African American Students in High School Science: Effective Practices in Culturally Relevant Teaching

• In Event: Intercultural Perspectives on Education

Abstract

Recent research has shown that African Americans (AA) students continue to struggle in high school science. Based on the 2017/2018 Texas Academic Performance Report, AA across all grades failed to meet the state average in Texas on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) exam. This shortcoming of AA in science indicates that students are taught in ways that knowledge is inaccessible to them. However, studies have shown that culturally relevant teaching as an effective framework in supporting AA to access knowledge in science. Using a qualitative case study, I have highlighted those practices that could support and enable teachers to implement culturally relevant pedagogy in the science classroom, thus, improving the academic performance of the AA students.

Author

• Khalid Burgess