Provide Professional Development for Teachers on Cultural Competency and Working with Families
Pathways Recommendation
Embed professional development opportunities that support a deeper understanding of race, culture and unconscious prejudices (implicit bias). Explicitly teach teachers and those seeking early education, B-K, and K-3 licenses how to develop and strengthen relationships with families of color, families with home languages other than English, and the community. Use Head Start standards and competencies as a model.
Why This Matters
North Carolina’s history and increasingly diverse population calls for cultural competency training and professional development for K-3 teachers and early educators on how to best partner with families, particularly families from overburdened and under-resourced communities. Training and development in these areas can help educators recognize their own personal biases, apply their understanding of different cultures to classroom management, adapt curricula and activities to better connect with students, support learning by affirming students’ cultural backgrounds, and strengthen family engagement.1
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