide a supportive learning environment. Babad and
Taylor (2004) concluded that teachers display different behaviors or distinctive nonverbal styles,
such as facial expressions and body language, when dealing with high-expectancy and low-
expectancy students. Students can interpret these differences even in the absence of language or
verbal cues (Babad & Taylor, 2004). Pringle, Lyons, and Booker (2010) also reported that
teachers often demonstrate, by word or action, their low expectations of African American
students in comparison to White students.
Pringle et al. (2010) conducted a qualitative study on teacher expectations with 48
African American graduating seniors at two high schools in the southwest of the United States.
The results of their study indicated that students believed that race or ethnicity influenced
teachers’ perceptions and expectations of them. The students who participated in the study
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 37
reported that teachers have lower expectations for African American students and often
discouraged them from taking advanced placement or honors classes. In addition, students
connected teacher expectations to whether their teachers genuinely cared about them. Townsend
(2000) reported,
[Forty percent] of the African American males perceived their teachers had lowered
expectations for them, and 60% believed their teachers failed to push them enough.
Ironically, when the teachers were asked if their African American male students would
go on to college, 60% of them indicated that they would not. (p. 385)
Therefore, teacher expectations of students can become a self-fulfilling prophecy (Al-Fadhi &
Singh, 2006; Cramer & Bennett, 2015; Pringle et al., 2010).
Gube and Shore (2018) concluded that self-regulation and metacognition are central to
learning and knowledge. Townsend (2000) highlighted that educators should engage in self-
reflection to examine and identify their attitudes, beliefs, and values regarding African American
students, their families, and their culture. Townsend (2000) suggested that, if educators wish to
change their expectations of African American students, they must begin by restructuring their
attitudes and beliefs about them, their families, and their culture.
The principles of culturally responsive teaching are grounded in the core value that
critical self-reflection allows educators to identify and confront implicit biases and cultural
assumptions (Gay & Howard, 2000). Culturally responsive teacher training facilitates teachers’
engagement in self-reflection to explore and confront biases that may have an influence on their
perception of students of color and their attitudes and beliefs about teaching culturally diverse
children (Novick, 1996; Taylor, 2010). Taylor (2010) highlighted that it is imperative for
teachers to reconcile negative feelings toward a student group. Gay and Howard (2000) added
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 38
that professional development in culturally responsive teaching allows participants to engage in
meaningful dialogue and introspection. Furthermore, developing teachers’ skills in culturally
responsive teaching raises sociocultural consciousness which involves a fundamental shift in
personal philosophy and values, leading to transformation (Ebersole et al., 2016; Fullam, 2017;
Mette, Nieuwenhuizen, & Hvidston, 2016).
Table 2
Knowledge Influences
Organizational Mission
Great Charter School is committed to provide excellence in education and to develop future
leaders who will honor their community and contribute to building a just and progressive global
society.
Organizational Global Goal
Great Charter School’s main goal is to provide rigorous learning environments that cultivate innovative
leaders who will reach their highest potential and are prepared for high school graduation and beyond.
Stakeholder Goal
Classroom Teachers
The number of African American students suspended will be reduced to less than 1%.
Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type (i.e.,
declarative (factual or
conceptual), procedural, or
metacognitive)
Knowledge Influence Assessment
Factual and Conceptual
Knowledge:
Teachers need to understand the
culturally responsive teaching.
Factual and Conceptual Interview Questions:
“Tell me about culturally
responsive teaching. How would
you rate your knowledge of
culturally responsive teaching?”

“Can you explain what it is?” “How
would you define it?”
Knowledge Influence Knowledge Type (i.e.,
declarative (factual or
conceptual), procedural, or
metacognitive)
Knowledge Influence Assessment
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 39
Metacognitive Knowledge
Teachers lack the ability to self-
regulate about their influence on
school suspensions.

Metacognitive Interview Questions:
“How do teachers engage in engage
in self-regulation about their
expectations of students?”

“What do you think are the
contributing factors to the
overrepresentation of African
American Students in school
suspensions?”

Motivational Influences
Eyal and Roth (2011) reported that, when individuals engage in a behavior that results in
a desired experience or outcome, they become motivated to continue engagement. Motivation
can be either extrinsic or intrinsic. Extrinsic motivation is dependent on outside influences or
consequences, while intrinsic motivation comes from a person’s internal interests (Eyal & Roth,
2011)
Self-Efficacy
Teachers need to feel confident to incorporate culturally responsive teaching practices
into their lesson planning and delivery. Self-efficacy is an individual’s belief or confidence in
his or her capabilities to execute specific actions or tasks (Bandura, 1977). Bandura and Locke
(2003) explained that self-efficacy influences the complexity and quality of the goals that
individuals choose for themselves, and the effort people are willing to devote to a task and to
new learning. For instance, individuals with low self-efficacy tend to set low goals for
themselves and put less effort into different tasks because they doubt that their effort will lead to
success (Bandura & Locke, 2003). Bandura (1977) identified four main sources that shape self-
efficacy: (a) past performance, (b) vicarious experience, (c) verbal persuasion, and (d) emotional
cues. Bandura (1977) cited past performance as the most important source. Lack of
administrative support and goal setting, challenging assignments, and lack of both professional
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 40
development and positive reinforcement can negatively affect self-efficacy (Bandura & Locke,
2003).
Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2007) demonstrated that teachers with low self-efficacy or
negative beliefs about their ability to teach exhibited less effective teaching practices, which
resulted in lower student achievement. Pas, Bradshaw, Hershfeldt, and Leaf (2010) argued that
teacher low self-efficacy can influence discipline referrals and management practices. The
researcher added that, when teachers feel incapable of meeting students’ needs, they often refer
students for academic or disciplinary action (Pas et al., 2010). Reinke, Herman, and Stormont
(2013); West, Lunenburg, and Hines (2014) found that teachers with a greater sense of self-
efficacy in classroom management reported less disruptive student behaviors and described
behaviors of African American students as less problematic than teachers with lower self-
efficacy in behavior management. Furthermore, the researchers highlighted that teacher self-
efficacy in behavior management as well as the implementation of culturally responsive teaching
support positive student outcomes (Reinke et al., 2013).
Siwatu, Chesnut, Alejandro, and Young (2016) conducted a study with 628 prospective
elementary and middle school teachers. All the participants indicated they believed in the
effectiveness of culturally responsive teaching strategies, but they did not believe that they could
execute the pedagogical practices successfully. Preservice teachers attributed their lack of
knowledge regarding student diversity and culturally responsive pedagogy to inadequate
exposure to culturally responsive teaching models and to their teacher education programs’
inability to support them in the development of culturally responsive teaching pedagogy (Siwatu
et al., 2016). According to Bandura and Locke (2003), Eccles et al. (1983), and Swackhamer,
Koellner, Basile, and Kimbrough (2009), individuals’ expectations about their capabilities are
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 41
closely related to self-efficacy, which is an important quality of effective teachers and can
increase student achievement. Trautwein et al. (2012) explained that teachers who do not have
foundational knowledge of culturally responsive teaching might display reservations regarding
their self-efficacy to teach diverse student populations. Furthermore, Tschannen-Moran, Hoy,
and Hoy (1998); Swackhamer et al. (2009) found that teachers’ self-efficacy is improved through
the increase of content-specific knowledge. It is, therefore, imperative that teachers participate
in opportunities to develop declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge related to
culturally responsive pedagogy.
Attainment Value
Teachers need to understand the importance of culturally responsive teaching principles
and practices. Expectancy-value theory proposes that attainment value is a central components
of task value and therefore, directly influence individuals’ choices and performance (Ibrahim,
Aulls, & Shore, 2017). In expectancy-value theory, attainment value refers to the importance
that individuals attach to a specific task as it relates to their sense of identity, so the task value
attached to a task or activity will influence choice, engagement, and commitment (Putwain et al.,
2015). Teachers are more likely to use instructional approaches and practices that they find
valuable and essential to their professional self-development and their role as educators (Eccles,
2005; Putwain et al., 2015). According to Eccles (2005) and Ibrahim et al. (2017), attainment
value relates to the desires, principles, and drives fulfilled by engaging in an activity. “Tasks are
important when individuals view them as central to their own sense of themselves or allow them
to express or confirm important aspects of self” (Wigfield & Cambria, 2010, p. 44). Prior to
engaging in any activity, individuals examine the characteristics of the activity to assess its
value. Individual assessments are driven by personal values and motives and determine if a task
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 42
is seen as an opportunity or as an inconvenience (Eccles, 2005). Eccles (2005) added that there
is a strong connection between the attainment value that individuals place on a task and their
personal values.
Table 3
Motivational Influences
Organizational Mission
Great Charter School is committed to provide excellence in education and to develop future
leaders who will honor their community and contribute to building a just and progressive
global society.
Organizational Global Goal
Great Charter School’s main goal is to provide rigorous learning environments that cultivate
innovative leaders who will reach their highest potential and are prepared for high school
graduation and beyond.
Stakeholder Goal
Classroom Teachers
The number of African American students suspended will be reduced to less than 1%.
Assumed Motivation Influences Motivational Influence Assessment
Self-Efficacy: Teachers need to feel confident to
incorporate the principles of culturally
responsive teaching practices into their lesson
planning and lesson delivery.

Interview Questions:
“How confident do you feel to incorporate
the principles and strategies of culturally
responsive teaching practices as you plan
and deliver lessons?”
Attainment Value: Teachers need to understand
the importance of culturally responsive teaching
principles and practices.
Interview Questions:
“How useful are the principles and
strategies of culturally responsive teaching
practices when it comes to teaching
students of color?”

“How do you think culturally responsive
teaching practices support students?”

Organizational Influences
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 43
An organization’s culture is assessed based on its cultural settings and cultural models
(Gallimore & Goldenberg, 2001). Cultural settings are concrete and describe tasks, how and
why tasks are completed, and the social context in which work is performed. Cultural models
refer to cultural practices and shared mental schema in an organization (Gallimore &
Goldenberg, 2001).
Cultural Setting Influence 1
Culturally responsive teacher training needs to be provided. To promote educational
equity and access, teacher education programs include cultural diversity coursework as part of
their curricula. In addition, organizations such as the National Board for Professional Teaching
Standards developed standards that emphasize cultural competence (Ebersole et al., 2016).
However, in most cases, cultural diversity coursework is offered in a piecemeal approach that
lacks depth and substance (Ebersole et al., 2016; Taylor, 2010). As a result, there is little or no
impact on teachers’ practices or their preconceived notions of students from diverse backgrounds
(Ebersole et al., 2016).
Taylor (2010) suggested that, although teacher education programs include multicultural
education into their course requirements, these efforts are not sufficient, and, therefore, the
burden is on schools to build teachers’ capacity by providing professional development (Ebersole
et al., 2016). Taylor (2010) added that schools districts and universities must collaborate to
provide professional development that will equip teachers with the skills and abilities to practice
culturally responsive teaching. Moreover, Taylor (2010) pointed out that schools that have been
successful at meeting the diverse needs of their students provide culturally responsive teacher
training and opportunities for educators to work collaboratively and share best practices.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 44
School administrators must provide opportunities for teachers to be well prepared to
implement culturally responsive practices and address stereotypes that can limit opportunities for
students (Gay, 2010; Taylor, 2010). Mette et al. (2016) stated that culturally responsive
professional development can have a great impact on the duties and responsibilities with which
educators are tasked. Fullam (2017) explained that culturally responsive pedagogy entails a shift
on deep-rooted ideologies about culturally diverse students, their families, and their
communities.
Cultural Setting Influence 2
A culture of accountability that supports the decrease of school suspensions needs to be
established. Boucher (2016) argued that the pressure placed on teachers to deliver the expected
educational outcomes often results in teachers being reluctant to spend instructional time to deal
with student behavior and, instead, opt for classroom removal actions. The lack of student
behavior support systems and the excessive use of discriminatory discipline practices have
contributed to the overrepresentation of African American students in school suspensions and,
ultimately, in the school-to-prison pipeline (Boucher, 2016). Keddie (2014) pointed out that the
existing accountability measures for teachers often result in teachers feeling a sense of mistrust
of their professional capabilities. In addition, Keddie added that accountability measures such as
standardized tests fail to capture contextual factors relevant to student performance such as
school suspensions. Furthermore, Keddie argued that innovative forms of teacher accountability
that can effectively evaluate all aspects of teacher competence are needed.
Townsend (2000) reported that the overrepresentation of African American students in
school suspensions can be addressed by examining school exclusion data to ensure that
differential discipline is not over utilized with any group of students based on their ethnic
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 45
background. According to Townsend, school staff should review school exclusion data to
determine if students are excluded from school, based on discipline policies and practices that
discriminatorily affect students of color.
Cultural Model Influence 1
Nurturing learning environments that capitalize on the diversity of all learners need to be
established. Fergus (2018) explained that discipline policies grounded on cultural competence
and assess-based mindsets can improve student conduct. Similarly, Fergus argued that, to
promote positive school climates that support positive student behavior, teachers must receive
quality professional development on behavior modification techniques.
In school districts across the United States, the academic failure of students of color is
regarded as expected, thus demonstrating a deficit-based mindset (Smith, 2015). Davis (2014)
reported that creating an inclusive school culture that supports students’ sense of belonging is a
strong factor against violence and incarceration. Additionally, Li (2012), argued that, in
particular, minority students need positive, supportive environments that encourage their
confidence, resilience, and persistence for achieving success. Smith (2015) found that schools
that embrace a strength-based approach show significant reductions in disciplinary problems that
undermine the learning environment.
Nurturing environments grounded on trust and support that emphasize relationship
building and celebrate cultural differences are effective at meeting the social-emotional needs of
students and contributing to academic success (Townsend, 2000). In addition, Townsend (2000)
pointed out that developing genuine caring relations with at risk youth is an effective way to
prevent school suspensions. In a study, Townsend (2000) asked a group of African American
male high school students who frequently received school suspensions to share their perspective
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 46
on effective strategies for making school a better place for them. All students indicated that
teachers should spend time getting to know students at a deeper level to understand their
situations and struggles outside of school. Research shows it is important for African American
students to believe their teachers care about them and that they are an important part of the
school community, so positive student-teacher relationships are important (Pringle et al., 2010).
Therefore, for teachers to create learning environments that support learning, they must first
connect emotionally with their students and build strong relationships with them, since the
absence of emotional connection may cause students to reject school constructs (Pringle et al.,
2010).
Teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about culturally diverse students, influence the climate of
the classroom (Fullam, 2017; McCarther & Davis, 2017). Taylor (2010) explained that schools
that embrace culturally responsive teaching can cultivate culturally rich, caring learning
communities. In a nurturing school climate, students feel a sense of membership and belongings
and know they are important members of the school community (Ford, 2010).
Cultural Model Influence 2
A culture of high expectations for African American students needs to be established. Li
(2012) indicated that having high expectations for all students increases time students spend
engaged in learning activities throughout the day and decreases time wasted on discipline and
other incidents. Li (2012) explained that a culture of high expectations is achieved through
classrooms and school environments where all students are challenged cognitively and supported
emotionally through well-designed rigorous lessons and nurturing classroom interactions.
Furthermore, students must be motivated to become intrinsic learners, to be resourceful, to
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 47
advocate for their education and to reach their highest potential, as this will reduce undesired
classroom behaviors and will increase student academic achievement (Li, 2012).
Lane, Pierson, Stang, and Carter (2010) found that students showed higher academic
achievement in classrooms where teachers had high expectations for all students and students
were aware of such expectations. Day-Vines and Terriquez (2008) examined students’
perceptions of teacher actions, which contributed to effective student behavior. The researchers
concluded that students’ improved conduct resulted from high expectations and clearly
articulated classroom behavior expectations enforced by the teacher. In addition, high academic
expectations, respect, and open communication also contributed to improved student behavior
(Day-Vines & Terriquez, 2008; Lane et al., 2010). Moreover, Lane et al. (2010) argued that it is
important to have behavior expectations that students understand and can connect to their future
success. In other words, students need to know what is expected of them and how meeting these
expectations will benefit them (Lane et al., 2010). The researcher added that, when all
stakeholders are involved in the development of the student behavior norms, teachers are more
likely to provide reinforcement to students and students are less likely to display undesired
behaviors (Lane et al., 2010).
Taylor (2010) reported that one of the key characteristics of schools with strong
culturally responsive programs is that they set high expectations for all students. Culturally
relevant training can equip teachers with the cultural competence to support diverse student
populations (Taylor, 2010). Taylor explained that a culturally competent teacher is one who
provides a caring but rigorous learning environment and has high expectations of their students
in addition to possessing the knowledge and aptitudes that allow them to appreciate, value, and
celebrate the rich cultural backgrounds of their students and their families. In their study, Pringle
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 48
et al. (2010) found that African American students performed better in classrooms where they
felt that teachers cared for and challenged them.
Table 4
Organizational Influences
Organizational Mission
Great Charter School is committed to provide excellence in education and to develop future leaders
who will honor their community and contribute to building a just and progressive global society.
Organizational Global Goal
Great Charter School’s main goal is to provide well-rounded, high-quality learning environments that
are transformational and ensure that all students are prepared for high school graduation and beyond.
Stakeholder Goal
Classroom Teachers
The number of African American students suspended will be reduced to less than 1%.
Assumed Organizational Influences Organization Influence Assessment
Cultural Setting Influence 1:
This organization needs to provide additional
culturally responsive teacher training.
Interview Question:
“Describe the culturally responsive teaching
professional development provided by your
school.”
Cultural Setting Influence 2:
A culture of accountability that supports the
decrease of school suspensions needs to be
established.

Interview Question:
“What accountability measures are in place in
this organization regarding the number of
African American students suspended?”

“Describe how you are accountable for
decreasing the number of African American
students suspended?”
Cultural Model Influence 1:
Nurturing learning environments that capitalize
on the diversity of all learners need to be
established.
Interview Question:
“How does this school capitalize on the diverse
culture of students?”

Cultural Model Influence 2:
A culture of high expectations for African
American students needs to be established.

Interview Question:
“How does your organization promote a culture
of high expectations for African American
students?”
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 49
Conceptual Framework for the Study: Integrating Knowledge, Motivation, and
Organizational Influences
A conceptual framework provides a visual representation of theories, research and
personal experiences that support a comprehensive analysis of the interconnections and
interdependencies of the KMO influences (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). Conceptual frameworks
are models that increase understanding of why events are happening. They can also narrow the
study’s focus, guide the methodology and support the interpretation of the results (Merriam &
Tisdell, 2016). According to Maxwell (2013), a conceptual framework supports a
comprehensive understanding of the organizational setting, the stakeholder groups, and the
issues studied. It allows researchers to draw from personal experiences, literature, and prior
studies to guide their research. Maxwell (2013) added that conceptual frameworks bridge theory
and practice to identify and provide direction to the study’s design and procedure.
This conceptual framework illustrates how teachers’ KMO influences related to culturally
responsive teaching affect this organization’s ability to reduce the number of African American
students suspended. It guided the generating of research questions, developing the study’s
design and procedure and interpreting findings (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The narrative further
explains the presumed relationship among influences, beliefs, and variables.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 50

Figure 1. Conceptual framework for the impact of culturally responsive teaching in school
exclusion. The figure considers teachers’ KMO influences.

Conclusion
This chapter presented research on the KMO influences that affect teachers and how their
interdependency affects the organization’s ability to meet its goal of reducing the number of
African American students suspended. The conceptual framework illustrated how teachers’
conceptual and procedural knowledge of culturally responsive teaching practices, their perceived

TEACHERS
Influenced by Knowledge
(Conceptual and
Procedural), Motivation
(Self-efficacy and
Attainment Value) and
Organizational Influences.
GOALS FOR TEACHERS
Decrease the number of African American
Students suspended to less than 1% by the end of
the 2019–2020 school year.
EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION
INFLUENCES BY CULTURAL SETTING AND
CULTURAL INFLUENCE
▪ Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Professional
development needs to be provided
▪ A culture of accountability needs to be
established.
▪ Nurturing environments need to be established

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 51
self-efficacy to teach students of color, the attainment value they place on teaching strategies, the
lack of accountability and high expectations, and the culture and climate of schools affect this
organization’s ability to reduce the number of African American students suspended. The
conceptual framework also guided the generating of research questions, developing the study’s
design and procedure, and interpreting the findings. In Chapter Three, the researcher will
present the proposed methodological approach for this study, including the sampling criteria,
recruitment strategy, and data collection methods. In addition, the researcher’s association to the
organization and ethical considerations will also be offered.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 52
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this study was to learn about the impact that the culturally responsive
teaching has on the suspension rate of African American students. Based on the analysis of the
findings, recommendations for organizational practice will be provided. The research questions
and conceptual framework offered a roadmap for understanding the study and expected
outcomes. The questions that guided this study were the following:
1. What is the impact of the implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices on
the organizations’ ability to reduce the percentage of African American students
suspended?
2. To what extent is the organization meeting its goal of reducing the number of African
American students suspended to less than 1% during the 2019–2020 school year?
3. What are teachers’ knowledge, motivation and organizational elements related to
achieving the organizational goal?
This chapter begins with a recapitulation of the stakeholder groups presented in Chapter
One. Thereafter, the sampling criteria, recruitment strategy, and data collection methods are
presented. Chapter Three continues by outlining the consent form, the interview protocol and
procedures, documents and artifacts, credibility and trustworthiness, and the researcher’s
connection to the organization. This chapter concludes with ethical considerations.
Participating Stakeholders
Teachers are the most important factor to student academic achievement (Nye et al.,
2004) and are, therefore, essential to meeting the goals and benchmark indicators of Great
Charter School. Therefore, while a complete performance evaluation would include all
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 53
stakeholders, for practical purposes, this analysis focused on seven permanent teachers at Great
Charter School.
Data Collection and Instrumentation
Interview Sampling Criteria
Criterion 1. Permanent teachers at Great Charter School who currently have African
American students enrolled in their classrooms.
Criterion 2. Permanent teachers from at Great Charter School who have participated in
culturally responsive pedagogy training.
Interview Sampling and Rationale
Qualitative methodology attempts to understand the experiences of others through the
collection and interpretation of robust data (Patton, 2002). This qualitative design study
consisted of personal interviews that provided in-depth data about participants’ feelings, opinions
and knowledge as well as of document analysis that served to add insight and corroborate
findings (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Bowen, 2009; Patton, 2002).
Pazzaglia, Stafford, and Rodriguez (2016) argued that the sampling procedure chosen by
researchers should depend on the purpose of the investigation. The authors added that statistical
sampling procedures allow researchers to generalize about the target population by sampling a
small percentage of its members, known as the accessible population. The accessible population
in a study is a segment of the target population to whom the researcher has access (Johnson &
Christensen, 2015; Pazzaglia et al., 2016).
The target population for this study were 19 permanent teachers from Great Charter
School. The accessible population consisted of seven of those teachers. Sampling the accessible
population can lower the costs associated with gathering data and can expedite data collection,
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 54
analysis, and reporting (Johnson & Christensen, 2015). For this study, participants were chosen
using purposeful sampling. To collect robust data, participants were deliberately selected based
on criteria that offer relevancy to the research questions, which is often the most important aspect
of selection (Patton, 2002). Participants were selected based on having experience teaching
African American students and having participated in culturally responsive pedagogy training.
Interview Sampling Recruitment Strategy
According to Patton (2002) qualitative studies that include interviews are most
effectively conducted when the number of participants is manageable. In addition, as decisions
are made regarding participant numbers, it is imperative to consider the desired margin of error,
the confidence level, and the anticipated response rate (Creswell, 2014; Pazzaglia et al., 2016).
The researcher contacted the school’s principal and asked for the opportunity to inform teachers
about the study during a staff meeting. The researcher communicated the purpose and design of
the study and invited teachers to participate. The researcher explained that the study would
involve an interview that required a one-hour commitment. Participants were informed that they
would not receive compensation for participating in the study. Eleven of the 19 teachers
currently providing service at Great Charter School volunteered to be part of the study. Three of
the prospective participants were disqualified because they did not meet the sampling criteria. A
homogeneous subgroup of seven teachers, from the larger teacher population, were invited to
participate in the study. Therefore, this study consisted of a representative accessible teacher
sample (N=7) from the target population of 19.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 55
Consent Form
The consent form used for this study informed participants of their rights and included a
detailed description of the study. It emphasized the voluntary choice of teachers to participate in
the study and their right to withdraw at any point without consequences.
Interview Protocol
Semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection tool for this study (Creswell
& Plano Clark, 2007). The guiding questions for the semi-structured interviews are included in
Appendix A. Semi-structured interviews offered flexibility to capture how individuals made
meaning of their experience (Rabionet, 2011). This is the best approach to data collection
because it allowed the researcher the freedom to ask additional questions to probe for more
information (Rabionet, 2011). The researcher requested permission from the participants to
record their responses prior to beginning the interview and reminded them that their identities
would be kept confidential. In addition, per Creswell and Plano Clark (2007), the researcher
developed a system for recording additional notes during the interviews.
The researcher began the interviews by establishing rapport to create a welcoming and
trusting environment, which elicited reflection and honest insight from participants. Alase
(2017) reported that researchers who do not establish rapport are unlikely to obtain reliable data.
The first set of questions were close-ended questions. Participants responded to questions about
the number of African American students in their classroom, the length and duration of their
participation in professional development related to culturally responsive teaching, and the
percentage of African American students referred to the office. As presented in the conceptual
framework, teachers’ KMO influences were also explored during the interviews through open-
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 56
ended questions. During the interviews, the researcher gathered information from the
participants to answer the research questions.
Interview Procedures
The interviews were conducted outside of work hours, at the preferred time and location
of participants. Alase (2017) suggested that it is important for researchers to schedule interviews
during times that are convenient for interviewees. In addition, extra time was allotted for
unpredictability elements during the interview sessions. Only one interview was conducted per
day, and each interview lasted approximately 60 minutes. In accordance with Glesne (2011),
participants received a consent form that spelled out their rights as participants and provided
detailed information about the study. The consent form enabled participants to make an
informed decision about participating in the study. Once the participants signed the consent
form, the researcher began the interview. Participants did not receive compensation of any type
for taking part in the study and did not benefit from the study’s results.
Documents and Artifacts
Document analysis is a structured method to evaluate printed and electronic records that
requires researchers to examine and analyze data to draw conclusions and develop empirical
knowledge (Bowen, 2009; Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Conducting document analysis reduces the
impact of potential biases by allowing researchers to examine multiple data sources to
corroborate findings (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007; Bowen, 2009). Some of the documents typically
used during a document review include performance records, policies, portfolios, public records,
bulletin boards, lesson plans, meeting minutes, and electronic sources (Bretschneider, Cirilli,
Jones, Lynch, & Wilson, 2017). The documents reviewed for this study were collected from the
school’s website and from the State of California Department of Education website. Bowen
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 57
(2009) explained that the information collected was organized into categories related to the
research questions. Predefined codes were used to record the patterns and themes to emerge
from document analysis.
Credibility and Trustworthiness
Qualitative research studies are designed to understand and explain situations and
conditions, discover innovative methods to evaluate familiar problems, understand how members
of an organization view their role and contributions; reveal the history of the current condition,
and construct a hypothesis of theory (Merriam, 1995). Therefore, the trustworthiness and
credibility of a study is measured in terms of how effectively and accurately the study
accomplishes what it is designed to do (Merriam, 1995). During this study, the researcher
worked to increase and maintain the credibility and trustworthiness of the study by controlling
for extraneous variables. According to Merriam (1995), providing a statement of the
researcher’s experiences, assumptions and biases is a strategy that can be incorporated into the
study’s design to increase trustworthiness and credibility. Therefore, for this study, a detailed
statement of the researcher’s personal and professional experiences, education, connection to the
community being studied, and known biases, was provided. In addition, to minimize threats to
credibility and trustworthiness, prior to beginning the study, the researcher engaged in self-
reflection to clarify her understanding of the study and the personal beliefs and views that might
influence different aspects of the study. The researcher made every effort to ensure the data
collected were credible and accurately represented the contributions made by the participants.
Validity
External validity or generalizing validity refers to the degree to which the results of a
study can be generalized to other populations and subpopulations (Johnson & Christensen,
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 58
2015). Maxwell (2013) added that an essential component of a coherent study is its validity;
therefore, identifying validity threats is important. One of those threats to the study’s validity is
the researcher’s biases. The researcher has been involved in several projects related to closing
the achievement gap for historically underperforming students. The researcher’s interest and
experience supporting students of color might have an effect on the study’s objectivity.
Therefore, in accordance with Maxwell, the researcher minimized validity threats by being fully
aware of such biases and by avoiding making study design and data analyses decisions based on
personal desires. In addition, Creswell and Plano Clark (2007), pointed out that content validity
of the instrument used for this study and its alignment to the study’s research questions were
established through expert review feedback. Four University of Southern California Rossier
School of Education faculty members provided feedback on the semi-structured interview
questions, and the interview questions were revised to reflect the feedback received.
Positionality
The researcher currently serves as an administrator for a school district in California.
Among other duties, the researcher is responsible for reviewing student data and developing
strategic plans to ensure student academic success. Per Creswell and Plano Clark (2007), the
researcher left her role aside during the interview sessions, the document review, and the data
analysis. Due to the researcher’s previous assignments as data coordinator and instructional
coach, the researcher has a position regarding the satisfactory suspension rate goals for African
American students and the proper implementation of culturally relevant strategies.
The Researcher’s Connection to the Organization
The relationships between the researcher and the participants have important implications
and require thoughtful consideration and precise planning of the study’s design (Maxwell, 2013).
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 59
Although the researcher has worked in the field of education for almost 20 years, the researcher
does not have any personal or professional connection to the organization nor to any of the
teachers participating in the study. The researcher did not benefit from the results of the study.
The consent form explained that their decision to participate in the study and/or the information
shared would not have any effect on the participant’s job evaluation or membership in the
organization.
Data Analysis and Reporting
Bogdan and Biklen (2007) argued that transcripts are the main data source produced by
interviews. After an interview, it is imperative to transcribe all specifics related to patterns that
emerged during the interview, ideas, strategies, reflections, and intuitions. For this study, the
researcher used an audio recorder to record the interviews and also took detailed notes. The date
of the interview and the starting and ending time were noted. The interview were transcribed.
Once the transcripts were received, the researcher read the transcripts. The researcher used the
notes taken during the interviews to compare them against the transcripts to ensure accuracy and
to add additional comments. The researcher then read the transcripts once more and recorded
additional notes. According to Creswell and Plano Clark (2007), reading and taking notes on the
transcripts supports the identification of codes and themes. Creswell and Plano Clark also
reported that coding is the process of creating categories to analyze data. The responses to each
interview question were compiled and a frequency analysis was conducted to support proper
coding. An inductive researcher is someone who works from the bottom-up, using the
participants’ views to build broader themes and generate a theory interconnecting the themes
(Creswell, 2014). Corbin and Strauss (2008) argued that coding is an essential part of data
analysis that requires researchers to interact with data by applying techniques that will enable
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 60
them to make sense of data. Once the researcher coded the data, she also used NVivo qualitative
data analysis software to code the interview transcripts. Using computer software to code the
interview data allowed the researcher to compare emerging themes and patterns that resulted
from the NVivo coding to her own to evaluate and interpret the information and therefore make
the most accurate representation of the data collected.
According to Corbin and Strauss (2008), it is advisable for researchers to draw upon
personal experiences, as humans often share similar experiences and can rely on those
experiences to gather insight into the responses of participants. In addition, per Creswell and
Plano Clark (2007), the researcher allowed themes and patterns to emerge. First, the researcher
identified themes for each question for each interview. The researcher arrived at these themes
using the inductive approach to research. The researcher began with open coding, and then
moved to axial coding, and to detecting themes and patterns in the data. Then, the researcher
identified theme commonality across all participant responses, per question, to synthesize to
three to five themes per question. Thereafter, those themes were further synthesized, and eight
overarching themes appeared. A frequency count was made for the eight overarching themes
that appeared the most across all transcripts to determine the extent to which each theme was
present. Finally, the eight overarching themes that mostly appeared across all transcripts are
reported in Chapter Four.
Ethics
Ethical research is defined by Redman, Harrison, and Kotrilik (1994) as research
conducted in an objective manner, one that does not harm others, and one that protects the
privacy of participants. Ethical researchers reflect on the study’s implications, ensure the well-
being of participants and consider privacy and confidentiality issues (Blaszczynski, 1998; Rubin
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 61
& Rubin, 2012). As researchers embark on the journey to seek new knowledge, they have the
obligation to engage in ethical research practices that value the dignity and contributions made
by the study’s participants. Rubin and Rubin (2012) highlighted that an essential component of
the relationship between the researcher and the participants is the ethical responsibility of the
researcher to ensure participants’ well-being. Wendler and Abdoler (2010) argued that
researchers must consider the following ethical requirements when conducting studies: the
researchers must consider the appropriate risk/benefit ratio, participants must be fully aware that
they are participating in a study to help others, and, finally, the researcher must protect the rights
and interests of participants at all times.
Rubin and Rubin (2012) added that interviews must be conducted in a respectful, honest
way, without deceiving or pressuring participants. Furthermore, it is important to protect the
confidentiality and privacy of participants by securing interview recordings and transcripts and
destroying information that may linked to specific individuals (Glesne, 2011; Rubin & Rubin,
2012). Maintaining confidentiality requires organization, and lack of organization may hinder
the effectiveness of the study (Bogdan & Biklen, 2007). Participants’ safety and confidentiality
were protected: their names were not recorded. Instead, participants were randomly assigned a
number from one to seven. Participants responses were saved under the identification number
assigned to them. The researcher developed an organizational system that included the creation
of separate files for each participant, and a method of storing data to ensure confidentiality. All
audio files, interview transcripts, and spreadsheets were securely stored in the researcher’s
personal computer and were password protected to secure the confidentiality of participants’
records. Although students were not studied, it is important to note that the researcher shredded
all documents containing student data.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 62
In conclusion, qualitative researchers work under the premise that reality is
multidimensional and ever-changing and attempt to understand situations in depth and from the
perspective of those in it (Merriam, 1995). Collecting qualitative data allowed the researcher to
reach a more comprehensive understanding of how KMO influences affect the organization’s
ability to reduce the number of suspensions. It also allowed the researcher to develop a more
vivid picture of what is taking place. This chapter presented the study’s methodology, which
was designed to address the research questions. The study consisted of semi-structured
interviews to explore how teachers’ KMO influences related to the implementation of culturally
responsive teaching practices affect the percentage rate of African American students suspended
at a charter school in California.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 63
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
Chapter Four restates the purpose, research questions, and research design of the study.
Chapter Four also presents the study findings within the framework of the study’s purpose and
research questions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of culturally responsive
teaching on the percentage of African American students suspended. This chapter begins with a
statement of purpose to review the intention of the study. It continues with an overview of the
research design. It then provides information about the document analysis and a description of
the participants. Chapter Four proceeds with the results and findings for the assumed KMO
influences, and concludes with a summary of the study and its implications.
Statement of Purpose
This qualitative design study measured the impact of culturally responsive teaching on
the percentage of African American students suspended by performing a document analysis and
conducting interviews to explore teachers’ KMO influences. Specifically, this study explored
(a) teachers’ understanding of culturally responsive teaching, (b) teachers’ ability to successfully
implement culturally responsive teaching, (c) teachers’ ability to self-regulate, (d) teachers’ self-
efficacy and attainment value regarding culturally responsive teaching, and (e) the organizations’
ability to provide adequate culturally responsive training, establish nurturing environments, and
set high expectations for African American students. The questions that guided this study are the
following:
1. What is the impact of the implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices on
the organizations’ ability to reduce the percentage of African American students
suspended?
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 64
2. To what extent is the organization meeting its goal of reducing the number of African
American students suspended to less than 1% during the 2019–2020 school year?
3. What are teachers’ knowledge, motivation and organizational elements related to
achieving the organizational goal?
Research Design
The researcher utilized a qualitative research design that included personal interviews and
document analysis to collect data. Both the personal interviews and the document analysis
served to answer the research questions. The researcher conducted seven semi-structured
interviews with teachers from Great Charter School. The interviews included 15 questions and
follow-up inquiries for clarification. The first four questions were close-ended and gathered
demographical information; the rest of the questions were open-ended. All participants
responded to all questions, so there was no missing or incomplete data.
Description of Participants
Seven teachers participated in this study. Each of the participants were asked four
demographic questions that gathered information about their gender identity, African American
student enrollment, years of experience as a teacher, and their length of participation in culturally
responsive pedagogy training. These questions served to ensure that participants met the criteria
for the study. Four females and three males participated in the study. Demographic data on race
and ethnicity was not collected, as the researcher felt, that due to the small number of faculty
members, collecting such data would compromise anonymity. Participants’ teaching experience
ranged from 4 to 18 years, with a combined 47 years of experience. Their reported participation
in culturally responsive training ranged from 1 to 20 hours. All participants reported having
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 65
African American students enrolled in their classes. Table 5 depicts a summary of participant
demographic information.
Table 5
Participant Demographics
Question Teacher
1
Teacher
2
Teacher
3
Teacher
4
Teacher
5
Teacher
6
Teacher
7
Q1
What is your gender
identity?

M M F F F F M
Q2
Do you currently have
African American students
enrolled in your class?

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Q3
How long have you been a
teacher?

18 4 5 8 5 2 5
Q4
Approximately, what is the
number of hours that you
have participated in
culturally responsive
pedagogy training?
20 or
more
1 2 6 7 2 1

Demographics
The following section will present data that corresponds to the first four interview
questions: Items Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4. Response frequencies to these question items are provided
below in Figures 2 through Figure 6, in number, and in percentages.
Item Q1: What is Your Gender Identity?
Item Q1 provided nominal data. Nominal scales, also known as categorical variable
scales, are the simplest form of a scale of measure. These scales are used for labeling variables
without providing any quantitative value, since they do not hold a numerical value. For Item Q1,
the data were divided into two categories, males and females, and were coded using numbers.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 66
Males were assigned the number 1 while females were assigned the number 2. The analysis ran
for Item Q1 was a frequency of distribution (count and percentage). Three participants identified
as males and four participants identified as females. The only measure of central tendency that
conducted was the mode, with females appearing 4 times. Since nominal scale variables have no
quantitative significance, analyses related to variability such as range and standard deviation do
not apply

Figure 2. Data related to participants’ gender identification.
Item Q2: Do You Currently Have African American Students Enrolled in Your Class?
For Item Q2, the data were divided into two categories: yes and no. The data were coded
using numbers. The number 1 was assigned to “yes” responses, and the number 2 was assigned
to “no” responses. All participants (N=7) reported that African American students were enrolled
in their classroom.
43%
57%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
Males (n=3)
Females (n=4)
Item Q1: “What is your gender identity?”
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 67

Figure 3. Demographical data associated to African American student enrollment.
Item Q3: How Long Have You Been a Classroom Teacher?
Ratio scales are also known as variable measurement scales and do not have negative
values. Ratio scales offer information about the order, the exact difference between variables,
and the value of true zero. In addition, they allow for a wide range of both descriptive and
inferential statistics to be applied (Johnson & Christensen, 2015; Pazzaglia et al., 2016). The
analysis ran for Item Q3 was a frequency of distribution (count and percentage). Two (29%)
participants reported having between 1 and 4 years of experience, four (57%) participants
reported having 5 to 9 years of experience, and one (14%) participant reported having 10 or more
years of experience. Therefore, the data were divided into the following three categories:
worked as a teacher for 1 to 4 years, worked as a teacher for 5 to 9 years, worked as a teacher for
10 or more years. In addition, measures of central tendency were performed. The mode was five
years of experience, appearing 3 times; the median was 5 years of experience and the mean was
6.7 years of experience. Analysis related to variability such as the standard deviation (4.89) and
the variance (23.9) were also conducted and are reported in Table 6.
100%
0%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
Yes (n=7)
No (n=0)
Item Q2: “Do you currently have African American students enrolled in
your class?”
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 68

Figure 4. Data regarding participants’ years of teaching experience.
Item Q4: Approximately, What Is the Number of Hours That You Have Participated in
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Training?
The analysis conducted for Item Q4 was a frequency of distribution (count and
percentage). Participants were asked about their participation in culturally responsive training.
Two (29%) participants expressed that they participated in 1 hour of training, two (29%)
participants reported participating in 2 hours of training, one (14%) participant reported
participating in 6 hours of training, one (14%) participant reported participating in 7 hours of
training; and one (14%) participant reported participating in at least 20 hours training in the area
of culturally responsive training. Consequently, the data were divided into the following four
groups: 1–5 hours of training; 6–10 hours of training; and 11–20 hours of training. Descriptive
statistics that included measures of central tendency such as the mode (1 and 2 hours of training),
the median (2 hours of training), and the mean (5.57 hours of training) were applied. In addition,
the variance (39.67) and the standard deviation (6.29) were also calculated and are reported in
Table 6.
29%
57%
14%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
1-4 years (n=2)
5-9 years (n=4)
10 or more years (n=1)
Item Q3: “How long have you been a classroom teacher?”
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 69

Figure 5. Demographical data about the length of teacher participation in culturally responsive
training.

Table 6

Data Regarding Participants ’ Years of Teaching Experience and Length of Participation in
Culturally Responsive Trainings

Items Q3 and Q4 Mode Median Mean

Standard
Deviation Variance
Item Q3 “How long have you been a
classroom teacher?”
5 5 6.7 4.89 23.9
Item Q4 “Approximately, what is
the number of hours that you have
participated in culturally responsive
pedagogy training?”

1 and 2 2 5.57 6.29 39.67

Results and Findings for Knowledge Causes
The results and findings of this study are reported below based on the assumed factual,
conceptual, procedural, and metacognitive knowledge gaps. Three overarching themes are
presented in this section.

57%
29%
14%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
1-5 hours (n=4)
6-10 hours (n=2)
11-20 hours (n=1)
Item Q4: “Approximately, what is the number of hours that you have
participated in culturally responsive pedagogy training?”
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 70
Influence 1: Teachers Need to Understand the Principles of Culturally Responsive
Teaching Practice
Interview findings were such that the first theme (Theme 1) was that teachers lack a
common understanding of what culturally responsive teaching is. This theme was coded when
the keywords “define” and “understand” were used in the participants’ responses.
Representative examples include “My understanding is that culturally responsive teaching
provides strategies is to support Black and Latino students,” “I would define culturally
responsive teaching as a tool to support students academically,” and “It’s hard to provide a
concrete definition, but I guess I would define it as a framework that takes into account cultural
differences and how those differences affect both the teacher and the learner.” Theme 1
appeared seven times.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q5 indicated that only two of them
could explain the principles of culturally responsive teaching, and each participant provided a
different answer. Although all participants reported having a strong command of culturally
responsive teaching, their answers varied in length and depth. Furthermore, their responses
signaled an absence of a shared understanding of culturally responsive teaching. For example,
Teacher 3 and Teacher 5 disclosed the following about culturally responsive teaching. Teacher 3
shared, “Culturally responsive teaching has to do with celebrating and appreciating the cultures
of my students. I use it every day. My students are always engaged and are excelling
academically.” Here, Teacher 3 presents a limited understanding of culturally relevant pedagogy.
This response lacks depth and provides a superficial understanding of what culturally responsive
teaching is. Although this participant stated that she uses culturally relevant “every day,” it is
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 71
difficult to assess this teacher’s level of understanding and/or implementation effectiveness.
Teacher 5 shared,
I would say that culturally responsive teaching is being cognoscente of the cultural
differences among all of us so that we can learn to see the different ways of
communicating, behaving, and learning that our students come with. There are strategies
such as code switching and knowing about the nuances of the African American
vernacular language that are important components of this learning framework. We
encourage kids to safeguard their cultural identity while teaching them what is needed to
be successful…protecting their culture is my priority.
Here, Teacher 5 shared a detailed description of what she believes culturally responsive teaching
is. Teacher 5 offers examples of culturally responsive teaching in action, such as “code
switching.” Code switching is a strategy that promotes situational awareness and teaches
students to transition from their home language to Standard English based on situational
appropriateness. This participant also stated that culturally responsive teaching produces
benefits such as encouraging students to maintain their cultural identity. This teacher
demonstrates factual and conceptual knowledge of culturally responsive teaching.
Throughout all interviews, teachers reported knowing about the principles and framework
of culturally responsive teaching. However, their responses to the interview questions exposed
the absence of a common definition, and most importantly, the lack of the cohesive
understanding of culturally responsive teaching.
Procedural Knowledge
The influence examined was that teachers need to know how to effectively implement the
principles of culturally responsive teaching practices. Interview data yielded Theme 2, which is
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 72
that teachers implement culturally responsive teaching consistently. This theme was coded when
the keywords “daily,” “regularly,” “every day,’ “always,” and “consistently” were used in the
participants’ responses. Representative examples include “I am intentional about the daily use of
culturally responsive pedagogy;” “During my lesson planning, I always remind myself to make
sure that my lessons address the cultural and linguistic needs of my students;” and “To me,
culturally responsive teaching is a mindset, it frames my thinking and my practice, I believe in it,
I apply it every day… all the time.” Theme 2 appeared nine times. The data revealed that all
participants apply culturally responsive teaching daily.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q7 indicated that all participants use
the culturally responsive teaching as part of their daily teaching routine. Four participants
provided concrete examples of their procedural understanding of it. For example, Teacher 2 and
Teacher 6 shared the following about culturally responsive teaching. Teacher 2 shared,
Culturally responsive teaching is a powerful tool that helps me support learners from
different cultures and backgrounds…but I don’t see it as a set of strategies, to me is more
like a belief system that guides my teaching. It supports my lesson development and
delivery. It has to do with me as a teacher truly believing that all of my students can
achieve, it doesn’t matter if they are Black or Latino, if they are rich or poor, all they
need is the right conditions for learning.
Here, Teacher 2 reveals that he believes that culturally responsive teaching is more than just a set
of teaching strategies. He believes that it is a tool that compels teachers to recognize the
importance of including students’ cultural identities, interests, and experiences in all aspects of
teaching and learning. This example also shows that Teacher 2 has internalized the principles of
culturally responsive teaching, thus influencing his daily practice.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 73
Teacher 6 said,
I am blessed to have a mentor who introduced me to culturally responsive teaching and
who has guided me along the way. At first, it was hard, but the more I used it the easier it
became. Now, it happens automatically, it’s part of my teaching space and its part of
who I am as a teacher. The culturally responsive framework allows me to build the
intellectual abilities of my students and to support their social-emotional needs. I embed
culturally relevant strategies, reading materials, and activities into the subjects I teach,
and I do it with conviction because I see the result. I connect with my students at a
deeper level.
In this example, Teacher 6 indicates that she uses culturally responsive teaching “automatically”
and explains that it has become part of her teaching identity. This teacher also highlights some
of the benefits of culturally responsive teaching and her ability to relate to her students as a
result. In addition, she provides specific examples of her use of culturally responsive teaching,
such as including literature and activities that highlight the cultures of the students in her class,
thus showing her command of procedural knowledge in this area.
The interview data show that teachers implement culturally responsive teaching daily. In
addition, four participants provided examples of their implementation. Yet, it is important to
note that although there is evidence that culturally responsive teaching is used, it is difficult to
determine the extent to which teachers successfully apply the principles
Influence 2: Teachers Lack Self-Regulation About Their Expectations of Students
Interview findings were that the third theme (Theme 3) was that teachers do not engage
in self-regulation with intentionality. This theme was coded when the keywords “expectations,”
“thoughts,” “beliefs,’ and “attitudes” were used in the participants’ responses. Representative
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 74
examples include “It’s a matter of beliefs, I believe that all students are equally capable of
learning, regardless of their race, I don’t have to think about it, I just know it;” “I don’t engage in
self-regulation, I don’t think I have to, I have high expectations for all my students;” “Me
personally, no, I don’t;” and “At this school, I would say that every teacher believes that students
are capable of greatness, so it is something that we also hear from administrators, it shapes our
attitudes.” Theme 3 appeared seven times. All participants expressed that they do not engage in
self-regulation intentionally, however, they conveyed that they are culturally aware and have
high expectations for all students regardless of their racial or ethnic background.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q11 indicated that teachers do not
engage in self-regulation with intentionality. Throughout the interviews, participants mentioned
that they have high expectation for students, that they expect them to succeed, and that they
believe in the potential of all students regardless of their skin color. However, they also
expressed that they do not engage in self-regulation. In other words, they do not engage in
reflective practices to intentionally generate positive thoughts about the students they work with.
For example, Teacher 3 and Teacher 7 disclosed the following. Teacher 3 said,
No, I don’t engage in self-regulation. In fact, to be quite honest, I didn’t know that was a
practice. Do teachers really do that? I care for my students, I want the best for them,
their success as learners is a reflection of my teaching skills. I don’t have any prejudices
or biases, maybe that’s why I don’t have to self-regulate. But maybe if I knew how to do
it, I would probably give it a try.
Here, Teacher 3 is candid about not being aware of the practice of self-regulation and stated that
she does not engage in this practice. While she does not engage in self-regulation, she
mentioned that she would if she had the knowledge to do it. This participant also points out that
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 75
she cares about her students’ academic success and highlights not having prejudices. Teacher 7
said,
So, when I decided to become a teacher, I made a promise. I said that I would never
judge a student based on their background, on their family history, or on their skin color.
I believe that all kids can achieve. I believe that so strongly that it has become part of my
identity, of who I am as an educator. I know longer think about it. It automatically
happens. Every kid that walks into my classroom is destined for greatness. So, to answer
your question, no, I don’t engage in self-regulation. There’s no need.
Here, Teacher 7 connected his personal experience to his values, commitment and
teaching philosophy. It is interesting to point out that while this teacher reported that he does not
engage in self-regulation, he does make a conscious choice to not judge students based on the
color of their skin or background. In addition, his response signals that his experiences growing
up shaped who he is as an educator. Each day, Teacher 7 makes the conscious choice to believe
in the potential of all students, regardless of their background.
During the interviews, teachers expressed that they implement culturally responsive
teaching every day and provided specific examples. However, their conceptual definition and
mode of delivery of culturally responsive teaching varied significantly among all participants.
This disparity can pose a considerable problem for the organization, since it shows that students
are receiving substantially different supports. In addition, although the participants articulated
their commitment to their students’ academic success, none of the participants indicated that they
are purposeful about practicing self-regulation.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 76
Results and Findings for Motivation Causes
The results and findings of this study are reported below based on the assumed self-
efficacy and attainment value motivation gaps. Two overarching themes are presented in this
section.
Attainment Value
The first influence analyzed was that teachers need to understand the importance
of culturally responsive teaching. Interview findings revealed the fourth theme (Theme 4), which
was that teachers believe that culturally responsive teaching yields benefits. This theme was
coded when the keywords “helps,” “supports,” “improves,” “contributes,” and “promotes” were
used in the participants’ responses. Representative examples include “I feel like I’m a better
teacher because I integrate culturally responsive teaching in my daily routine…it supports my
instructional program;” “Students are definitely more engaged, it contributes to the improvement
of my students, I appreciate that;” and “I never refer students to the office but I do think that
culturally responsive teaching contributes to less discipline issues and less student suspensions.”
Theme 4 appeared 13 times. When asked about the benefits of culturally responsive teaching, all
participants provided affirming statements such as “Culturally responsive teaching is one of the
most powerful teaching tools that teachers have to support Black and Latino students” and
“Culturally relevant teaching has enable me to build stronger connections with my students and
their families. It also enhances learning.” This theme was also present across all interviews and
had the third highest count.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q5, Q8, and Q9, indicated that
teachers believe that culturally responsive teaching yields several benefits. All participants
mentioned at least one benefit associated with culturally responsive teaching. However, when
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 77
participants were asked if culturally responsive teaching supports a reduction in student
suspensions, three participants said yes, two stated that they were unsure, and two said no. It is
important to mention that the two participants who stated they were unsure about a correlation
between culturally responsive teaching and school suspensions did mention that culturally
responsive teaching supports classroom management and helps improve student behavior.
Teacher 1 reported,
That’s a difficult question. Personally, I don’t think I would say that fewer kids are
suspended as a result of it [culturally responsive teaching], but it definitely helps with
classroom management because it helps me connect with the kids, and you know, in
response, they [students] behave better. You know, this is important because we have
tons of stuff to teach every day, and, when you waste time dealing with behavior issues,
then you are not as effective as you could be.
Here, Teacher 1 indicated that one of the benefits of culturally responsive teaching is that it
supports classroom management and positive student behavior. In addition, Teacher 1 believes
that there is a correlation between adequate classroom management and teacher effectiveness;
consequently, teacher effectiveness can be deemed as an additional benefit of culturally
responsive teaching. Teacher 1 then believes that culturally responsive teaching supports
classroom management, positive student behavior and contributes to teacher effectiveness.
Teacher 7 expressed,
I started becoming a more culturally aware teacher years ago. It was after a training I
attended. Most teachers here provide culturally responsive classroom environments, and
I’ve seen how that promotes healthier classroom and school spaces, like there’s a sense of
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 78
pride, commitment, and eagerness to learn. But I couldn’t for sure say that it reduces the
number of students suspended. I mean, I just don’t know.
Although Teacher 7 shows hesitation to affirm that culturally responsive teaching can support a
reduction in school suspensions, this participant provided two benefits of culturally responsive
teaching: commitment and pride among the school community. Teacher 7 also provided a
glimpse of the positive culture and climate of the school. According to this teacher, most
teachers are providing learning spaces that are culturally aware and that cultivate social,
emotional, and intellectual safety.
Self-Efficacy
The influence evaluated pertaining to self-efficacy was that teachers need to feel
confident to incorporate the principles of culturally responsive teaching practices into their
lesson planning and lesson delivery. The interview findings revealed Theme 5, which was that
teachers’ self-efficacy is high. The theme was coded when the keywords such as “capable,”
“effective,” “competent,” and “expert” were used in the participants’ responses. Representative
examples include “I have many years of teaching experience, I am capable of teaching
anything;” “I believe that I am a highly effective teacher, my teacher evaluations are always
great, I work hard to make sure all my students succeed;” and “You can say that I’m kind of an
expert…I’m very knowledgeable on this topic, I understand it well.” Theme 5 appeared 17
times, making it the most prevalent. The participants indicated a high level of self-efficacy.
Specifically, when asked about their confidence level to teach students of color, participants used
words such as “expert” and “highly capable” to describe themselves.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q5, Q6, and Q7, indicated that
teachers’ self-efficacy is high. However, some of the responses referred to teaching in general
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 79
and not exclusively to culturally responsive teaching. In fact, all participants shared the desire
for additional professional development in the area of culturally responsive teaching. When
teachers were asked to rate their knowledge of culturally responsive teaching all teachers rated
their knowledge as high, and when asked how confident they felt incorporating culturally
responsive teaching into daily teaching practices, Teacher 2 and Teacher 6 provided the
following responses. Teacher 2 said,
Culturally responsive teaching is an informal teaching framework that confronts
stereotypes and negative feelings toward any particular student group. It has to do with
you, the educator, being purposefully aware of the different cultures present in the
classroom and the affirmation and validation you provide. I feel very comfortable
incorporating culturally responsive teaching, and I think I do it successfully, but I think
our staff would benefit from a refresher. I would too.
Here, Teacher 2 begins by sharing his understanding of culturally relevant teaching. In addition,
this teacher shows a high degree of self-confidence by using the word “outstanding” to describe
his/her teaching skills. This teacher also reports successfully implementing culturally responsive
teaching. His experience as an educator might support his/her command of teaching pedagogy
and might contribute to his high self-efficacy. Teacher 2 also stated that he would like to
participate in additional training in this area.
Teacher 6 stated,
I feel very confident. Culturally responsive teaching is simply good teaching. When you
work with students of different cultures, it is important that you acknowledge those
cultures in your teaching. I’m a culturally responsive practitioner, and I’m intentional
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 80
about it. I have also been looking for online course offerings. I would like to learn more
about it [culturally responsive teaching] to improve my knowledge and skills.
Teacher 6 described that she feels “very confident” about her ability to implement culturally
responsive teaching. This participant provided a brief explanation of her understanding of what
culturally responsive teaching is. However, as part of her definition of culturally responsive
teaching, Teacher 6 mentioned that it is “simply good teaching,” which is inaccurate and
misrepresentative. In addition, just like Teacher 2, Teacher 6 also mentioned the desire to learn
more about culturally relevant pedagogy.
The interview responses indicated that participants’ self-efficacy is high. They are
confident of their teaching abilities and believe that their teaching effectiveness is reflected in
their students’ academic success. Although self-efficacy was not validated as a motivational
gap, the findings provided valuable data. In addition, while only three teachers indicated that the
implementation of culturally responsive teaching can result in fewer school suspension, all
teachers provided specific benefits associated with culturally relevant teaching, such as effective
classroom management, improved student behavior, and enhanced teacher effectiveness. As
previously reported in Chapter Two, seminal research shows that lack of classroom management
and poor student behavior are both associated with school suspensions. Therefore, if the
implementation of culturally responsive teaching improves classroom management and student
behavior, then it can also affect the organizations’ ability to reduce the percentage of African
American students suspended.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 81
Results and Findings for Organization Causes
The results and findings of this study are reported below based on the assumed cultural
settings and cultural models’ organizational gaps. Three overarching themes are presented in
this section.
Cultural Models
The influence analyzed under cultural models was that nurturing learning environments
that capitalize on the diversity of all learners need to be established. The interview findings
revealed Theme 6, which was that nurturing environments are present. The theme was coded
when the keywords “nurturing,” “caring” and “positive” were used in the participants’ responses.
Representative examples include “Definitely, we provide nurturing spaces for students;” “It’s an
expectation, not a choice…it comes from within, I provide a positive classroom environment
where students feel safe and cared for;” “Our school culture is positive and caring;” and “This is
a school, where people want to work and that is reflected on how we care for our students and for
each other.” Theme 6 appeared 15 times. This theme emerged across all interviews and had the
second highest count. All participants expressed that the organization offers nurturing
environments for all students. For example, one participant communicated the following: “This
school supports all students. We promote greatness, we cultivate the entire child, and we work
hard to see results. So, that is the reason we have a long waiting list of students who want to
come to this school.” This theme provides insight into the culture and climate of this
organization.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q12 indicated that nurturing
environments are present. All participants expressed that the staff provides nurturing
environments. In addition to the verbal responses of participants to question Item Q12, which
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 82
asked if respondents believe their organization provides nurturing environments, it is important
to highlight that all participants smiled, and, without hesitation, said “yes,” and they provided
specific representative examples. Furthermore, their body language and voice tone signaled a
sense of pride and accomplishment. Teacher 1 and Teacher 6 disclosed the following. Teacher 1
said,
Our goal is for every student to excel academically and we accomplish this goal by
creating nurturing learning environments where students feel safe, valued, and protected.
We constantly encourage students to use positive affirmations and try to instill a growth
mindset.
Here, Teacher 1 noted that teachers work to provide nurturing environments for their students.
Teachers have control over the type of environments that they provide for their students, and, as
described by Teacher 1, at this school, teachers make the conscious choice to provide positive
environment for their students. This teacher also mentioned that the staff focuses their attention
on creating learning spaces that support all students and that are conducive to learning and to
developing a growth mindset.
Teacher 6 articulated,
I think the secret to our success is that we understand the role of emotions in learning.
During our staff meetings, we have discussed how important it is for adults on campus to
make every kid feel that they are important, that they matter. When kids sense that adults
care, they work hard, they do more, they learn more, and that makes our job easier. We
all aim to provide welcoming, nurturing environments, and that doesn’t mean that we
don’t have high expectations for students or that we cut them some slack. We expect
them to work hard, we expect results, and they [students] deliver those results.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 83
In this example, Teacher 6, links emotions to learning. Research shows that emotion
drives attention and attention drives memory and learning. Student learning and student
behavior improves when students feel that teachers and adults on campus care about them. As
Teacher 6 shared, when students feel cared for, “they work hard and learn more.” Finally, this
participant is attributing academic achievement results, in part, to the staff’s ability to provide
nurturing environments.
Cultural Settings Influence 1
The first influence 1 analyzed under cultural settings was that the organization needs to
provide additional culturally responsive teacher training. The interview findings showed that
teachers want and need additional professional development to further their capacity, which was
Theme 7. This theme was coded when the keywords “training” or “professional development”
were used in the participants’ responses. Representative examples include “I have been a teacher
at different schools, and I think I have over 20 hours of training on this subject but I like to
improve, I would like more training” and “We have received training but it has been
inconsistent, maybe because we do well and don’t need it, but I think I would like to improve, I
like to grow as a professional.” Theme 7 appeared 10 times. Although the data collected from
the participants responses showed that all participants expressed having high self-efficacy when
it comes to using culturally responsive teaching, they all also communicated a desire for more
professional development in this area, which can be attributed to their conveyed eagerness to
provide high-quality learning environments for their students and their desire to improve their
teaching practices.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q6, Q7, and Q10 indicated that
teachers want and need additional professional development to further their capacity.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 84
Throughout the interviews, teacher responses indicated that they believe in their effectiveness as
teachers and provided examples to support their claims. However, when asked about culturally
responsive teaching, there was a lack of cohesiveness in their responses regarding their factual
and conceptual knowledge of this pedagogy. In terms of procedural knowledge, all participants
reported that they implement culturally responsive teaching daily, but three participants provided
very specific examples while four others provided broader examples of the implementation, thus
making it difficult to evaluate if they, in fact, effectively implement the framework. It can be
argued that their high level of self-efficacy leads them to believe that they can, but, based on the
data, teachers need additional training to improve both their conceptual and procedural
knowledge in this area. In fact, participants expressed a desired for additional training. For
example, when teachers were asked a follow-up question on whether the organization provides
training in this area, Teacher 4 and Teacher 1 disclosed the following. Teacher 4 said,
We discuss it often, but it’s been kind of informal. I am familiar with culturally
responsive teaching, but I would like to learn more. I only attended one training session
and it was a minute ago. If the PDs were offered here, we (teachers), well at least I
would benefit from them.
Here, Teacher 4 explains that, although staff regularly engages in discussions on this topic, there
has been no formal training. This participant also shares that the last training that she took part
in was some time ago. Therefore, this participant would benefit from participating in a
structured training session. This participant expressed his desired to do so, sharing that it would
be beneficial for the entire staff.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 85
Teacher 1 stated,
No, I don’t think there’s ever been an official training on this. We are doing a good job in
this area but I think there’s always room for improvement. I have participated in a couple
of webinars on my own they have been helpful. If trainings or classes were offered here,
I would be like, “Sign me up.”
Here, Teacher 1 also shares that he believes that teachers are doing a good job in spite of the lack
of training in this area. This participant has also taken the initiative to participate in webinars to
support his/her learning, showing his/her eagerness to learn. This teacher also recognizes that
additional professional development can improve her teaching ability.
Cultural Settings Influence 2
The second influence 2 analyzed under cultural settings was that a culture of
accountability that supports the decrease of school suspensions needs to be established, but
participants are unsure of their organization’s suspension goal. Interview findings revealed that
teachers feel accountable for student success; however, they are unsure of their organization’s
suspension goal, which was Theme 8. The theme was coded when the keywords “accountable”
and “responsible” were used in the participants’ responses. Representative examples include
“We [teachers] are accountable for everything related to students, academically, socially,
discipline, and I don’t know what our suspension rate goal is, but I know here we don’t suspend
students for just any reason;” “The number of kids suspended is very low, especially in the lower
grades, I think our goal is not to suspend students;” and “I care for all my students, I feel I am
responsible for them. I want them to succeed. If they are not in class learning, then I’m not
doing my job.” Theme 8 appeared 11 times. All participants stated feeling personally
accountable for their students. However, none of the respondents could articulate their
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 86
organization’s suspension rate goal for African American students or suspension goal in general.
To the question regarding their organization’s suspension rate goal for African American
students, participants responded with statements such as “I don’t know,” “I’m not aware of it,”
and “I don’t think there is one.” In addition, participants indicated that their organization does
not hold them accountable for suspension rates, but they, themselves, feel accountable for all
aspects of student success.
Data collected from participants’ responses to Item Q13, Q14, and Q15 indicated that
teachers feel accountable for student success, but they are unsure of their organization’s
suspension goal. All participants highlighted their commitment to their students’ academic
success and social-emotional well-being. However, none of the participants could articulate the
suspension rate goal stipulated by their organization for African American students. Teachers’
responses provided by Teacher 4 and Teacher 5 provide more insight. Teacher 4 disclosed, “I
don’t know if we have a suspension goal. I mean, I think we do, but, since school suspensions is
not an issue for us, we don’t pay attention. We focus on student success.” Here, Teacher 4
provided insight into why teachers might not be aware of the suspension rate goal for African
American students: this organization does not have a high suspension rate, and, therefore, the
focus of administrators might be on other areas. During the 2018–2019 school year, the
percentage of African American students suspended was 3.2%. The goal of this Great Charter
School is to reduce the number of African American students suspended to less than 1% during
the 2019–2020 school year. Teacher 4 mentioned that the emphasis is on “student success” and
an important element of student success is students being present in class learning. Therefore, all
staff members should be fully aware of the suspension rate targets that they should be aiming for.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 87
Here, Teacher 5 expressed,
Less than 5%? Maybe? I apologize, but I don’t know what our suspension goal is. I don’t
think I know what our suspension rate is. I know that I have never suspended any
students. There’s no reason for that. Most students here are well behaved. Well, as one
can expect. They are kids, after all.
In this example, Teacher 5 communicates that she is unaware of the current suspension
rate of African American students and disclosed that she does not know what the suspension goal
is. This participant also explained that student conduct is satisfactory and provided the personal
example of having zero-suspension rate record. Here, this participant is explaining that the lack
of awareness of suspension rate goals has to do with school suspensions not being a concern for
this organization since student conduct is satisfactory.
The desire for additional professional development was a consistent theme throughout the
interviews. Participants indicated on several occasions that they are excited about improving
their practice and look forward to training sessions to build their skillset and capacity. In
addition, Great Charter School is meeting its goal of reducing the number of African American
students suspended to less than 1% during the 2019–2020 school year mainly through the
creation of nurturing environments that are culturally responsive and focus on building a sense of
community and belonging among students and staff. Nurturing environments can prevent
academic failure by contributes to academic success and adequate student conduct. However,
teachers’ unfamiliarity with suspension rate goals can create an organizational challenge, since it
is difficult for organizations to reach their targets when their members are unaware of the goals,
and it is evident that this organization has not done enough to convey the suspension rate goal to
its members. Although this organization is currently on track to meet its school suspension rate
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 88
goal, and all participants expressed a sense of responsibility for student success, in the future, not
knowing the suspension goal might be hindering their ability to be successful in this area.
Finally, it should be a priority for this organization to ensure that its members are fully aware of
all their goals and targets.
Document Analysis
A document analysis is an effective tool used in qualitative design studies to gather
additional evidence (Bowen, 2009; Corbin & Strauss, 2008). It involves a methodical collection
and examination of documents, both internal and external to an organization (Bogdan & Biklen,
2007; Bowen, 2009; Bretschneider et al., 2017). The documents reviewed for this study were
collected from the school’s website and from the state’s Department of Education website.
Student suspension data and culturally responsive pedagogy training offered to teachers during
the 2017–2018 and 2018–2019 school year were examined. In addition, the number, location,
and duration of professional development sessions in the area of culturally responsive pedagogy
was also noted. The data produced from the document review provided insight and assisted in
answering the research questions. It also served to clarify and corroborate data collected during
the interviews.
In agreement with (Bowen, 2009), the researcher used careful judgement to review all
documents readily available for review. After a thorough document review, the researcher
concluded that, during the 2017–2018 school year, and thus far during the 2018–2019 term, this
organization has not provided official offerings of training in the area of culturally responsive
pedagogy. Yet, evidence did indicate that, during school staff meetings, teachers were exposed
to topics related to culturally responsive teaching and to supporting students of color, which
substantiates the information provided by teachers during the interviews. In addition, ample
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 89
evidence was found about this organization’s emphasis on academic rigor and excellence and its
commitment to provide nurturing environments, as parents reported feeling completely satisfied
with the services provided by the organization. The reputation of the organization and word of
mouth can be accounted for the long waiting list of students who wish to attend this school. This
data supported the development of Theme 6 that nurturing environments are present. However,
the researcher explored the school’s website and other archived public documents but was unable
to find any reference to the organization’s suspension goal. This evidence corroborated the data
collected during the interviews and contributed to the development of Theme 8 that teachers feel
accountable for student success but are unsure of their organization’s suspension goal.
Summary of Validated Influences
Teachers’ KMO elements support the ability of this organization to achieve their goals.
This organization provides nurturing environments for both staff and students. In addition, all
teachers interviewed expressed a sense of intrinsic responsibility for the overall well-being and
their students’ academic success. Throughout the interviews, it also became clear that teachers’
self-efficacy is high. In spite of a lack of professional development opportunities in the area of
culturally responsive teaching, teachers reported that they can effectively implement culturally
responsive teaching. They believe in their ability to work with all student populations and to
achieve positive results. However, based on the data collected, it can be concluded that teachers
might not be fully understand the concept of culturally responsive teaching, and, thus, might not
have command of the principles and pedagogy. Teachers’ high self-efficacy might be
contributing to a misevaluation of their knowledge and true understanding of the mode of
delivery of culturally responsive teaching. The main implication of this study is the need for
professional development.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 90
Chapter 5 will present recommendations for policy, practices, and further study based on
empirical evidence. It begins with an introduction and overview. It provides recommendations
for practice to address the KMO influences on the organization’s ability to meet its goals.
Chapter five continues with a comprehensive integrated implementation and evaluation plan and
concludes with a summary of the study.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 91
CHAPTER FIVE: SOLUTIONS AND INTEGRATED IMPLEMENTATION
AND EVALUATION PLANS
This study addressed the problem of the disproportionate representation of African
American students in school suspensions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact
of culturally responsive teaching on the percentage rate of African American students suspended.
This study focused on teachers and their willingness and ability to successfully implement the
principles of culturally responsive teaching in their daily practice and support the organization’s
efforts to reduce the number of students suspended to less than 1%. The Clark and Estes (2008)
framework was used to identify the KMO gaps that affect teachers.
Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
An important measure of success in an organization is its workforce’s ability to
effectively use knowledge, skills, and values to meet the demands of their assigned job tasks and,
therefore, contribute to the overall achievement of the organization’s goals (Abas & Imam, 2016;
Daryoush, Abu, Omar, & Othman, 2013). Daryoush et al. (2013) found a direct significant
correlation among informal, incidental, and formal workplace knowledge acquisition and
employee job performance. Therefore, it is imperative for this organization to provide varied
formal and informal opportunities for learning. Daryoush et al. (2013) added that workplace
learning supports both employee well-being and the organization’s ability to operate successfully
by developing task-focused and driven members.
The lack of factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge was identified as assumed
knowledge influences for this study. Teachers need to understand the principles of culturally
responsive teaching and they need to know how to effectively implement such principles into
their teaching practices. The influences were prioritized and lack of procedural knowledge of the
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 92
implementation of culturally responsive teaching practices had the most impact. The following
recommendations were made: (a) provide job aids with information related to culturally
responsive teaching, (b) provide culturally responsive teacher training that includes the
pedagogical knowledge to implement culturally responsive teaching, and (c) provide
professional development on self-regulation. Table 7 provides an overview of the knowledge
influences, the principles upon which organization-specific recommendations are grounded, and
recommendations for each highly probable or validated knowledge influence.
Table 7
Summary of Knowledge Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Knowledge
Influence
Validated
as a Gap?
(Y, N)
Priority
(Y, N)
Principle and Citation Context-Specific
Recommendation
Teachers need
to understand
culturally
responsive
teaching.
(Factual and
Conceptual)

Yes Yes Information and training
must be provided to
individuals who do not
know how to accomplish
their performance goals.
Acquiring knowledge
supports the
accomplishment of
performance goals (Clark
& Estes, 2008).

To develop mastery,
individuals must acquire
component skills, practice
integrating them, and know
when to apply what they
have learned (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006).
Provide job aids with
information related to
culturally responsive
teaching.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 93
Table 7, continued
Assumed
Knowledge
Influence
Validated
as a Gap?
(Y, N)
Priority
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Teachers need to
know how to
effectively
implement
culturally
responsive
teaching
practices.
(Procedural)

Yes Yes Trainings support the
acquisition of “how
to” knowledge and
skills by affording
participants access to
information, practice
and feedback (Clark
& Estes, 2008).

How individuals
organize
knowledge
influences how they
learn and apply what
they know
(Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006).
Provide culturally
responsive teacher
training that provide the
pedagogical knowledge
to implement culturally
responsive teaching.

Teachers lack
self-regulation
about their
influence on
school
suspensions. (M)
Yes Yes Self-Regulatory
skills support
achievement of
performance goals
and increases
individual
performance (Clark
& Estes, 2008).
Provide teacher training
on self-regulation.

Increasing Teachers’ Factual and Conceptual Knowledge About the Principles of
Culturally Responsive Teaching
The results and findings of this study indicated that all participants need more in-depth
factual and conceptual knowledge about the principles of culturally responsive teaching. A
recommendation rooted in information processing theory was selected to close this knowledge
gap. As mentioned by Clark and Estes (2008), information and training must be provided to
individuals who do not have the skillset to accomplish their organization’s performance goals.
According to Schraw and McCrudden (2006), for individuals to develop job performance
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 94
mastery, they must first acquire specific job-related knowledge and skills and must learn how to
apply such skills. This would suggest that providing learners with a job aid could support the
acquisition and augmentation of knowledge in a pragmatic manner. The recommendation then is
to provide job aids to all classroom teachers in the form of guides and handouts with clear and
concise information about the principles of culturally responsive teaching.
Callaway (2016) argued that, for educational organizations to create a culturally diverse
teaching environment, educators must possess a clear understanding of the principles of
culturally responsive teaching. Job aids are tools that provide information, assist in the
acquisition of skills and knowledge, and improve performance and self-evaluation (Kirkpatrick
& Kirkpatrick, 2016). Cahillane, MacLean, and Smy (2019) explained that quality job aids
support teachers’ retention of factual and conceptual knowledge and the procedural skills
required to perform tasks successfully. McManus and Rossett (2006) reported that job aids
provide quick access to information and can be used simultaneously by multiple users. In
addition, Spaulding and Dwyer (2011) defined job aids as performance support tools that provide
factual and procedural knowledge and facilitate superior task performance. The researchers
further added that job aids are budget friendly and particularly useful for completing complex
tasks. Furthermore, Spaulding and Dwyer as well as McManus and Rossett highlighted that job
aids are cost and time effective since they reduce the need for professional development and
allow for simple updates and adaptability to new tasks. Spaulding and Dwyer noted that their
results suggested that effectiveness of job aids depends, in part, on the amount of domain-
specific relevant information each individual possesses. Individuals with greater declarative
knowledge are more likely to maximize the use of job aids since they are more likely to retrieve
information from their long-term memory (Cahillane et al., 2019; Spaulding & Dwyer, 2011).
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 95
Therefore, although job aids should not be used to supplant formal professional development,
they do complement the learning acquired during formal training.
Increasing Teachers’ Procedural Knowledge About Effectively Implementing the
Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching
The results and findings of this study indicated that all respondents need more in-depth
procedural knowledge of culturally responsive teaching practices. Social cognitive theory
informs an effective recommendation for addressing this procedural gap. Clark and Estes (2008)
highlight that training supports the acquisition of how-to knowledge and skills by affording
participants access to information, practice, and feedback. In addition, the way in which
individuals organize knowledge influences how they learn and apply what they know (Schraw &
McCrudden, 2006). Providing culturally responsive teaching training and/or professional
development for teachers would support their ability to implement culturally responsive
pedagogy in their classrooms. As a result, it is recommended to provide culturally responsive
professional development to all teachers.
Preparing teachers to teach African American students involves transforming teachers’
multicultural attitudes, increasing their culturally diverse knowledge base, and supporting them
to develop the skills and knowledge to effectively teach these students (Gay, 2002; Milner,
2009). According to Anderson and Ritter (2017), the implementation of culturally responsive
teaching fosters a positive school climate and a reduction in school suspensions. However, based
on the data analysis, it is evident that interviewees do not know how to implement the culturally
responsive teaching framework. Peters, McMullen, and Peters (2018) argued that culturally
responsive teacher professional development provides teachers with the tools to improve their
pedagogical practice. Desimone (2009) reported that, through formal structured training,
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 96
teachers can increase their content knowledge and improve their pedagogical competence.
Desimone added that professional development that focuses on both content and the process of
learning has the most influence on the refinement of teacher knowledge, skills, and practice.
Scott and Palincsar (2006) stated that professional development tailored to individuals’ needs
maximizes participants’ learning experience. Moreover, training that is interactive and includes
opportunities for collaboration and processing facilitates construction of new knowledge and
schemas (Scott & Palincsar, 2006). Furthermore, Desimone stated that the effectiveness of
professional development is measured by evaluating its impact on the improvement of
pedagogical practices and increased academic achievement. Consequently, educators’
participation in culturally responsive teacher training will strengthen their pedagogical practices
and their ability to support their students.
Increasing Teachers’ Ability to Engage in Self-Regulation
The results and findings of this study indicated that participants do not engage in self-
regulation. Processing theory guides the recommendation to close this metacognitive knowledge
gap. Self-regulatory skills support achievement of performance goals and increase individual
performance (Clark & Estes, 2008). Therefore, providing teachers with training to engage in self-
monitoring would support their learning. Therefore, it is recommended to provide opportunities
for all teachers to engage in guided self-monitoring and self-assessment.
Schools must provide teachers with opportunities to learn strategies to engage in self-
reflection to evaluate their interactions, views, and feelings about students. Ladson-Billings
(2014) stated that teachers often misjudge students of color and are less likely to have high
expectations of them. Villegas and Lucas (2002) argue that the principles of culturally
responsive teaching provide teachers the tools to assess their biases against different student
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 97
groups. According to Kallio, Virta and Kallio (2018), metacognitive awareness is the
understanding and conscious thinking of individuals’ knowledge of cognition and regulation
(monitor and control) of cognition. Baker (2006) and Nietfeld and Schraw (2012) reported that
engaging in metacognitive practices such as self-monitoring and self-evaluation is associated
with successful learning. In addition, when individuals engage in metacognitive regulation, they
can self-evaluate and make adjustments to their internal processes to help control their learning
(Nietfeld & Schraw, 2012). Self-regulation can be achieved through a thorough understanding
of the African American culture and a genuine celebration of students’ unique gifts and talents.
Educators must also recognize the cultural differences between themselves and their students and
must understanding that these differences include behavioral styles that might greatly differ from
their own. Therefore, behavior management strategies that consider the students’ culture and
incorporate communication systems unique to African American students are necessary
(Desimone, 2009). The researcher added that, for teachers, an important aspect of learning is
self-reflection (Desimone, 2009). Thus, providing teachers with the tools to engage in guided
self-monitoring and self-assessment is essential to closing this knowledge gap.
Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Self-efficacy and attainment value were the assumed motivational influences considered
in this study. However, the data did not validate self-efficacy nor expectancy value as
motivational gaps. Teachers feel highly confident to incorporate the principles of culturally
responsive teaching practices, and they understand the utility value of culturally responsive
teaching. Nonetheless, teachers’ high self-efficacy might be contributing to a misguided
assessment of their culturally relevant knowledge and implementation abilities. Therefore, the
following two recommendations were made: (a) provide an instructional coach and (b) provide
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 98
training to support teacher’s understanding and their ability to apply culturally responsive
teaching.
Table 8
Summary of Motivation Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Motivation
Influence

Validated
as a Gap?
(Y, N)

Priority
(Y, N)
Principle and
Citation
Context-Specific
Recommendation
Teachers need to
feel confident to
incorporate the
principles of
culturally
responsive
teaching practices
into their lesson
planning and
lesson delivery.
(Self-Efficacy)
No Yes Feedback and
modeling
increases self-efficacy
(Pajares, 2006).

High self-efficacy can
positively influence
learning and
motivation (Pajares,
2006).
Provide an instructional
coach to deliver
strategic pedagogical
support in the form of
modeling and feedback
so that teachers can
improve their self-
efficacy to incorporate
the principles of
culturally responsive
teaching practices.
Teachers need to
understand the
importance of
culturally
responsive
teaching principles
and practices.
(Attainment)

Yes Yes Learning and
motivation are
enhanced if the
learner
values the task
(Eccles, 2005).

Rationales that
include a discussion
of the importance
and utility value of
the work or learning
can help
learners develop
positive values
(Eccles, 2005;
Pintrich, 2003).
Provide training that
include rationale about
the importance of
culturally responsive
teaching as it relates to
supporting diverse
student populations.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 99
Increasing Teachers’ Self-Efficacy About Incorporating the Principles of Culturally
Responsive Teaching
The results of this study indicated that participants feel highly confident to incorporate
the principles of culturally responsive teaching practices into their lesson planning and delivery.
However, when asked to explain their delivery methods, only two teachers were able to do so,
and the rest did not provide specific examples. Thus, a recommendation rooted in self-efficacy
theory has been selected to close this motivation gap. Pajares (2006) found that feedback and
modeling increases self-efficacy. The researcher added that high self-efficacy can positively
influence learning and motivation (Pajares, 2006). The recommendation, then, is to provide an
instructional coach to help teachers continue to develop confidence, competence and expertise by
delivering strategic pedagogical support in the form of modeling and feedback so they can
improve their skills to incorporate the principles of culturally responsive teaching. The
instructional coach can be the current pedagogical coach who will focus on instruction through
the lens of culturally responsive teaching.
Bandura (1977) defined self-efficacy as a person’s belief in their capability to use
acquired skills to perform a task and achieve their goals. Research shows that motivation,
learning, and performance are enhanced when learners are confident about their ability to
succeed (Gao, Kosma, & Harrison, 2009; Pajares, 2006) and self-efficacy beliefs are powerful
predictors of future behavior (Bandura, 1977). Individuals tend to avoid tasks they believe
exceed their capabilities and seek those they believe to be capable of completing (Bandura, 1993;
Eccles, 2006). Siwatu, Frazier, Saghae, and Starker (2011) argued that teacher preparation
programs should foster the development of competence and confidence among teachers. The
researchers add that, to effectively teach African American students, educators must possess the
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 100
self-efficacy to carry out pedagogical skills and strategies to support diverse learners (Siwatu et
al., 2011). Therefore, increasing teachers’ self-efficacy along with providing supports to develop
their skillset related to culturally responsive teaching will increase their ability to teach diverse
student populations.
Increasing Teachers’ Task Value of the Principles of Culturally Responsive Teaching
The data showed that 57% of teachers need to increase their understanding of the
importance of culturally responsive teaching as it relates to school suspensions. Task value
theory informs an effective recommendation for addressing this gap. Eccles (2005) argued that
learning and motivation are enhanced if the learner values the task. In addition, according to
Eccles and Pintrich (2003), logical explanations that include a discussion of the importance and
utility value of learning can help individuals develop positive values. Ensuring that teachers
learn about the importance of culturally responsive teaching would increase their extrinsic value.
Thus, the recommendation is to provide training that includes the rationale regarding the
importance of culturally responsive teaching as it relates to their ability to support diverse
student populations.
The task value theory is concerned with the extent to which individuals value a task; it
refers to individuals’ perceptions of the importance, interest, and utility to them of engaging in a
task (Eccles, 2006) According to Gao et al. (2009), task value relates to the incentive for
engaging in different tasks or activities, based on their perceived importance and usefulness.
Individuals are likely to perform tasks that they value and avoid tasks that they do not value (Gao
et al., 2009). The researchers also reported that task value predicts both individuals’ actual and
anticipated task choices and engagement in activities. Thus, motivation, learning and
performance are enhanced if a person values the task (Eccles, 2002). In addition, task value has
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 101
shown to have an impact on teachers’ commitment (Lin & Lu, 2010) and is positively associated
with achievement outcomes such as choice, persistence and effort (Eccles, 2002). Furthermore,
Lin and Lu (2010) argued that a teacher’s perceived task value, affects classroom instruction,
since individuals tend to hold a higher level of commitment when they perceive higher task
values. Self-efficacy and task value are positively correlated, given that when individuals
perceive a task to be important and useful for them, they are likely to develop strong self-
efficacy (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002). Consequently, increasing teachers’ task value of the
principles of culturally responsive teaching will also increase their likeliness to implement these
practices in their classrooms.
Organizational Influences and Recommendations
One of the keys to a successful organization is a positive culture grounded on the
organization’s goals and values. The gap analysis framework (Clark & Estes, 2008) was used to
identify organizational gaps. The assumed organizational influences for this study included
cultural settings. The following two recommendations were made: (a) culturally responsive
teacher training must be provided and (b) an effective accountability system must be created and
used. Table 9 provides an overview of the organizational influences and the principles upon
which organization-specific recommendations are grounded, and recommendations for each
highly probable or validated organizational influence.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 102
Table 9
Summary of Organization Influences and Recommendations
Assumed
Organization
Influence

Validated
as a Gap?
(Y, N)

Priority
(Y, N)
Principle and Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation
Cultural Setting
This organization
needs to provide
additional
culturally
responsive
teacher training.
Y Y Effective change
efforts ensure that
everyone has the
resources to do their
job, and that if there
are resource shortages,
then resources are
aligned with
organizational
priorities (Clark &
Estes, 2008).

During the development of the
school’s strategic plan, align
the allocation of resources with
the goals and priorities of the
organization to include
culturally responsive teacher
training as a funding priority so
that all teachers can participate
and improve their pedagogical
practices.

Cultural Setting
A culture of
accountability
that supports the
decrease of
school
suspensions needs
to be established.

HP Y Understanding the
meaning of equity,
diversity and access in
your organizational
context enhances the
capacity to improve
organizational climate
and outcomes.

Systems of
accountability should
address equity,
diversity and access in
various sectors (Lim,
Haddad, & Daugherty,
2013; Trenerry &
Paradies)
Administrators must monitor
the percentage of African
American students suspended
to ensure accountability and
must provide timely, concrete,
goal-focused feedback to
teachers.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 103
Table 9, continued
Assumed
Organization
Influence

Validated
as a
Gap?
(Y, N)

Priority
(Y, N)
Principle and Citation

Context-Specific
Recommendation
Cultural Model
A culture of high
expectations for
African American
students needs to
be established.
N N Organizational
effectiveness increases
when leaders help the
organization set clear,
concrete, and
measurable goals,
aligned with the
organization’s vision.

Effective organizations
insure that
organizational messages,
rewards, policies, and
procedures that govern
the work of the
organization are aligned
with or are
supportive of
organizational goals and
values
(Clark & Estes, 2008).
Conduct an informal audit of
your policies, procedures,
and messages to check for
alignment or interference
with your goals.

Cultural Model
Nurturing learning
environments that
capitalize on the
diversity of all
learners need to be
established.
N N Effective leaders
demonstrate a
commitment to valuing
diversity through
inclusive action. They
promote an
organizational culture
that promotes equity and
inclusion and cultivate
an atmosphere where
diversity is viewed as an
asset to the organization
and its stakeholders
(Kezar, 2001).
Establish a committee with
representation from all
stakeholder groups who will
develop and implement a
strategic plan that promotes
equity and inclusion to
capitalize on the diversity of
all learners.

Increasing Effective Culturally Responsive Teaching Training
All interviewees indicated that their organization needs to provide additional culturally
responsive teacher training. A principle rooted in organizational change theory has been selected
to close this resource gap. Effective change efforts ensure that everyone has the resources to do
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 104
their job, and, if there are resource shortages, then resources are aligned with organizational
priorities (Clark & Estes, 2008). Ensuring staff’s resource needs are being met is correlated with
increased student learning outcomes (Waters, Marzano & McNulty, 2003). A priority for this
organization should be to offer multiple opportunities for teachers to participate in culturally
responsive training so that they can effectively meet the needs of their students. Therefore, the
recommendation is to align the allocation of resources with the goals and priorities of the
organization to include culturally responsive teacher training as a funding priority during the
development of the school’s strategic plan (Mette et al., 2016). Culturally responsive
professional development positively impacts the effectiveness of educators related to working
with students of color.
Affording teachers opportunities to participate in culturally responsive training supports
the development of strong pedagogical practices that are responsive to the cultures of students
and support equity of access to academic achievement (Banks & Banks, 2010; Gay, 2010).
Tschida (2009) reported that culturally responsive teaching professional development provides
sociocultural consciousness and understanding of how cultural identities and implicit biases
shape their beliefs about learning and their interactions with students. Fullam (2017) added that
the goal of culturally responsive teaching is to shift from a deficit-based mindset towards a
mindset that views students’ cultural diversity as a strength that can be leveraged to support
learning and improve academic outcomes. The culturally responsive teaching principles allow
for the creation of unprejudiced learning environments that contribute to a decrease in school
suspensions (Mette et al., 2016).

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 105
Cultural Settings
Increasing accountability regarding the percentage of African American students
suspended. All interviewees indicated that they are not aware of the suspension rate goal for
African American students. A principle rooted in organizational change theory has been selected
to close this accountability gap. Understanding the meaning of equity, diversity, and access in an
organizational context enhances the capacity to improve organizational climate and outcomes.
Systems of accountability should address equity, diversity, and access in various sectors (Lim,
Haddad, & Daugherty, 2013; Trenerry & Paradies, 2012). Incorporating accountability measures
that clearly present, prioritize, and address the issue of the overrepresentation of African
American students in school suspensions will help alleviate this equity issue. The
recommendation is to ensure that administrators convey the suspension rate goal for African
American students and monitor the percentage of African American students suspended.
Accountability is increased when individual roles and expectations are aligned with
organizational goals and mission. For instance, accountability is increased when organizations
state their goals and adopt a balanced scorecard approach to assessing performance.
Furthermore, Lane et al. (2010) argued that it is important that students also understand the goals
and expectations of the organization. In other words, students need to know what is expected of
them and how meeting these expectations will benefit them (Lane et al., 2010).
Integrated Implementation and Evaluation Plan: Implementation and Evaluation
Framework
The New World Kirkpatrick Model framework was used to design this study’s
implementation and evaluation plan (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). This revised model
includes the following four levels: Level 4-results, Level 3-behavior, Level 2-learning, and Level
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 106
1-reaction. At Level 4, Great Charter School will evaluate the results of the training, support,
and accountability by evaluating their direct impact on decreasing the number of African
American students suspended to less than 1% (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). During Level
3, this organization will focus on the behavior of participants by evaluating the extent to which
teachers apply the learning from the culturally responsive training to their lesson planning and
delivery. At Level 2, learning will be assessed. Teachers’ acquisition of the intended
knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment as a result of their participation in
culturally responsive teacher training will be evaluated. Lastly, at Level 1, this organization will
gather the reaction of teachers to the culturally responsive training by asking their input on the
extent to which they found the training favorable, engaging, and relevant to their ability to
support diverse student populations.
Organizational Purpose, Need and Expectations
The mission of this organization is to provide excellence in education and to develop
future leaders who will honor their community and contribute to building a just and progressive
global society. Great Charter School’s main goal is to provide rigorous learning environments
that cultivate innovative leaders who will reach their highest potential and are prepared for high
school graduation and beyond. The overrepresentation of school suspensions has been identified
as the problem of practice.
The stakeholder goal is to reduce the number of African American students suspended to
less than 1%, which is an important goal to address because, according to the Justice Policy
Institute (2003), 52% of African American male high school dropouts had an incarceration
record prior to age 30. Hemphill and Hargreaves (2015) also reported that school exclusion
often results in limited social mobility and lack of future opportunities.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 107
It is expected that the recommendations provided will support this organizations’ ability
to decrease the number of African American students suspended to less than 1%. This goal will
be accomplished by addressing the KMO gaps described by teachers. Teachers’ pedagogical
competence related to culturally responsive teaching will be increased through professional
development. In addition, an accountability systems will be implemented to ensure that the
organizational goal is accomplished.
Level 4: Results and Leading Indicators
Table 10 shows the proposed results and leading indicators in the form of outcomes,
metrics, and methods for both external and internal outcomes for Great Charter School. Internal
outcomes will be achieved by job aids, training, coaching, monitoring, and the creation of a
stakeholder committee. Upon meeting these indicators, the external outcomes will also be
measured.
Table 10
Outcomes, Metrics, and Methods for External and Internal Outcomes
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
External Outcomes
Increased number of
families who want to
enroll their kids at Great
Charter School.
The number of students enrolled. Use online monitoring system to
follow student enrollment data.
Increased community
partnerships.
1a.The number of new school-
community partnerships formed.
Monitor number of new school-
community partnerships.

1b. The number of school
projects and school events in
which school partners participate
and/or provide support.
Monitor community partners
participation in school projects and
school events.
Decreased neighborhood
juvenile criminal activity.
The percentage of crime
committed by minors around the
school community.
Solicit crime data from local police
department.
Increased favorable
regard of school by
public.
Perception and sentiment of
public related to school.
Conduct regular audits of websites
that capture public ratings and reviews
of local schools to monitor the
public’s view of Great Charter School.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 108
Table 10, continued
Outcome Metric(s) Method(s)
Internal Outcomes
Increased teacher
understanding and
pedagogical knowledge
of the principles of
culturally responsive
teaching.
1a. The number of teachers who
demonstrate understanding and
pedagogical knowledge of the
principles of culturally
responsive teaching.
Aggregate data from administrator and
pedagogical coach observations.

1b. The number of teachers with
increased self-efficacy about
their factual and conceptual
knowledge of culturally
responsive teaching.
Review data from surveys
administered to teachers.
Increased effective
classroom
implementation of the
principles of culturally
responsive teaching.
The number of teachers who
implement culturally responsive
teaching practices, daily.
Aggregate data from administrator and
pedagogical coach observations.
Increased teacher
participation in self-
regulation to minimize
their influence on school
suspensions.
The number of teachers who
report positive views of African
American students.
Compare annual school survey results.
Increased monitoring of
the percentage of African
American students
suspended.
The frequency of data review
sessions during staff
professional development days,
grade-level meetings, and
pedagogical coach-teacher
briefing meetings.
Conduct audit of meeting agendas for
staff meetings, grade-level meetings,
and coach briefing meetings.
Increased accountability
of the percentage of
African American
students suspended.
1a. The number of
accountability measures
implemented.
Review number of accountability
measures implemented.

1b. The frequency of classroom
observations made by
administrators.
Review monthly logs of administrator
classroom visits.
Decrease number of
African American
students suspended.
1a. The number of discipline
office referrals.
Compare the number of office referrals
to previous years.

1b. The percentage of African
American students suspended.
Track the percentage of African
American students suspended each
month and compare to previous
months.
Increased student
academic achievement.
The percentage of African
American students who show
gains on the Smarter Balanced
Assessment Consortium
(SBAC).
Monitor SBAC data as it relates to
African American students.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 109
Level 3: Behavior
Critical behaviors. The primary stakeholder group for this study are teachers from one
span (k-8) charter school. In the interest of reducing the percentage of African American
students suspended, teachers will display five critical behaviors. The first critical behavior is that
teachers will use job aids to improve their factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge of
culturally responsive pedagogy and, as a result, master the principles of culturally responsive
teaching. The second is that teachers will implement the culturally responsive teaching practices
learned during training. The third is that teachers will engage in self-regulation skills to
overcome their biases related to students of color. The fourth critical behavior is that teachers
will monitor the percentage of African American students suspended. Table 11 outlines the
critical behaviors, metrics, methods, and timing needed to embrace the previously mentioned
behaviors.
Table 11
Critical Behaviors, Metrics, Methods, and Timing for Evaluation
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
1.Teachers use job aids to
improve their factual and
conceptual and procedural
knowledge of culturally
responsive pedagogy, and as
a result master the principles
of culturally responsive
teaching.

1a. The number of
teachers who demonstrate
understanding and
pedagogical knowledge of
the principles of culturally
responsive teaching.
1a. Aggregate data
from administrator
and pedagogical
coach
observations.
Data from
classroom
observations will be
submitted monthly
during the first
three months.

Thereafter, every
three months.

1b. The number of
teachers with increased
self-efficacy about their
factual and conceptual
knowledge of culturally
responsive teaching.
1b. Survey data
administered to
teachers will be
reviewed.
Quarterly

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 110
Table 11, continued
Critical Behavior Metric(s)
Method(s)
Timing
2. Teachers implement,
daily, the teaching practices,
and strategies learned during
culturally responsive
training.
The number of teachers
who implement culturally
responsive teaching
practices, daily.
Aggregate data
from administrator
and pedagogical
coach
observations.
Weekly during the
first two months.
Thereafter, by-
weekly.
3. Teachers will engage in
self-regulation skills to
overcome their biases
related to students of color.
The number of teachers
who report positive views
of African American
students.
Formative data in
the form of
monthly surveys,
and summative
data in the form of
annual school
survey results.
Monthly and yearly
4. Teachers monitor the
percentage of African
American students
suspended.
1a. The number of
discipline office referrals.
Compare the
number of office
referrals to
previous years.
Monthly

1b. The percentage of
African American students
suspended.
Track the
percentage of
African American
students
suspended each
month and
compare to
previous months.
Monthly

Required drivers. To reduce the number of African American students suspended,
teachers need the assistance of their school administrators, pedagogical coach, parents, and
community members. The school principal and assistant principal will support by making sure
that culturally responsive pedagogy training is provided and the corresponding job aids are
readily available. In addition, school administrators will facilitate meeting spaces where school
suspension data can be unpacked, analyzed, and processed. Furthermore, school administrators
will conduct lesson observations and, during post-observation conferences, will provide feedback
for improvement and reinforcement. The pedagogical coach will assist by conducting
demonstration lessons and providing guidance and support for improvement. Parents will
support by reinforcing positive student behavior at home. Finally, community members will also
provide support in the form of partnerships. Progress and achievement of performance goals will
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 111
be positively reinforced using certificates that will be presented during staff meetings, through
public recognition during morning assemblies, through public recognition on the school’s
website; and by adding the teacher’s name and picture to a school’s bulletin board. Table 12
shows the recommended drivers that support critical behaviors of teachers as they seek to reduce
the number of African American students suspended.
Table 12
Required Drivers to Support Critical Behaviors
Method(s) Timing
Critical
Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Reinforcing

Job aids that list the principles of culturally responsive
teaching.
Daily 1,2
Job aids that list the strategies of culturally responsive
teaching.
Daily 1,2
Job aids that list the application of culturally responsive
teaching.
Daily 1,2
Job aids that list step-by-step the effective implementation of
culturally responsive teaching strategies.
Daily 1,2
Job aids that support lesson development and delivery,
incorporating culturally responsive teaching.
Daily 1,2
Training that bestows teachers with the skills to implement
the principles and strategies of culturally responsive
teaching.
Twice each
semester
1,2
Training that supports teachers’ ability to engage in self-
regulation to overcome their low expectations of students of
color.
Twice each
semester
1,2
Meeting with pedagogical coach to reinforce learnings from
job aids and training.
Weekly 1,2
Encouraging

Progress recognition: teachers will receive certificates for
incorporating culturally responsive strategies and for
reducing the number of students suspended.
Monthly 1,2,3,4,5
School administrators and the pedagogical coach will
provide supportive feedback and coaching as needed.
Weekly 1,2,3
Teachers will collaborate and support each other during
grade-level meetings.
Weekly 1,2,3,4,5

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 112
Table 12, continued
Method(s) Timing
Critical Behaviors
Supported
1, 2, 3 Etc.
Rewarding

Individual recognition of teachers during formal and
informal principal-teacher conferences.
Monthly 1,2,3,4,5
Public recognition of during whole-school assemblies; on
the school’s website, school marquee and bulletin boards.
By-monthly 1,2,3,4,5
Recognition by community members and parents. Once each
semester
1,2,3,4,5
Monitoring

Classroom visits Twice per
week
1,2,3,4,5
Office referrals report Weekly 4,5
School suspension reports Monthly 4,5
Survey data and interviews to measure teacher’s self-
efficacy and mastery of culturally responsive teaching.
By-monthly 1,2
Survey data to measure teacher’s ability to engage in self-
regulation.
By-monthly 3,4,5

Organizational support. The critical behaviors and required drivers monitored for
performance improvement stated in the previous sections assumed that the recommendations at
the organizational level were implemented. In this case, for teachers to achieve their goals, the
organization would need to provide additional resources. Great Charter School would need to
align the allocation of resources with its goals and priorities to include culturally responsive
teacher training, job aids, and a pedagogical coach as a funding priority so that all teachers can
participate and improve their pedagogical practices. Second, substitute teachers should be
secured to ensure teacher participation in training. In addition, safe meeting spaces where
teachers and the pedagogical coach can meet should be available. Furthermore, the school’s
administrators should make sure that suspension data is readily available for teachers to review.
Also, whole-staff data review sessions must be placed on the school’s master calendar. Finally,
teachers would have access to dedicated time and spaces where they can engage in self-
regulation.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 113
Level 2: Learning
Learning goals. Following completion of the recommended solutions, most notably
participation in culturally responsive teaching training, the use of job aids, and suspension data
monitoring, teachers will be able to
1. List (remember) the principles and strategies of culturally responsive teaching. (F)
2. Explain (understand) the principles and strategies of culturally responsive teaching. (C)
3. Implement (apply) the principles and strategies of culturally responsive teaching by
integrating them (analyze) into daily lesson plans and teaching practices. (P)
4. Self-monitor (evaluate) mastery of culturally responsive teaching principles and
strategies and adjust accordingly. (M)
5. Explain the steps to engage in self-regulation. (P)
6. Effectively use self-regulation skills to overcome biases against students of color. (P)
7. Monitor the percentage of African American students suspended. (M)
8. Evaluate the correlation between implementing culturally responsive teaching daily and
engaging in self-regulation with the number of African American students suspended.
Program. The learning goals listed in the previous section will be achieved through the
execution of a comprehensive integral plan, which incorporates culturally responsive teaching
training, self-regulation training, the support of a pedagogical coach, and ongoing-targeted data
monitoring. This plan will take approximately one year to implement.
The first step will be to survey the teaching staff to identify the specific areas of need and
level of competence related to culturally responsive teaching and self-regulation. Using a
survey, teachers will be asked to rate themselves as beginning, emergent, confident, or proficient.
Although teachers will be self-identifying, the pedagogical coach and school administrators will
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 114
observe lessons to make sure that teachers self-identified accurately. If discrepancies are
encountered, a conference meeting will take place between the teacher and the principal to
discuss proper group placement. Based on the result of the survey, teachers will be grouped
based on proficiency levels, and training and supports will be tailored based on need. For
instance, teachers who self-identify as beginners will first participate in training that provides
foundational skills and, thereafter, take part in training that provides more advanced skills until
proficiency is achieved. Teachers at the beginner level will also receive additional support from
the pedagogical coach and administrators. Teachers who self-identify as proficient will
participate in fewer training sessions, but they also will receive assistance engaging at the higher
Bloom’s taxonomy levels. It is important to note that these groupings are intended to be fluid;
teachers are expected to move through the levels with the ultimate goal of becoming proficient.
Teachers will also be able to repeat training if they feel the need to do so. In addition, a buddy
system will be created to provide a layer of peer-support. Self-identified beginner and proficient
teachers will be paired.
Furthermore, the pedagogical coach will play a very important role as he/she will
reinforce the information and skills learned during training. The pedagogical coach will observe
lessons daily and will meet with teachers regularly to provide feedback, direction for next steps,
and support as needed. The pedagogical coach will also provide support through the use of job
aids. Data will be reviewed regularly to evaluate the effectiveness of this plan and adjustments
and updates will be made accordingly.
Evaluation of the components of learning. For teachers to incorporate culturally
responsive teaching, they must possess strong factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge.
Therefore, it is imperative to evaluate teachers’ ability to understand, apply, and analyze. Table
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 115
13 presents the ways that factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge, will be evaluated,
including the expected timing for completing these critical elements of learning and transfer of
acquired knowledge and skills.
Table 13
Evaluation of the Components of Learning for the Program.
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Declarative Knowledge “I know it.”

Knowledge checks using checking for
understanding activities during teacher
professional development days and during grade-
level meetings.
During teacher professional development days
and during grade-level meetings.
Knowledge checks during lesson delivery. During classroom lesson observations.
Knowledge checks during post-lesson observation
conference meetings.
During post-lesson observation debriefing
meetings.
Procedural Skills “I can do it right now.”

Knowledge checks of (procedural knowledge) the
application of the principles and strategies of
culturally responsive principles and strategies
during lesson delivery.
During classroom lesson observations.
Knowledge checks of (procedural knowledge) the
application of the principles and strategies of
culturally responsive principles and strategies
during peer coaching.
During peer coaching.
After peer coaching, during debriefing.
Knowledge checks of the application of self-
regulation strategies.
During conference with pedagogical meetings.
Knowledge of ability to review and unpack
suspension data during teacher professional
development days and during grade-level
meetings.
During teacher professional development days
and during grade-level meetings.
Quality of feedback and questions from peers
during group discussions and/mentoring.
During meetings and mentoring sessions.
Attitude “I believe this is worthwhile.”

Presenter’s observations of teachers’ statements
and actions demonstrating that they see the benefit
of learning and applying culturally responsive
teaching into their daily lesson development and
delivery.
During the training/workshop/professional
development.
Teacher feedback during discussions and
evaluation forms of the value of being asked to
implement and apply culturally responsive
teaching practices.
During the training/workshop/professional
development, and grade-level meetings.
Retrospective pre- and post-test assessment item. Beginning of the school year, before the start of
the first training, and after the last training.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 116
Table 13, continued
Method(s) or Activity(ies) Timing
Confidence “I think I can do it on the job.”

Survey items using Likert scale. Following each training.
Discussions following practice and feedback. During training and during debriefing meetings.
Retrospective pre and post evaluations. Before and after each training.
Commitment “I will do it on the job.”

Discussions following practice and feedback. During the workshop and mentoring sessions.
Optional commitment forms Signing “commitment to implement” forms.
Retrospective pre and post evaluations. Before and after each training.

Level 1: Reaction
Table 14 outlines the methods for measuring teachers’ ability to incorporate the
principles of culturally responsive teaching.
Table 14
Components to Measure Reactions to the Program.
Method(s) or Tool(s) Timing
Engagement

Presenter, pedagogical coach, and/or administrator observation during
training/grade-level meetings/peer coaching/individual meetings.
Ongoing
Training Evaluations After each training.
Teacher feedback Feedback will be
captured monthly.
Training attendance After each training.
Training evaluation After each training
Relevance

Teacher self-identification Ongoing based on
teachers’ need.
Discussions During and after each
training.
Training topic and content evaluation After each training.
Customer Satisfaction

Training evaluation Will be conducted
right after training.
Focus groups and listening campaigns Will be conducted
quarterly.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 117
Evaluation Tools
Immediately following the program implementation. Throughout the implementation
of the comprehensive training plan, data related to teachers’ reactions to the plan will be
collected and analyzed. Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016) argued that, for training to be
successful, the content of the training must be relevant to the needs of participants. Therefore, in
accordance to Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick (2016), prior to beginning the first workshop, the
trainer will develop blended and customized evaluation questions in the form of surveys and
multiple-choice questions that align to the workshop’s content and to allow participants to
provide honest feedback. The questions will be constructed to measure participants’ knowledge,
level of engagement, attitudes, confidence, and commitment. In addition, a pre-test will be
administered at the beginning of the first workshop to determine participants’ prior knowledge
about culturally responsive teaching, and a post-test will measure the impact of the workshops on
participants’ factual, conceptual, and procedural knowledge and their perceived competence and
ability to integrate the principles of culturally responsive teaching. Trainer observation notes
will also serve as data. Furthermore, data regarding the number of culturally responsive training
sessions and self-regulation training sessions offered, the duration of training, and the number of
participants, will also be collected.
For Level 1, during the training, the facilitator will regularly monitor participants’ level
of engagement by both observing the behavior of participants and their degree of participation
during the training. Level 2 will include knowledge checks throughout the training in the form
of open-ended questions. The facilitator will use a survey to ask participants to share their
thoughts about the relevance of the training to their ability to support diverse student populations
and their overall satisfaction with the training (Appendix B). Teachers will also be asked to
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 118
work in teams of three to develop and present short lessons in which procedural knowledge of
the principles of culturally responsive pedagogy is demonstrated (Appendix C). In addition,
teachers’ attitudes will be evaluated by the presenter’s observations of teachers’ statements and
actions demonstrating that they see the benefit of learning and applying culturally responsive
teaching into their daily lesson development and delivery. Furthermore, teacher feedback during
discussions, evaluation forms, and self-reports regarding the value of culturally responsive
teaching practices will also be used to measure attitudes. Finally, teachers’ knowledge, attitude,
confidence, and commitment will be checked through retrospective post-training surveys
(Appendix D).
Delayed for a period after the program implementation. Two weeks after the
conclusion of the training and every four weeks after that, the pedagogical coach will administer
surveys during professional development days. Using the Kirkpatrick Blended Evaluation
approach (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016), the surveys will include close-ended and open-
ended short answer questions. The surveys will be used to measure participants’ retrospective
perspective of the training’s relevance and their satisfaction with the training (Level 1);
confidence, commitment, and value of applying the skills learned during the training (Level 2);
the impact that the application of the culturally responsive principles on school suspensions
(Level 3); and the degree to which their ability to implement the principles of culturally
responsive teaching has impacted the suspension rates of African American students (Level 4).
Appendix C demonstrates example blended evaluation items that address all four Kirkpatrick
levels and connects to the results and leading indicators beforehand listed in Table 10 and the
required drivers to support teachers’ critical behaviors listed in Table 12.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 119
Data Analysis and Reporting
To be successful, all improvement programs, including those developed based on solid
research strategies and proven methodologies, must include an evaluation plan to measure
participants’ reactions, learning, and changes in their behavior. The evaluation tools previously
presented were developed with the purpose of achieving the desired Level 4 goal of improving
teachers’ abilities to effectively implement culturally responsive pedagogy into their daily
teaching practices and, consequently, reduce the number of African American students who are
suspended. Level 4 leading indicators and results along with Level 3 critical behaviors,
previously presented in Table 11 and Table 12, were taken into account to develop a blended
approach to analyzing and reporting the key performance indicators. Table 15 presents the key
performance indicators, including metrics, frequency of reporting, and graphic representation in
a dashboard tool. The dashboard communicates the progress of the key performance indicator
with all stakeholders.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 120
Table 15
Key Performance Indicators
Key Performance Indicator Metric Frequency Dashboard
Representation
Increased teacher understanding
of the principles of culturally
responsive teaching.
Number of teachers who report
improvement in culturally
responsive factual and conceptual
knowledge.
Quarterly Bar Graph
Figure 4
Increased successful use of job
aids
Number of teachers who report
successfully using the job aids
provided.
Monthly Line Graph
Figure 3
Increased effective classroom
implementation of the principles
of culturally responsive
teaching.
Number of teachers who
incorporate the principles and
strategies of culturally responsive
teaching into their daily lessons.
Monthly Line Graph
Figure 2
Decreased number of African
American students suspended.
Percentage of African American
students suspended.
Monthly Pie Chart
Figure 1

Figure 6. Great Charter School’s suspension data comparison.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 121

Figure 7. Number of teachers who are incorporating culturally responsive teaching.

Figure 8. Number of teachers who are successfully using job aids.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 122

Figure 9. Number of teachers who understand the principles of culturally responsive teaching.
The New World Kirkpatrick Model framework was used to design this study’s
implementation and evaluation plan (Kirkpatrick & Kirkpatrick, 2016). At Level 4, the
framework allowed for an evaluation of the direct impact that culturally responsive pedagogy
training had on the organization’s and stakeholders’ ability to meet their goal of reducing the
number of African American students suspended to less than 1%. During Level 3, the focus was
on teachers’ ability to apply what they learned during the training. During the second level,
teachers’ conceptual and procedural knowledge was evaluated. At Level 1, teachers’ reactions
about the training were collected. This comprehensive model provided a clear road map to
achieving the stakeholder and organizational goals.
This framework provides the advantage of evaluating the plan through each step of
implementation. This is very important since it allows changes or updates to be made according
to the needs of the organization and stakeholders. Another key feature of this framework is that
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 123
it seeks stakeholder input, which is necessary when seeking stakeholder input increases
stakeholder buy-in, commitment, and consequently results. This process of collecting
stakeholder input also allows for stakeholders to engage in reflective practices for improvement.
Limitations
There were three limitations in this study: (a) the sample size, (b) observations were not
conducted, therefore it was difficult to corroborate statements made by participants, and (c) the
findings of this study cannot be generalized to other settings. First, the data considered for this
analysis came from only seven personal interviews, which represents only a limited cross section
of the teachers in this organization. Secondly, the researcher was not allowed to conduct
observations, which would have provided greater insight into the participant’s responses.
Thirdly, the findings and recommendations are limited to this site and may not be transferable to other
school settings. In spite of the acknowledge limitations, the consistency of the themes identified
present a clear picture of a systemic problem that needs to be addressed in this organization.
Conclusion
The intention of this study was to learn if using culturally responsive teaching has an
impact on the suspension rates of African American students. The Clark and Estes gap analysis
framework guided the study. Teachers’ KMO influences were assessed. It is important to
mention that the data collected indicated that this organization provides nurturing learning spaces
where both staff and students feel safe and motivated to learn. The most important finding of
this study was the need for teacher training in culturally responsive teaching. Data collected
during the personal interviews and the document analysis revealed no evidence of culturally
responsive teaching training offerings by the organization. Also, teachers also indicated their
desire to participate in training. The findings of the study also indicated that teachers’ self-
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 124
efficacy is very high and was, therefore, not validated as a motivation gap. However, it did
provide insight on why, although teachers lack conceptual and procedural knowledge of the
culturally responsive teaching framework, they all reported implementing this framework
successfully. Teachers’ high self-efficacy might be causing them to feel overconfident and to
misjudge their knowledge and abilities. It can be argued that their high self-efficacy leads them
to believe they are implementing culturally responsive teaching successfully. However, based on
the data, teachers need to improve both their conceptual and procedural knowledge in this area.
Another important finding is that, although teachers believe that culturally responsive
teaching yields benefits, they do not believe it can result in a reduction of African American
students suspended. Furthermore, teachers feel accountable for all areas of student success, but
are unaware of the suspension rate goal for African American students. The implications of
these findings are that lack of training contributes to lack of knowledge and successful
implementation. The implementation of the recommended solutions will help the organization
meet its goal of reducing the percentage of African American students suspended to less than one
percent.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 125
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APPENDIX A
Interview Protocol
The principal researcher will conduct seven interviews with teachers. Although all the
questions presented were predetermined, the researcher followed a semi-structured interview
approach, which allowed the researcher to ask additional questions in order to support the
collection of robust data related to the research questions. Each interview proceed as follows:
Respondent (Number): __________________________________________________________
Location of Interview: __________________________________________________________
Beginning Time / End Time: _____________________________________________________
Introduction
“I would like to start by thanking you for taking the time to meet with me today and
answer a few questions. I am a doctoral student at the University of Southern California, and I
am exploring the impact that the implementation of culturally responsive teaching in classroom
instruction has on the percentage of African American students suspended. The interview will
take approximately sixty minutes. As presented on the research description handout, your
participation in this study is completely voluntary. You have the right to withdraw at any point
and to skip questions that you do not wish to answer. Confidentiality will be maintained at all
times. Your name and other will not be used, your responses will be coded with a number. I
will take written notes during the interview and would also like to record our conversation using
this recording device (point to device). Both the recording and the notes will remain confidential
and once transcribed, will be destroyed. Upon completion of my study, I will share a summary
of key findings with the staff of this school. I will not use names or specific data. I will only
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 147
provide a summary. Do I have your permission to record our conversation? Do you have
questions for me before we begin? Please answer all questions as honestly as possible.”
Opening Questions
“Let’s begin with a couple of demographic questions.”
1. (DEMOGRAPHICS) “What is your gender identity?”
2. (DEMOGRAPHICS) “For how long you have been a classroom teacher?”
3. (DEMOGRAPHICS) “Approximately, what is the number of hours that you have
participated in culturally responsive teaching training?”
4. (DEMOGRAPHICS) “Do you currently have African American students enrolled in your
class?”
5. (KNOWLEDGE - Factual/conceptual) “Tell me about culturally responsive teaching.”
o How would you rate your knowledge of culturally responsive teaching?”
o “Can you explain what it is?” “How would you define it?”
6. (MOTIVATION – Self-Efficacy) “How confident do you feel to incorporate culturally
responsive teaching into your daily teaching practices? Please explain.”
7. (KNOWLEDGE - Procedural) “How do you implement culturally responsive teaching?”
8. (MOTIVATION - Expectancy Value) “Do you believe that implementing culturally
responsive teaching can result in a reduction of the suspension rate of African American
students? Please explain.”
9. (MOTIVATION - Expectancy Value) “In your opinion, is culturally responsive teaching
an effective tool for working with culturally diverse students?”
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 148
10. (ORGANIZATION - Cultural Model/accountability) “Do you believe your organization
provides adequate culturally responsive teaching professional development
opportunities?” Please explain.
11. (KNOWLEDGE - Metacognitive) “How do teachers engage in self-regulation about
their expectations of students?”
12. (ORGANIZATION - Cultural Model/accountability) “Do you believe your organization
provides nurturing environments? Please explain.”
13. (KNOWLEDGE - Metacognitive) “How do teachers make sure to hold high expectations
for all students, regardless of their race or ethnicity?”
14. (ORGANIZATION - Cultural Model/accountability) “What is your organization’s
suspension rate goal for African American students?”
15. (ORGANIZATION - Cultural Model/accountability) “To the best of your knowledge, in
your organization, are teachers held accountable for reducing the suspension rates of
African American students? Please explain.”
Thank you for speaking with me today. Do you have any questions? Once again, I
would like to remind you that confidentiality will be maintained at all times. Thank you for
participating in my study and have wonderful rest of your day.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 149
APPENDIX B
Immediate Evaluation Instrument 1
Immediately after the training program for L1 and L2
Scale 1-4 (1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-agree, 4-strongly agree)

1. I know what culturally responsive teaching is.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
2. I believe that the principles and strategies of culturally responsive teaching are valuable to my
work as an educator.
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
3. I feel confident about applying what I learned today to daily teaching practices.
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
4. The training today held my interest.
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
5. This training was relevant to the work I do.
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
6. I am clear of what is expected of me when I return to my school.
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
7. I am satisfied with my training experience today.
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
8. Understanding how to read and interpret school suspension reports is valuable to my work.
strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
Short Answer
6. How do you plan to apply what you learned today to your job (L2: Procedural)

7. Please describe the process of applying the principles and strategies of culturally responsive
teaching (L2: Commitment)

8. Please explain the likelihood that you are to recommend today’s training to your
Colleagues and why (L1: Customer Satisfaction)

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 150
Appendix C
Immediate Evaluation Instrument 2
Present the Principle (L1 and L2)
Working in teams of three, please select one of the principles and one of the strategies
presented during the training and prepare a 3-minute presentation for the group. During the
presentation you will define the principle/strategy in your own words and will explain how it can
be applied to your daily teaching practices.

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 151
APPENDIX D
Sample Blended Evaluation Items Measuring Kirkpatrick Levels 1, 2, 3, and 4
Delayed 2 weeks after the training

Please Provide a short answer to the following questions.

1. What information was most relevant?

2. What information was least relevant?

3. What information should be added to this training in the future to increase its relevance to
teachers?

4. What information, if any, do you feel was missing from training?

5. How has your confidence using what you learned changed since training?

Please answer “yes” or “no” to the following statement:

6. I have successfully applied what I learned in training to my work.

If you answered “no,” please choose one of the following statements:
a) I do not have the necessary knowledge and skills.
b) I do not feel confident applying what I learned to my work.
c) I do not have the resources I need to apply what I learned to my work.
d) I do not believe applying what I learned will make a difference.
e) No one is monitoring if I apply what I learned or not.
f) Other (please explain):

Using a scale of 1-4 (1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-agree, 4-strongly agree), please rate
the following statements:

7. What I learned in the training has been applicable to my recent work.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
8. I was able to apply the principles and strategies of culturally responsive teaching more fully
after the workshop than before the workshop.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
9. My fellow teachers and I use the job aids to apply the principles and strategies of culturally
responsive teaching every day.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 152
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
10. School suspensions have decreased since I started applying the principles and strategies of
culturally responsive teaching to my lessons daily.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
11. I feel encouraged to apply what I learned by my principal and/or coach
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
12. I have the opportunity to share challenges and successes related to what I learned, and
receive feedback from my fellow teachers, coordinator and school principal.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
13. I am incentivized to apply what I learned.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
14. I have been or will be rewarded for successfully applying what I learned.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
15. I have my own performance goals related to what I learned.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
16. I am held accountable for applying what I learned and making progress.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
17. I am already seeing positive results from applying what I learned.
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4
18. I see a positive impact in school suspension as a result of applying what I learned
Strongly disagree disagree agree strongly agree
1 2 3 4

THE IMPACT OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING 153
APPENDIX E
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Asset Metadata

Creator Franco, Lorena Sofia (author)

Core Title The impact of culturally responsive teaching on the suspension rate of African American students: an evaluation study

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 02/14/2020

Defense Date 11/25/2019

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag culturally responsive teaching,educational equity,OAI-PMH Harvest,school suspensions

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Robles, Darline (committee chair), Datta, Monique (committee member), Pearson, Mark (committee member)

Creator Email afranco@lausd.net,lsfranco@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-269396

Unique identifier UC11674226

Identifier etd-FrancoLore-8166.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-269396 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-FrancoLore-8166.pdf

Dmrecord 269396

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Franco, Lorena Sofia

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

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