“Mirrors and windows:” a case study of educators’ culturally responsive teaching aspirations and syllabi transformation in the arts

This qualitative case study explored educators’ aspirations to transform arts pedagogy into a culturally sustaining praxis. Twenty-four educators engaged in a 20-h online training, including engaging with prints in the Artura.org print collection, reading culturally sustaining scholarship, dialoguing, and decolonizing lesson plans. Twenty educators participated in dyadic interviews, revealing a deeper understanding of cultural identities and pedagogical changes to shape positive cultural identities for students. Findings highlight how art contributes to social justice teaching goals emphasizing intentional educator self-reflection to anticipate challenges and avoid cultural exploitation. Recommendations include utilizing online art databases with diverse artists in teacher professional development. •Engaging with culturally relevant art education.•Transforming lesson plans for cultural responsiveness.•In-depth interviews for pedagogical insights.•Art as a medium for teaching social justice.•Case study methodology to explore educators' engagement with the CReST online training.