Each One, Reach One, Teach One: Applying Theories of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in Urban High Schools to the Elite University Classroom

Abstract

Culturally relevant teaching has become the focal point of urban education reform. However, in recent years, low-income and minority students at Princeton have expressed feelings of discomfort in the classroom setting (Committee on Background and Opportunity III Report, 2012). In a pursuit to figure out what characteristics develop culturally responsive teachers, Princeton preceptors are asked to report their classroom practices, as well as their backgrounds and beliefs in a questionnaire. Urban education literature suggests that teachers’ backgrounds and beliefs affect their ability to teach in a culturally responsive manner. However, the results of the present study suggest that only academic affiliation and teacher self-efficacy beliefs play a part in a teacher’s likelihood to utilize culturally responsive classroom techniques.