Teaching across the lines: adapting scripted programmes with culturally relevant/responsive teaching

Abstract

The American legislation of No Child Left Behind resulted in a boom in scripted, prepackaged curricula for improving student outcomes. At the same time, greater attention to the needs of diverse populations also took prominence, resulting in a new area of study, culturally relevant/responsive pedagogy. The current view is that scripted curriculum and culturally responsive teaching are mutually exclusive in educating culturally and linguistically diverse students. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that when given the opportunity to make adjustments to scripted curriculum to incorporate culturally relevant/responsive pedagogy, these approaches to education can be combined into one that is more effective than the implementation of either model. This study has implications for curriculum designers and teachers who serve high populations of culturally diverse students.