Bridging the Gap: Creating a Culturally Responsive School is intended to reach both K-16 educational leaders and classroom teachers alike. Given the academic perils facing our Black and historically oppressed students of color in the United States, the need to bridge the gap between classroom-based culturally relevant practices and culturally responsive leadership has never been greater. How is this done? Answering that question is the goal of this book. Explicit tactics are shared for university and site level leaders in mobilizing the heavy lifting in creating a transformational base - supporting teachers' enactment of culturally responsive pedagogy. With first-hand testimonies and frameworks from research, this book allows practitioners to regain an understanding of culturally relevant practices, as well as the overlay of culturally responsive transformational leadership (Khalifa, 2016; Northouse, 2019), creating an equitable school climate where Black and historically oppressed students thrive academically.
Dr. Hank Gutierrez is president and founder of Culturally Responsive Educators LLC, and a long-time K-12 educator, and motivational speaker for both students and K-16 educational leaders. With over 25 years of experience in culturally responsive teaching and leadership, he continues to create new possibilities within district partnerships, programmatic change, community school development, and instructional expertise. He works daily with teachers, as well as district and university leaders to shape the imagination for teacher pipelines and residency models, safe schools, leadership capacity, and culturally responsive educational spaces in order to bolster the academic achievement of Black and other racially minoritized students.
Contents Forward Preface Introduction Chapter 1: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy - A Mindset Chapter 2: A Nation At-Risk - Still Chapter 3: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy - Capacity Over Contention Chapter 4: The Surface Level Examination Chapter 5: Deep Instructional Undercurrents Chapter 6: Culturally Responsive School Leadership Chapter 7: The Prepared Leader - A Lens of Equity Chapter 8: The Culturally Responsive School Chapter 9: Building the Black Teacher Pipeline
"Informative, aspirational, and inspirational. Gutierrez provides readers with rigorous, responsive, and applicable approaches and strategies to create culturally responsive schools. School leaders and practitioners will truly benefit from this much needed book" -- Tyrone Howard, Howard, Ph.D., President, American Educational Research Association, Professor, UCLA "In his work, Bridging the Gap: Creating a Culturally Responsive School, Dr. Hank Gutierrez reminds us that the purpose of education is liberation. It's a reminder that should energize every educator to examine their own educational experiences as well as their current experiences and expectations as they lead classrooms, schools, and districts. Thankfully, Dr. Gutierrez provides a comprehensive blueprint to build a classroom that actively engages and reflects the culture and history of Black and brown students. As a former teacher and school leader, I'm excited that Dr. Gutierrez' Bridging the Gap: Creating a Culturally Responsive School provides the framework necessary to elevate classroom communities. As an educator, liberator, and activist, I'm in awe of how Dr. Gutierrez' work advocates for a radical shift in how and who we educate, and hence, liberate." -- Sharif El-Mekki, CEO, Center for Black Educator Development. "Dr. Gutierrez takes us to the proverbial 'church,' in a very approachable way, reminding us that education is a tool for liberation. Instead of just another 'get folks fired up' book about equity, he provides actionable ideas for how we might give the gift of freedom to every student by allowing them to be themselves while we expand their minds and their worlds. This is definitely a worthwhile read for educators at all levels." -- Tinkhami Ushe White, Ed.D., Associate, Networked Improvement Science, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching "Dr. Gutierrez takes us to the proverbial 'church,' in a very approachable way, reminding us that education is a tool for liberation. Instead of just another 'get folks fired up' book about equity, he provides actionable ideas for how we might give the gift of freedom to every student by allowing them to be themselves while we expand their minds and their worlds. This is definitely a worthwhile read for educators at all levels." -- Matt Navo, Executive Director, California Collaborative for Educational Excellence "This timely text will be an invaluable resource to teachers and school leaders who want to redesign and design classrooms and schools that are culturally responsive" -- Travis J. Bristol, Ph.D. Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley "Through its insightful and thought-provoking exploration of culturally sustaining schools, this book offers a valuable roadmap for education leaders seeking to create inclusive and empowering learning environments that honor and celebrate the diversity of their students' backgrounds and experiences" -- Keilani M. Goggins, Director, Black Educators Initiative, a division of the National Center for Teacher Residencies "Dr. Gutierrez had me at the series of 'dear poverty' letters in the preface where I could see my own students in his story. These letters effectively establish the mindset for the ideas of culturally responsive teaching. Culturally responsive teaching requires building positive relationships with students from historically underserved groups that have not been a traditional focus in schools. This text does a fantastic job of clarifying why this is important and the impact of such practices on students' lives; it lays the groundwork for powerful conversations in leading and developing a plan to establish a systemwide culture of culturally responsive practices" -- Sheiveh Jones, Ed.D., Executive Director, Teacher Effectiveness and Preparation - Human Resource Services, San Diego County Office of Education "Bridging the Gap: Creating a Culturally Responsive School is an interdisciplinary synthesis that draws from cognitive science, education, psychology, neuroscience, and history. Dr. Gutierrez engages the ready by weaving personal narratives and the voices of other educators with research, concrete examples of practice, and policy connections. Dr. Gutierrez's passion definitely comes through in this highly personal, fearless call to action" -- Dr. W. Joespeh Yun, Senior Researcher, Learning Policy Institute
