Have you heard the term culturally responsive teaching (CRT) but don’t know what it is? Have you wanted to incorporate CRT into your ELA instruction but don’t know where to begin, or have you experienced some challenges in this area? Maybe you have used CRT in your classroom and noticed how it changed your classroom’s climate and the engagement level of your adult students and want to share these strategies with your colleagues.

In this Community of Practice (CoP) series, we will discuss the foundational concepts behind CRT, explore practical strategies for implementing them into ELA instruction, and work as a community to identify best practices and solutions to some of its challenges. Participants will leave this series equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to feel confident incorporating CRT into their ELA instruction.  

• Session 1: Foundations of Culturally Responsive Teaching (2/25/26, 1 - 2:30 p.m.) - In this session, participants will be introduced to the core principles of culturally responsive teaching, including Student Learning, Cultural Competence, and Critical Consciousness (Ladson-Billings, 1995). They will identify challenges of implementing CRT with adult learners and explore opportunities for growth in their practice. 

• Session 2: Practical Approaches for Implementing Culturally Responsive Teaching (3/11/26, 1 - 2:30 p.m.) - In this session, participants will be introduced to a practical process for incorporating culturally responsive teaching into their ELA instruction. They will then select an ELA lesson they would like to adapt to be more culturally responsive.

• Session 3: ELA Lens: Culturally Responsive Teaching (3/25/26, 1 - 2:30 p.m.) - In this session, participants will conduct an in-depth review of their selected ELA lessons using a culturally responsive lens. They will then identify an area of the ELA lesson they would like to further develop using the information gathered from their review.

• Session 4: Culturally Responsive ELA Lesson Reboot (4/8/26, 1 - 2:30 p.m.) - In this session, participants will revise their ELA lesson to make it more culturally responsive. They will share the lesson with colleagues and explain how the revisions made the lesson more culturally responsive. Participants will also share next steps for continuing their CRT journey.

Participants must come prepared to share and engage with their adult education ELA colleagues. The sessions will include some expert input. However, all participants will be expected to engage in group discussions, breakout room activities, and sharing of strategies, lesson plans, and resources. In between sessions, participants are expected to complete approximately one hour of independent work to ensure they get the most out of the CRT CoP. Activities may include any of the following: readings, lesson planning and/or revision, resource gathering, reflective journaling, and strategy implementation.

Upon completion of all sessions and interim activities, participants will receive 10 PD hours in LACES.

Professional Standards Addressed: P1, C1