Introduction
In 2017, the NYC Coalition for Educational Justice (CEJ), a Black and Brown parent-led organization, was deeply engaged in campaigns advocating for culturally responsive education (CRE) as a strategy to increase educational equity in schools. CRE is an approach to teaching and learning that centers students’ cultures in the classroom. CRE encompasses three core tenets:
high academic achievement,
cultural competence,
and sociopolitical consciousness
Parents recognized that when students’ strengths, assets, culture, and interests were centered in schooling, that the curriculum was more relevant and engaging, thereby increasing the likelihood of students’ success. Motivated by this understanding, NYC CEJ approached the NYU Education Justice Research and Organizing Collaborative (EJ-ROC) for assistance in identifying culturally responsive curricula. This request was the catalyst for the creation of the Culturally Responsive ELA Curriculum Scorecard (CRE ELA Scorecard) and later, the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining STEAM Scorecard (CRSE STEAM Scorecard).
Both Scorecards, informed by CRE research, were developed as collaborative evaluation tools and processes that invite multiple stakeholders to collectively determine the extent to which curricula provide opportunities for cultural responsiveness. The CRE ELA Scorecard consists of four sections: (a) a tally of characters and authors’ cultural identifiers, (b) statements about representation, (c) statements about social justice, and (d) statements about guidance in teacher’s materials. The CRSE STEAM Scorecard includes these same four sections, with an additional section dedicated to examining materials and resources associated with STEAM curricula. The Scorecards are designed to guide evaluation teams in reviewing curriculum samples and indicating their level of satisfaction with how the curriculum aligns with provided CRE statements. Scorecard users then add up their scores and consult an interpretation guide to determine the curriculum’s rating. Curriculum scores range from Culturally Destructive to Culturally Responsive.
The CRE ELA Scorecard was released in 2018, followed by the CRSE STEAM Scorecard in 2021. Since their release, the use of these Scorecards spread rapidly across the United States and internationally. Scorecard users submitted numerous emails, training requests, presentation inquiries, and requests for additional information as they used the Scorecards in their school communities. Alongside this widespread interest, compelling narratives emerged about the transformative impact of the Scorecards within school communities. Although the Scorecards were originally intended for K-8 curricula, Scorecard users reported using the Scorecards in various contexts, including high school, community college, university, professional school, non-profit, professional development, and consulting settings.
What outcomes are associated with using the CRE ELA Scorecard or CRSE STEM Scorecard?
The goal of this study is to investigate the self-reported outcomes associated with Scorecard use, with a focus on documenting stories of how school communities engage in this work. This study is significant because advancing equity in education is a complex and challenging endeavor. While many schools are committed to equity, the pervasiveness of curriculum that centers white middle-class culture while marginalizing and excluding people of color and other minoritized communities, remains a challenge. Here, white middle-class culture centered in curricula refers to the overrepresentation of white values, experiences, contributions, perspectives, and canonical texts often accompanied with the tokenization, sanitization, or exclusion of marginalized groups. This overrepresentation is problematic because it upholds a singular worldview as most worthy of study and as a universal standard, silences diverse perspectives, and fails to prepare both white students and students of color for a multicultural society as global citizens. Uncovering whether the Scorecards support school communities’ progress toward culturally responsive curricula, where all students are meaningfully reflected and included, is significant as it may address some of the challenges associated with the pathway to educational equity.