Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Twenty-Plus Years Later: How an Arts Approach to Teaching and Learning Can Keep the Dream Alive

Gloria Ladson-Billings' (1995) ground-breaking work around the theory of culturally relevant pedagogy has shaped the discourse in schools and education programs for over twenty years. Her belief that schools should be places where students and teachers come together to have meaningful educational experiences has provided a foundation for developing socially just environments that honor student culture. However, in recent years, Ladson-Billings and others have reexamined the tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy in an effort to bring these important ideas into the 21st Century as a result of an ever-changing student population and the definition of "culture" shifting and expanding every day (Ladson-Billings, 2014). With the evolution and revisiting of this theory by scholars, the authors believe it is time to take a look at the culturally relevant pedagogy movement and how it has transformed over these past two decades. The authors also seek to understand how this evolving theory can enhance the experiences of students in urban schools, and how an arts approach may provide one important means to do so. This paper examines culturally relevant pedagogy from three fronts: First, they revisit the ideas surrounding the theory and discuss the rationale behind its inception and its evolution. Then, they provide an example of how the theory shaped an arts integration model that empowers students to become socially conscious. Finally, they illustrate how this evolving theory--as implemented through an artistic approach--provided the foundation for an innovative project designed to uplift, honor, and sustain student voice.