Bridging the Gap

Abstract

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.