Requires the department of education to establish professional development programs in culturally responsive instruction and provide access to those programs on its website.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
880
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 6, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sen. LIU -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to culturally responsive
teaching
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative finding. The legislature finds and declares
2 that:
3 1. Culture is essential to learning;
4 2. Culture plays a role not only in communicating and receiving infor-
5 mation, but also in shaping the thinking process of groups and individ-
6 uals;
7 3. A pedagogy that acknowledges, responds to, and celebrates fundamen-
8 tal cultures offers full, equitable access to education for pupils from
9 all cultures;
10 4. Culturally responsive teaching is a major civilizing influence on
11 the development of a humane, responsible and informed citizenry, able to
12 adjust to and grow in a rapidly changing world. Culturally responsive
13 teaching can substantiate a claim to the prevention of human and social
14 costs to the state. Culturally responsive teaching develops the social
15 consciousness of students to better handle the world of prejudice and
16 racism. Culturally responsive teaching provides students with the back-
17 ground in social studies and humanities so that they will function
18 successfully and tolerantly in a participatory democracy and a multicul-
19 tural nation and world. Culturally responsive teaching incorporates
20 multicultural information, books, and other educational resources; and
21 5. It is recognized that students in public elementary and secondary
22 schools can only reach the levels of performance expected under the
23 provisions of this part with parental participation in the education
24 process. It is therefore, the policy of this state to provide culturally
25 responsive services for young children and their families. Culturally
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02912-01-3
S. 880 2
1 responsive services for young children and their families should reflect
2 the importance of integration and diversity to the maximum extent possi-
3 ble in regard to characteristics such as race, economics, sex, creed,
4 capability and cultural differences. Services should be designed to
5 support and strengthen the family and be planned in consideration of
6 existing family values, with the primary concern being the welfare of
7 the child.
8 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3039 to read
9 as follows:
10 § 3039. Professional development in culturally responsive instruction
11 which focuses on understanding and responding to the diverse experiences
12 of students and parents, developing culturally responsive lesson plans,
13 and undoing implicit bias. 1. The department shall establish at least
14 four professional development programs in culturally responsive instruc-
15 tion annually, and provide access to those sessions on its website.
16 2. Each superintendent of a school district shall develop, and present
17 to the local board of education for adoption, an accountability plan
18 ensuring that the district is complying with culturally responsive
19 instruction requirements established by the department. The accountabil-
20 ity plan shall include the amount of culturally responsive teaching
21 professional development instruction offered by the district, the number
22 of teacher participants, and a teacher evaluation survey that measures
23 the effectiveness of the professional development instruction offered.
24 Each school board shall present an annual report to the department stat-
25 ing the effectiveness of such program in professional development
26 instruction by presenting an analysis of the teacher participant surveys
27 which measures their confidence in being culturally responsive, and
28 student surveys which measures the cultural responsiveness of their
29 teachers.
30 3. Each school district's accountability plan shall be effective for a
31 period of three years, and shall be updated on or before July first of
32 each year.
33 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.