Many terms are used to describe culture, and how it relates to increasing student achievement. In this booklet, we take an inclusive view of culture, as described by Edwards, Ellis, Ko, Saifer, and Stuczynski:

Culture can be defined as a way of life, especially as it relates to the socially transmitted habits, customs, traditions, and beliefs that characterize a particular group of people at a particular time. It includes the behaviors, actions, practices, attitudes, norms and values, communications (language), patterns, traits, etiquette, spirituality, concepts of health and healing, superstitions, and institutions of a racial, ethnic, religious, or social group. Culture is the lens through which we look at the world. It is the context within which we operate and make sense of the world and its influences on how we process learning, solve problems, and teach. (2004, p. 9)

Although culture tends to be associated with ethnicity or race, some researchers have identified significant cultural differences between children in poverty and their middle class and wealthy peers—differences that have important implications for teaching and learning (Payne, 1998).

The term cultural competence entails "mastering complex awarenesses and sensitivities, various bodies of knowledge, and a set of skills that taken together, underlie effective cross cultural teaching" (Diller & Moule, 2005, p. 5). This term has recently gained increased attention as state education agencies and legislatures throughout our region work to develop standards and indicators of cultural competence, to ensure that teachers and school leaders have the skills and knowledge to effectively educate students of diverse cultures.

Because this booklet focuses on specific ways that schools are responding to the needs of culturally and socioeconomically diverse students, rather than the knowledge and skills they may be drawing from, we have chosen the term culturally responsive to describe these practices. As defined by Nieto, "culturally responsive education recognizes, respects, and uses students' identities and backgrounds as meaningful sources for creating optimal learning environments" (as cited in New England Equity Assistance Center, n.d.). Being culturally responsive is more than being respectful, empathetic, or sensitive. Accompanying actions, such as having high expectations for students and ensuring that these expectations are realized, are what make a difference (Gay, 2000).

The dynamic nature of the word "responsiveness" suggests the ability to acknowledge the unique needs of diverse students, take action to address those needs, and adapt approaches as student needs and demographics change over time. Cultural responsiveness is the term most frequently cited in the research we reviewed, and the way in which the majority of educators interviewed described their own practices.