Culturally Responsive Pedagogy allows for learning to go beyond the surface level and create significant and meaningful learning experiences for all students. It moves past the “what” and into the “why” of education and allows students to have their daily experiences validated through learning. In this recording, two practitioners with experience addressing the challenges of centering race and culture alongside their partners at the district and school levels will illuminate ways to overcome what can feel like overwhelming odds in this work. Through the case stories, work is highlighted where advocacy and activism are taking place, as well as lessons learned around crowdsourcing and developing equity-centered solutions that promote culturally responsive and sustaining systems.

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View the session slides and resources in this Linktree

Presenters:

Rawlin J. Rosario, Senior Program Associate, WestEd

Rawlin J. Rosario is a Senior Program Associate for the Talent Development and Diversity team at WestEd. He delivers technical assistance; develops research and evidence-based tools and resources; and provides research and policy support with state, regional, and local education agencies to help build more equitable and culturally responsive systems.

Before joining WestEd, Rawlin was a middle school ELA teacher, instructional coach/leader, and administrator in Gaston, North Carolina; New Haven, Connecticut; and The Bronx, New York. In those roles, Rawlin was able to model outstanding culturally responsive instruction and deliver professional development to teachers and staff on instruction, systems change, classroom management, and culturally responsive practices. In addition to his experiences in K–12 spaces, Rawlin also contributed to the development and implementation of the New York State Education Department statewide framework for Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education—the first of its kind in the nation.

In 2018, Rawlin earned his master’s degree in educational leadership, policy & advocacy from New York University Steinhardt’s School of Culture, Education and Human Development. As a first-generation college student born in the Dominican Republic and an English Language learner, Rawlin is motivated to do racial equity work because he believes in the power of creating educational systems that reflect and honor the diversity of the communities they serve. He is dedicated to dismantling racist systems of oppression to ensure our Black and Brown students can discover their best selves and contribute to their communities in the ways they see fit.

Timothy Ojetunde, School Climate Program Associate, WestEd

Timothy Ojetunde is a Program Associate at WestEd on the Resilient Healthy Schools and Communities team, focusing on school climate and data use. He supports districts and schools in centering equity and improving educational outcomes for all. Timothy’s expertise is grounded in school culture and climate, restorative practices, SEL, and trauma-informed practices, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Timothy comes to WestEd with over a decade of knowledge and experience across multiple spaces and communities having been a teacher, advisory and school culture specialist, school administrator, and DEI consultant. In his work, he has coached school administrators, presented to leaders, and facilitated sessions for hundreds of educators and learners across multiple conferences. He is extremely passionate about creating equitable outcomes and is dedicated to supporting students and adults as they grow, develop, and find success.

Timothy was born and raised in Los Angeles and is a graduate of UCLA with master’s degrees from Arizona State University and California State University, Dominguez Hills. He also enjoys music, sports, film, and television. 

Participants explored the concepts of alignment and coherence across policies, funding, communications, capacity building, data use, and goals, with a focus on equity. Presenters shared examples from education agencies in California and beyond that illuminate the technical and adaptive aspects of working toward alignment and coherence of programs and services. The six domains of alignment and coherence and how they apply to school climate improvement and other initiatives were discussed.  

Watch the session recording:

View the recording transcript.

Download the session slides and resources.

Session Three Presenters:  

Natalie Romer (she/her) is a Senior Program Associate in WestEd’s Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities team. Her work includes technical assistance, research, evaluation, and training focused on developing effective and efficient systems to support the social and emotional well-being of school communities. Romer’s areas of expertise include multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS); school-based mental health; social and emotional learning (SEL); positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS); social, emotional, and behavioral intervention and assessment; design of instruction and evaluation; special education; cross-agency collaboration; and integrated behavioral health service models. 

Natalie Walrond (she/her) serves as the Director of the Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities content area at WestEd and the Associate Director of the Region 15 Comprehensive Center. She is a national leader of efforts to help public schools, districts, and regional and state education agencies become resilient and healthy places oriented to serving the whole person. Walrond has experience in K–12 education, finance, and strategy for both for-profit and nonprofit organizations and has led the development of flagship publications that have been widely cited in the field, including Serving the Whole Person: An Alignment and Coherence Guide for State Education Agencies, Rooting Social and Emotional Well-Being Efforts in Equity: A Reflection Guide, and the recently released Equitable, Sustainable Systems Change at Scale: Lessons Learned From State Collaboratives. 

You can register for the entire series or for any single Virtual Learning Session. Each session will be 90 minutes, with a 1-hour webinar-type session and an optional 30-minute virtual discussion for questions and consultation.