Why is Cultural Relevance Critical to Academic Success?

Students from urban academic environments are not adequately prepared for the rigor of higher education (TNTP, 2018). These students exhibit a false sense of academic readiness due to earning above-average grades that have been based on a less challenging curriculum.  To eliminate barriers to equitable education, the inclusion of culturally relevant social emotional pedagogy in a rigorous curriculum is examined.

Figure 1. Different theories are examined in implementing cultural relevance in curriculum.