the dreamkeepers by gloria ladson billings

Gloria Ladson-Billings in the early ’90s, rests on three fundamental pillars-academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness. It ensures students engage in academically rigorous curriculum and learning, feel affirmed in their identities and experiences, and develop the knowledge and skills to engage the world and others critically.ĬRP, a pedagogical framework coined by Dr. CRP focuses on the academic and personal success of students as individuals and as a collective.

So, what is Culturally Relevant Pedagogy?Ĭulturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) is a philosophical outlook towards one’s approach to teaching that informs the what, the how, and the why. And, there is a fundamental difference between the two. But, I was a proof point of successful schooling-not successful education. Looking back, my 'success' as a student was largely defined by my test scores and had very little to do with building my own cultural competence and critical consciousness. I was a proof point-yes. Where was I in the curriculum? Where was my history and culture? Where was the connection between my background and experiences and what I was learning? What room was there for my peers and myself to identify, celebrate and leverage our knowledge, our cultures, our interests, our inherent brilliance? What space did we have to learn and talk about equity and inequity both inside our communities and in the world? What room was there to develop the skills and agency to critique our social contexts, to understand the histories and policies that were contributing to those realities? In other words, how was I developing and strengthening my roots? However, I was missing another category of knowledge and skills that was just as critical for my learning and development.

Having access to these learning opportunities and being able to develop these skills was undeniably important.

Jeff Duncan-Andrade describes as a national obsession with “above the ground development”-children that have strong trunks, beautiful branches, and colorful leaves, but no roots.Īs a girl growing up in the Bronx, I was fortunate to be consistently a part of my schools’ “gifted and talented” programs, learning “advanced” content, and often excelling at standardized tests. I worked hard, beat the odds, graduated at the top of my high school class, was the first in my family to go to college, and was on my way to an Ivy League university.ĭuring my college years, I came to realize that this cost equated to being the product of what Dr. More than two decades ago, I walked across a stage to accept my high school diploma and became a “proof point” of what is possible for children of color growing up in low-income communities.

The dreamkeepers by gloria ladson billings