The Community Partner Perspective: Community as Culturally Responsive Curriculum

• In Event: Fighting for Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Schools Under a New Administration

Abstract

Objectives
Drawing on her work in a local organization partnering with K-12 schools, this author’s chapter in our book detailed community engagement projects focused on helping students learn about agriculture and food security, entrepreneurship, disease prevention, vocation awareness, and diversity and inclusion. In this commentary, she shares an update on how this work has progressed over the last few years, and how her organization has reframed – yet maintained – their efforts toward community-led, culturally responsive educational programming. She highlights the importance of non-school actors in creating bridges between students and the community through partnerships centered in CRSE.

Theoretical Framework & Modes of Inquiry
This community partner frames her work as integrating CRSE and place-based education rooted in the cultural, environmental, and historical context of her community. She uses descriptive case studies of local outreach projects that bring together community members and youth in service of both community and youth development.

Evidence
This commentator uses robust examples of community projects ranging from early childhood gardening to middle school career mentoring and high school entrepreneurship field trips to illustrate the powerful ways that community partners can support schools and districts in fostering culturally responsive and sustaining learning for the next generation of community members.

Arguments
In the current context of educational policy restrictions, this community member positions external organizations like hers as vital players in serving and preserving community interests through CRSE work. She argues that student learning must reflect local culture, identity, and language to maintain community history, celebration, and empowerment. She asserts that helping students to see themselves as community leaders, creators, and contributors across a variety of fields and domains of community life is a form of resistance to deficit narratives about marginalized communities in the US. She argues that community leaders have a responsibility to fight for educational justice because of their position outside of schools and outside of the parameters of education policy.

Significance
This commentary reaffirms that education is a shared responsibility within the local community and that civic organizations can play prominent roles in creating culturally rich and practically useful learning environments. In this way, this community partner elevates a community-centered model of culturally responsive education that can fight against external forces.

Author

• Andre'a J. Dorsey, University of the Virgin Islands