Description:

"Believing in Possibilities: The Center of Excellence for the Education and Equity of African American Students" by Dr. Gloria Swindler Boutte, a Benedict College education professor, highlights "a notable effort" in the state "to ensure that African American children achieve educationally and socially to their fullest potential." The chapter profiles four successful teachers trained by the center to use culturally relevant pedagogy in the teaching of African American students. Culturally relevant pedagogy is the concept of incorporating the students' cultural background -- their cultural, social, educational, political, and economic realities -- into how the students are taught. These examples show that African American students may perform better academically when the teacher is knowledgeable about their cultural background and uses it to teach them.