What does it mean to be part of the CuRTSEA Pilot Study? 

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The pilot study involves both “treatment” and “control” schools. The treatment schools get the full CuRTSEA program and provide data for program research. The control schools provide data used to determine effects of the program. 

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“I am really enjoying the collaboration with my colleagues. I hope more teachers at my school go through training.”

– 9th Grade Teacher 

Program for Treatment School

Ninth grade teachers participate in:

  • 2 virtual workshops (6 hours each)  
    • Workshop 1 (Critical Reflection) in August/September in 3 hour segments   
    • Workshop 2 (Asset-Based teaching) in January in 3 hour segments  
  • Weekly 55-min meetings with your colleagues (~9 each semester) before or after school  
    • Series 1 (Critical Reflection) is in Fall  
    • Series 2 (Asset-Based Teaching) is in Spring  
  • Practice of workshop and meeting strategies between sessions 

“While, yes, it is difficult to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, such as the role playing we conducted…it can be a powerful tool for stepping back, keeping an open mind and considering the perspective of others. Hopefully this will lead to positive change.”

– 9th Grade Teacher 

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Participation Benefits

Tools and strategies for:

  • Understanding your own cultural identity 
  • Getting to know students 
  • Incorporating cultural background knowledge and experiences into curriculum 
  • Setting up environments for positive emotional support in teaching 
  • Reviewing and selecting curriculum materials 
  • Promoting student active participation in lessons 
  • Developing culturally responsive assessment 

Compensation for:

  • All out-of-school time for workshops or meetings 
  • Completion of each survey, interview, or focus group
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CuRTSEA's TEACHER FEEDBACK

The program helped them: 

  • Get to know themselves and their students better 
  • Incorporate culturally responsive materials in their lessons 
  • Practice student participation and formative assessment strategies in their classrooms

Teachers especially liked the opportunities for: 

  • Working with each other on the program topics and tools during the workshops 
  • Reflecting on their own and others’ experiences using the CuRTSEA tools and strategies during the collaborative team meetings 

“This prompted me to…better create an asset-based teaching environment by broadening my own approach to include greater diversity of text opportunities that represent students and a diverse set of cultural and demographic backgrounds.”

– 9th Grade Teacher 

“The pacing…was perfect. I was interested and engaged the entire time. We were able to focus our attention on a specific aspect of culturally responsive teaching that allowed us to take in information, discuss it with colleagues, and then hear various take-aways from the group that promoted deep thinking…and how our curriculum and pedagogy impacts our students.”

– 9th Grade Teacher 

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CuRTSEA's TIMELINE

Research Data

Data Collection for Treatment and Control Schools

  • Teachers provide feedback through surveys, focus groups, and interviews 
  • Students provide feedback through surveys and selected interviews 
  • Schools provide administrative data 
  • Principals provide interview data 
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