District-Wide Cultures of Inclusion Enhance Teachers' Beliefs and Practices and Students' Psychosocial and Academic Outcomes

• In Event: Promoting Equity Through Inclusive Leadership Practices

Abstract

We designed a district-wide culture change intervention grounded in the social and cultural psychology, education, and leadership literature. Using a train-the-trainer model, we worked with school leadership teams to plan, implement, and assess cultural changes focused on creating inclusive learning environments. Data from nine schools, which included 341 teachers (Grades K-12) and 3,226 students (Grades 3-12) showed that our intervention was effective in promoting teachers’ beliefs about cultural inclusion and their adoption of culturally inclusive practices. In turn, teachers’ increased use of culturally inclusive practices improved students’ psychosocial and academic outcomes and reduced racial achievement gaps on standardized math tests. The current work establishes the feasibility and efficacy of creating top-down cultural change in K-12 settings.

Authors

• Cong Wang, University of Michigan
  Presenting Author

• Laura Brady, American Institutes for Research
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie Fryberg, University of Michigan
  Presenting Author

• Jenny Yi-Fang Yang, Stanford University
  Presenting Author

• Camilla M. Griffiths, Stanford University
  Presenting Author

• Hazel Markus, Stanford University
  Presenting Author

• Perla Rodriguez, Beaverton School District
  Presenting Author

• David Parker, Forest Grove School District
  Presenting Author