Culturally Responsive School-Based Practices

Abstract

Abstract As the trends continue in our country’s schools toward a more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse K–12 student population, school-based professionals have an important role in supporting students’ mental health and learning. Practitioners, including school psychologists, school counselors, and social workers, are expected to have the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to provide culturally responsive services to promote safe, supportive, and inclusive schools. Using a framework that integrates cultural humility and social justice, this book provides practical strategies for implementing culturally responsive practices in assessment and interventions that recognize assets of culturally and linguistically diverse populations, including refugee, immigrant, racial, and ethnic-minoritized students and English-language learners. The book emphasizes positive psychology and collaborative approaches that minimize the use of deficit thinking, which historically has contributed to systemic inequities, oppression, and disproportionalities of student outcomes in schools. For the emerging and experienced professional, this book is organized into three parts: (1) the foundations of culturally responsive practice, (2) culturally responsive assessment, and (3) culturally responsive interventions to support resilience and well-being. It provides foundational knowledge and practical strategies for educators, trainers, and practitioners who deliver educational and mental health supports in schools, including culturally responsive assessment, evidence-based interventions, counseling, or multi-tiered systems of support. Given the increasing diversity of students and families, the book highlights the intersectionality and heterogeneity within these groups. With case examples, practical resources, opportunities for self-reflection or critical reflexivity, and discussion questions, readers can develop and demonstrate cultural humility, cultural responsiveness, and advocacy within educational settings.