The Effects of Professional Development Workshops and Mentoring on Teachers Use of Multicultural Strategies in One Urban Middle School

This ten-month action research study involved 13 teachers in one middle school in a high-needs New England school district. It examined the effects of professional development workshops on teachers’ use of multicultural strategies to promote culturally and linguistically diverse students’ participation in content area classes. The study was grounded in principles of multicultural education, culturally relevant pedagogy, and restorative practices. Workshops were designed based on needs identified by two measures: a school-wide survey and informal observations in classrooms. The principal investigator designed and presented the workshops and provided follow-up coaching (observations and interviews) to support to teachers as they implemented strategies they learned in the workshops. In addition to the workshops, surveys, and classroom observations, other data sources included interviews and analysis of artifacts--such as, curricula, changes in classroom instructional supports, and informal observations of increased student engagement, and class participation. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and ethnographic research methods. Findings indicated that locally designed workshops with district-based coaching afterward incrementally increased teachers use of the strategies introduced. District-wide multicultural education initiatives, however, may not be effective without a district-wide plan to monitor teachers’ implementation of strategies and assess changes in student engagement and ideally student academic growth,