Culturally Responsive Teaching in Higher Education: Increasing Social Justice through Faculty Education Programs

The paper discusses the need to develop faculty competencies to work with students with cultural, racial, and social differences in Higher Education. It presents culturally responsive teaching (CRT) and its central tenets, arguing the relevance of faculty education programs in fostering the quality of education and promoting equity at the university. Historically, the university has been a Eurocentric place where culture, ethnicity, and social background were not considered in the academic journey, resulting in a low rate of diversity and high rates of dropout. In the last decade, however, the literature review and education statistics in Brazil and the USA show that diversity is increasing. In Brazil, the demographic enlargement of the Black population has also impacted university enrollment. Between 2011 and 2021, the rate of black students (self-declared black and brown) rose from 32.3% to 42.8% in private universities and 40.6% to 50.4% in public universities. Indigenous students also expanded their presence, going from 0.4% to 0.5% in private schools and from 0.5% to 0.9% in public schools. (Semesp, 2023). The number of immigrant and refugee students is also increasing, who, like black and Indigenous students, need welcoming and positive academic environments to succeed. According to the American Council on Education (ACE, 2024), enrollment of students from racial and ethnically diverse backgrounds (such as Hispanic or Latino students, Black or African American, Asian, and Native students) at American universities has grown from 32,2 percent in 2002 to 49.9 percent in 2022. Projections indicate that White students will no longer be a majority body in American colleges (ACE, 2024). Although we celebrate these results in both countries, there are challenges to guarantee the permanence and academic success of diverse students, especially the first generation at university. Faculty diversity, for example, has been indicated as one challenge because it remains primarily White in both countries, even after some programs and policies to change the situation. The second challenge relates to political and ideological perspectives, considering that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs are always at risk of being denied, unfinanced, or even banned. This paper focuses on another challenge: the pedagogical orientation that has inspired teaching in Higher Education. Independent of the race and gender of faculty, universities must guarantee faculty education to develop their teaching competencies that guide the learning of underrepresented students and take advantage of diverse classrooms. (Larke, 2013). CRT is a pedagogical approach that primarily recognizes cultural differences and applies them in teaching, providing benefits for faculty and students and increasing social justice in Higher Education. (Yeh et al, 2021). Based on international scholars such as Ladson-billings (1995) and Gay (2002), CRT is a pedagogy that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically through cultural references to develop knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Such teaching is based on an equity pedagogy designed to review educational conditions that have enabled academic success for many students from racially, culturally, and economically diverse groups (Vavrus, 2008). Content analysis is used to understand how faculty training programs in Brazil and the USA have applied CRT to prepare their faculty capacities. The authors analyze data from open sources such as national statistics, university websites describing faculty education programs, and available research literature. Although the CRT approach is not new, it is still considered innovative in faculty training programs, and many existing practices are isolated initiatives. In Brazil, the theoretical approach that has guided diversity education mainly comes from the Education of Ethnic-Racial Relations (ERER). The perspective of combining both theoretical and practical approaches can enhance faculty training programs. The study analyzes CRT's benefits and provides guidance to integrate CRT in faculty training programs and improve faculty’s competencies in working with diverse students in Brazil and the USA, where racial inequalities are still a struggle in many higher education institutions.