Part 2 – Cultural Responsiveness in Schools

Written by Benjamin Clemons

This article is part 2 of a 2-part series. As WELS schools experience growing diversity in their enrollments through either active outreach or demographic shifts, they will need to examine the ways in which culture influences teaching and policy. In part 2 we will consider the impact of culture in schools.

Recognizing the Influence of Culture
A school’s operation consists of more than the policy written in the handbook, and classroom instruction involves much more than the lessons printed in the textbooks. We design school policy and instructional practice based on multiple factors. In WELS schools, we begin with the purpose of Christian education, often explicating foundational principles and explaining how the school serves the mission of the congregation and the work of the kingdom. We also consider pedagogically sound practices, the faculty’s composition and gifts, and the resources available.

We produce school handbooks and curriculum guides to spell out much of our rationale, but there are often unwritten rules based on common assumptions or beliefs. For example, traditionally, schools held parent/teacher conferences in the afternoon and evening based on the often reasonable and accurate assumption that most of their parents work one job during the day. In a school serving primarily middle-class two-parent families, this model probably causes little conflict. However, as more parents work multiple jobs or work in the afternoon and evening hours, and as our schools encounter more single-parent families, this assumption no longer holds. Continue reading →

Part 1 – Examining Culture

Written by Benjamin Clemons

This article is part 1 of a 2-part series exploring cultural responsiveness in Christian education. As WELS schools experience growing diversity in their enrollments through either active outreach or demographic shifts, they will need to examine the ways in which culture influences teaching and policy. In part 1 we will begin by looking at culture and its impact.

There is a growing call for culturally responsive teaching practice in public schools (Linton-Howard, 2017; Saphier, 2016). What does this entail, and is it appropriate for WELS schools? I believe that it is beneficial for Lutheran schools to consider the cultures of students and their families in determining teaching practice and school policy. Doing this well requires a careful balance between the necessity for common points of understanding and the biblical encouragement to be all things to all people (1 Cor. 9:10-23). Continue reading →