Exploring Curriculum-Based Professional Learning to Support High-Quality, Culturally Responsive Science Instruction in Chicago Public Schools

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Partnerships, Curricular Innovations, and Professional Learning Strategies for School Improvement (Table 28)

Abstract

This paper investigates Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) efforts to provide equitable and culturally responsive (CR) teaching through its first universal curriculum – Skyline. Drawing on qualitative data, we analyzed the design of and teachers’ experiences with Skyline professional learning (PL) for middle school science. We found that Skyline PL provided teachers with content-specific instructional strategies, opportunities for active learning, and opportunities for collaboration. However, teachers expressed lacking opportunities to build their capacities in CR and equitable instructional strategies. Findings suggest that for districts to advance racial justice, in part, through ensuring students’ access to high-quality and CR curriculum, teachers need access to PL focused on building their capacities in adapting curriculum to meet their students’ diverse learning needs, backgrounds, and assets.

Authors

• Naomi Blaushild, The American Institutes for Research

• Emma Stein, The Learning Partnership

• Steven McGee, The Learning Partnership