Cultural Adaptation of a Teacher Coaching Intervention to Improve Classroom Practices with Diverse Students

Introduction: By 2024, students of color (including Black, Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, and multi-racial youth) are projected to represent 56% of the student enrollment in U.S. public schools (Kena et al., 2015); yet, nearly 82% of U.S. public school teachers are non-Hispanic White, and the proportion of teachers entering the workforce who are of color (21%) does not suggest significant change on the horizon (NCES, 2013). Even if there were better representation of people of color in the teaching workforce, a student-teacher racial or ethnic match does not necessarily translate to effective, culturally responsive, and unbiased classroom practices. As such, interventions to promote educator competencies to bridge cultural divides in the classroom have become increasingly critical (Gay, 2010), yet, evidence-based models are lacking.

Methods: In light of challenges that can arise in motivating teachers to adopt more culturally responsive practices, an evidence-based teacher coaching model, the Classroom Check-Up (CCU; Reinke, 2006) was selected for adaptation, as it provides on-going support for teacher adoption of effective classroom practices through a structured, data-driven, and formalized process. The coaching intervention was then adapted to focus on developing teacher cultural proficiency. Specific adaptations to address cultural and local ecological factors influencing student engagement and behaviors in the classroom were made, touching on five core domains: Connecting Culture to Curriculum, Authentic Relationships, Reflective Thinking, Effective Communication, and Sensitivity to Culture (called the Double Check CARES framework; Bradshaw et al., in press).

Results: A key focus of the adaptation was to revise the existing data measures (i.e., interview, ecology checklist, and qualitative observations) with items that specifically map onto the CARES domains. Embedded additional modifications facilitated relationship building between the coach and teacher to address sensitive topics related to cultural variation, such as a values card sort during an initial motivational interview. Outcomes of the culturally adapted CCU, which was tested in a 12-school randomized controlled trial, suggest improvements in teachers’ proactive behavior management as well as students’ compliance in classrooms of coached teachers.

Conclusions: Helping teachers develop culturally responsive classroom practices necessitated intervention focused on initial motivation to change, as well as ongoing supports to help teachers refine their cross-cultural sensitivities and skills. Cultural adaptation in highly racially/ethnically diverse, suburban/urban fringe school contexts posed a unique challenge, as it required skills to navigate multiple, diverse cultural contexts within the classroom.