How an Ed Tech Provider Operationalized Their Commitment to Culturally Responsive Education
Case Study: How an Ed Tech Provider Operationalized Their Commitment to Culturally Responsive Education
The challenge:
Educators are calling for materials that provide mirrors in which children can see themselves and windows through which they can understand the lives of others. To meet this need, one ed tech provider made a commitment to review their existing materials as well as ensure that newly developed materials would be created through a culturally responsive lens. Their vision is to provide the highest quality culturally responsive K-12 educational content in the market. They knew they needed an in-depth training resource and detailed editorial guidelines.
How Westchester Helped:
The client understood that for the initiative to be successful, they needed a skilled, collaborative partner who could work with them in a judgment-free setting, where all participants could seek and receive guidance as well as express any concerns or vulnerabilities. The client had previously worked with Westchester Education Services on several projects, building a relationship of trusted collaboration. The client appreciated the proven expertise Westchester demonstrated during this program. Westchester also brought a deep bench of subject matter experts with diverse identities who were specifically trained in DEI.
The Outcome:
Westchester delivered a beautifully designed 100+ page comprehensive teaching and editorial guideline document that meets the client’s objectives in the following ways:
1. Thoroughly addresses the complex subject matter in a manner that affirms identities and maintains the dignity of all users;
2. Contextualizes information and empowers editors and authors to produce high quality educational material that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion;
3. Provides additional, vetted resources for any of their content developers to deepen their own knowledge and understanding of culturally responsive content;
4. Generates interest for students, who will be more engaged with the material developed using these guidelines.