Culturally Responsive Teaching:

Examining Implicit Bias and the

Impact on Student Achievement
Anoka-Hennepin School District
Half-Day CRT Professional Development
October 17, 2018
Community Agreements
Anoka-Hennepin Core Values:
● Respect
● Responsibility
● Appreciation of Diversity
● Integrity
● Compassion
Learning Targets (Objectives)
Staff will:

● Develop skills to improve their implementation of Culturally

Responsive Teaching (CRT) strategies in Anoka-Hennepin Schools
● Define educational equity and implicit bias
● Review information about personal implicit bias and the impact it
may have on students’ performance
● Explore building level data and identify tools to reduce the
achievement gap
Superintendent Law’s Introduction
Definition of Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT):
Culturally Responsive Teaching is:

Teaching and leading in such a way that . . .

● More of our students,

● Across more of their differences,
● Achieve at a higher level,
● And engage at a deeper level,
● More of the time,

Without giving up who they are.

CRT Review: Student Names
● April 2018- Telling Our Stories: The
Power of Names

● Share with an elbow partner:

What’s one strategy you used to

learn to say students’ names?
7 Principles for Culturally Responsive Teaching

Relationships
Precede
Learning
What is Culturally Responsive Teaching?
More than a motivational tool, Culturally Responsive
Teaching is a serious and powerful tool for accelerating
student learning. When practiced correctly and
consistently, it can get underperforming students of color
who are caught on the wrong side of the achievement
gap ready for rigorous learning by building their brain
power.
-Zaretta Hammond from Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
Thoughts on What CRT IS and ISN’T
CRT is NOT:

● Only focused on increasing student self-esteem

● Learning everything about 19 different cultures --
everyone's individual customs, holidays, foods, and
language.
● The same as multicultural education or social justice
education
● About individual, personal beliefs
CRT IS:
● A way to build students' brain power by
improving information processing skills using
cultural learning tools
● Grounded in social and cognitive neuroscience.
● A cultural orientation called "collectivism"
● A MINDSET to validate the experience of all
learners.
CRT Mindset

GROWTH
MINDSET
Today’s Agreements
Please feel encouraged speaking
from your life experiences, know
that you may feel uncomfortable
with some of the topics but stay
engaged, and do not expect we will
solve everything today.
What time is it?

It’s time to talk

about race.
Video: Luvvie Ajayi-
Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Luvvie Ajayi: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable

CRT Mindset Turn and Talk

What’s your response to the

video you just watched?

(Discuss with someone sitting near you.)

Early Experiences with Race
1. How racially diverse was your neighborhood growing up? What
message(s) did you get about race from living there?
2. When was the first time you had a teacher of a different race? How
often did this occur? When was the first time you had a teacher of the
same race? How often did this occur?
3. When/how did you first realize that races were treated differently in
society? Who helped you make sense of that difference in treatment,
and how did they do so?
4. When did you first work in a community that was racially different from
the one you grew up in?
The Talk Around. . . DIVERSITY ETHNICITY
TRAUMA
POVERTY
HOME-
FREE &
LIFE
RACE REDUCED
LUNCH
CULTURE
SOCIAL-
ECONOMICS EMOTIONAL
 Anoka-Hennepin School District
Then:
Now:
2006-2007 2017-2018

● 19.5% Students of ● 30.4 % Students of

Color Color
● 1.8% Teachers of ● 4.0% Teachers of
Color Color
● 6.5% Administrators ● 7.3%
of Color Administrators of
Color
Coon Rapids High School
Demographics
Analyzing School-Specific Student Proficiency Data
By Student Group and Overall

● Math
● Reading
● Science
High School
2018 MCA All-Accountability Math Proficiency Rates

Student Group CRHS A-H MN

Overall 40.1% 46.3% 47.3%

Hispanic 24.2% 23.2% 23.2%

American Indian * 22.7% 21.3%

Asian 67.5% 52.1% 49.7%

Black 27.1% 25.9% 18.5%

White 41.1% 51.0% 54.4%

Two or More Races 43.8% 37.7% 36.7%

High School
2018 MCA All-Accountability Reading Proficiency Rates

Student Group CRHS A-H MN

Overall 55.7% 62.6% 59.2%

Hispanic 64.3% 54.1% 37.2%

American Indian 80.0% 60.0% 37.6%

Asian 48.3% 58.5% 57.9%

Black 38.2% 45.3% 30.9%

White 61.3% 66.9% 66.6%

Two or More Races 33.3% 56.7% 55.3%

High School
2018 MCA All-Accountability Science Proficiency Rates

Student Group CRHS A-H MN

Overall 54.9% 58.6% 52.2%

Hispanic 32.3% 37.2% 27.4%

American Indian * 35.0% 25.5%

Asian 58.8% 53.4% 50.5%

Black 33.9% 33.8% 20.6%

White 61.9% 64.5% 60.5%

Two or More Races 50.0% 47.4% 45.0%

CRT Mindset Think, Pair, Share
Consider the students in our building.
● Who’s achieving at the highest levels?
● Who’s lagging behind?
● Where are our largest gaps?
● What else did you notice?
Anoka-Hennepin District Scorecard

● ACT participation and scores

● Graduation
● College-credit course participation Overall
● Student engagement and

● Suspensions and expulsions Gaps

● Attendance, truancy, and tardy
● Extra-curricular activities
BREAK
Why are we talking about this?
● Achievement gaps exist in Anoka-Hennepin
● We want to close the achievement gap
● Inequities, whether actual or perceived, place barriers
to success on our students
● We must examine these discrepancies and explore why
they persist in order to fulfill our mission:
○ To effectively educate each of our students
for success.
Why is Lamar Failing? I think he
receives free or
He doesn’t know reduced price
. the rules of school. lunch.
School is not a priority to
his parents. They never
come to conferences.

He doesn’t speak well.

He comes from a
bad neighborhood. Kids like him Being smart isn’t
are a “won’t, “cool” in his culture.
not a “can’t.”
Thought-Provoking Quote
“Public education has successfully shifted the blame for the failure of
schools to meet the needs of minority students on to the shoulders of
the clients they purport to serve. They have pulled off the perfect
crime, for they can never be held accountable, since the reason failure
in school is said to be the fault of poor homes, cultural handicaps,
linguistic deficiencies, and deprived neighborhoods. The fact that
schools are geared primarily to serve monolingual, White, middle-class
and Anglo clients is never questioned.”

(Tomas A. Arcinega, 1977)

CRT Mindset Turn and Talk

What’s your response to the

quote you just read?

(Discuss with someone sitting near you.)

What are some contributing factors to explain why
these issues persist?
We invite you to consider that the
way our brain is designed-- to detect
threats from those unlike us-- stops
us from truly making a difference with
our students of color, even if we’re
not conscious of it.

It’s a bias we don’t even know we have.

Implicit Bias 101
 Look at your list.
BLACK MALE STUDENT
What words,
What words, thoughts, and/or
thoughts, and/or images came to
images come to mind that you didn’t
your mind when you write down?
hear these words?
What made you
Please write them censor those
down. thoughts?
3 Conditions to De-Bias:
● Intention: Acknowledge that you harbor unconscious biases and
are motivated to change.

● Attention: Pay attention to your triggers and know when

stereotypical responses or assumptions are activated.

● Time: Make time to practice new strategies designed to "break"

your automatic associations that link a negative judgment to
behavior that is culturally different from yours.
Challenging Bias- What Can Educators Do?
1) Clarify your motivation.
2) Increase your self-awareness.
3) Create new thought patterns.
4) Engage in reflective practice.
5) Be a change agent in your school and
profession.
6) Take care of yourself.
Uncovering biases promotes educational equity!
Educational Equity Definition:
“Educational equity is when educational policies, practices,
interactions, and resources are representative of,
constructed by, and responsive to all people so that each
individual has access to, meaningfully participates in,
and has positive outcomes from high-quality learning
experiences, regardless of individual characteristics and
group memberships.
(Fraser, 2008; Great Lakes Equity Center, 2012).
 Responses to Inequity

Depending on the context, we move back and forth on this continuum.

Participation Denial Guilt Questions/ Advocacy/

Discussion Disruptor
 “I didn’t do anything terrible to the Indians. A black couple is setting up a bbq
One of my best friends is an Indian.” at a public park and are
confronted by a white woman
who says they can’t be there. A
white bystander tells the woman
The number of Mexican
to leave them alone and stays
immigrants living in the U.S.
Henry stops his friend Mark with them until she leaves.
illegally has declined by more
than 1 million since 2007. from telling a homophobic
How does this impact society joke.
economically? Julie wants to learn more about the
prejudice and racism her students
of color experience, so she signs up
“A black guy, a Mexican, and to take a SEED class.
a Jew walk into a bar…”

English department leaders and colleagues develop

Karen listens stoically while lessons during summer curriculum writing to review
Kayla tells a racist joke. literature through Critical Lenses.
What does all of this mean for us here at CR?
● We need to provide our students (and each other) with the safety and level of
comfort that they require to be on the right side of the spectrum
(Questioner/Disrupter). These are courageous and difficult places to be.
● We want to continue to have conversations that increase our level of
awareness of our own implicit bias.
● As our awareness grows, it is important to remember to be open to new
possibilities. As we walk down this road together we are guilt free and non-
judgemental of our own journeys.
CRT Mindset Re-Imagining Equity
What would it be like if we removed the fence
altogether?
Thinking about the movement from equality to
equity to justice, what is one barrier that you
can remove in your school?
Discuss with your elbow partner.
BREAK
Some guiding questions:
● Are my teaching practices culturally relevant and do
they address the educational needs of my students of
color?
● If so, how and to what extent do my practices address
the race/ethnicities of my students?
● If not, what barriers are created and how might I
overcome these barriers?

(Markell, 2013)
CRT Mindset

What are some ways we can become

even more culturally responsive in
our teaching and close the
achievement gap?
 The Impact of Implicit Bias and Language Registers
How does implicit bias show up in our schools?
Consider: What is our reaction, as
teachers, when we hear students
speaking African-American
vernacular in the hallway?

Think about reactions from an

implicit bias perspective.
The Impact of Implicit Bias and Language Registers
The Impact of Implicit Bias and Language Registers
African-American Vernacular English
● is the variety of English natively spoken by most working- and middle-class
African Americans

● has its own unique grammatical, vocabulary, and accent features

● is used by middle-class African Americans who informally switch to more

standard English grammar and vocabulary, usually while retaining elements
of the nonstandard accent

Switching from a formal to a casual language register is called “Code-switching.”

Language Registers Pyramid
Ceremony, ritual; Pledge of
Allegiance; prayers
FROZEN
Law, contracts; politics;
FORMA business

L
CONSULTATIVE
Semi-formal situations;
Schools, academic language,
professional “office” talk

Conversation; Friends, close

CASUAL co-workers

INTIMATE
Inside jokes; significant
other, loved ones, siblings,
parents
Video: “Talking Black in America”
 Definition of Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT):
Culturally Responsive Teaching is:

Teaching and leading in such a

way that more of our students,
across more of their differences,
achieve at a higher level, and
engage at a deeper level, more of
the time, without giving up who
they are.
Video: A Humorous Look at Code Switching
CRT Mindset Turn and Talk

What’s your response to the

video you just watched?

(Discuss with someone sitting near you.)

Article

“If You Ask Me:

Ain’t Misbehavin’”
CRT Mindset Turn and Talk
What Are Our Next Steps?
“If you want to bring a fundamental change in
people's belief and behavior...you need to
create a community around them, where
those new beliefs can be practiced and
expressed and nurtured.”

― Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference
How are we building our CRT
community in Anoka-Hennepin?
 The foundation of CRT is building
meaningful relationships with our
Building students. We strive to ensure all
students feel welcomed and
Relationships valued as important members of
the Anoka-Hennepin community.
 We want to acknowledge the work
that has been done and continues
to be done in our district. We are
not there YET -- and now that we

Growth Mindset have identified our areas for

growth, we are ready to move
forward to obtain even more
positive results. Close the
achievement gap.
 Consider how ENVoY strategies
positively impact classroom

ENVoY management. It connects directly

with our equity work and reduces
negative student behaviors.
 We are intentional in meeting the
needs of our ACEs students and
working to provide them with the
support they need in order to
Trauma-Informed thrive, both academically and
socially. Breathing, mindfulness,
Instruction and other tools benefit all of our
students as they learn how to self-
regulate.
 Anoka-Hennepin SEED is
celebrating its twenty-seventh
year of peer led professional
development through self

SEED reflection, interpersonal dialogue

and builds capacity for more
equitable curriculum, campuses,
workplaces and communities.
 We are digging deeper into our
achievement data to determine
our areas for growth at both the
Closing the building and district level. By
identifying specific areas of
Achievement Gap concern, we can continue to build
capacity and work strategically to
improve student outcomes.
Action Steps
● Be mindful of our implicit biases and the
unintentional consequences of those biases.
● Be reflective in our practices.
● Be intentional in our efforts to connect with
students and develop meaningful relationships.
● Cultivate a CRT Mindset and an increasing
awareness of the impact of history as well as
current events.
This is possible...
Through your hard work, students are moving in the right direction.

★ Graduation gaps are shrinking/closing in Anoka-Hennepin Schools

Comparison of Black and White Four Year Graduation Rates Over Time
Resources to Further the Conversation:
• Building CRT or Equity Team
• CRT District Support Team
• CRT Staff Development
• Student Achievement Advisor
• Seeking Educational Equity & Diversity (SEED)

Questions or Concerns:
Dr. Jennifer Cherry, Director of Student Services
ESC, 2727 N Ferry Street, Anoka
763-506-1017
Jennifer.Cherry@ahschools.us
 Bibliography/References for Further Reading:
Emdin, Christopher. (2016). For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood. Boston, MA: Beacon
Press.

Hammond, Zaretta. (2015). Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. Thousand Oaks,
CA: Corwin Press.

Moore, Eddie Jr., Ali Michael, and Marguerite W. Penick-Parks. (2018). The Guide for White
Women Who Teach Black Boys. Corwin Press.

Styles, Emily Jane. “Curriculum as Encounter: Selves and Shelves.” English Journal 103.5
(2014). Pg. 67-74
Before you go . . .
Please take a moment to complete the professional
development evaluation form. The number for this
session is:

XXX
Thank you.
 BE a
Domino