Research continues to show that many students across the United States do not have consistent and equitable access to grade-appropriate assignments. These studies have found that the student groups without access to grade-level content are disproportionately students of color, English language learners, and students with disabilities. School environments can be designed to eliminate sources of bias and affirmatively communicate the value of each student by creating strong, trusting relationships within the school community. Culturally responsive teaching connects to students’ life experiences, acknowledges diverse cultural assets, and promotes cross-cultural relationships that can increase a sense of belonging for all students. The following activities can support this principle.

Key for tables: Y = Yes, likely to be an allowable use of these funds; N = No, unlikely to be an allowable use of these funds

1. Strengthen partnerships between general education teachers and teachers of special populations by providing professional development, time for collaboration and planning, and other supports.

2. Strengthen culturally responsive content:

• Provide time for teachers to understand how to better connect instruction to students’ life experiences, acknowledging diverse cultural assets and promoting cross-cultural relationships.
• Research, select, and strategically invest in inclusive instructional resources and other classroom materials that reflect a wide range of cultural, language, ability, gender identity, and socioeconomic experiences and that do not perpetuate stereotypes.
• Establish processes to involve students and other stakeholders in selecting culturally relevant content.

3. Develop support programs, such as counseling and tutoring that provide personalized attention from school staff, for student groups such as English language learners or students with disabilities. Ensure that groups needing specific supports have ready access to highly trained staff.

4. Develop academic and other support programs that meet the needs and schedules of students and families who may have other commitments during traditional school hours. These could include morning or evening programs, weekend activities, or programs during vacations/holidays.

5. Help all students enroll and succeed in Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), honors programs, and dual enrollment courses:

• Examine participation and achievement patterns in these and other specialized programs to identify inequities and identify ways to address them.
• Cover all tuition, transportation, and textbook support for students from low-income backgrounds to enroll in dual enrollment courses or early college programs.
• Invest in early college programs
• Invest in career guidance and academic counselors to provide information on postsecondary education and career options, and staff coordination to increase student access to college and/or career and technical course offerings/programs of study
• Examine eligibility criteria that may lessen the opportunities for special student populations (e.g., migrant, EL, homeless, etc.) to participate. Ensure that costs of exams are not a barrier for students.
• Examine and revise course-taking trajectories that begin as early as elementary school that limit participation for special student populations in AP, IB, and honors programs.
• Offer summer programs that strengthen the academic skills of underrepresented students, so they are better prepared to succeed in these programs.
• Consider modifying program curricula to be more culturally and linguistically responsive to better engage students.

6. Survey students and staff on how welcoming the school/LEA environment is for students of color, students with disabilities, LGBTQ+ identifying students, students who are English language learners, and students from low-income backgrounds. Include questions to assess staff’s cultural competence to identify areas for improvement.

7. Target academic and other supports to students who have been chronically absent, truant, suspended, or expelled. Work with older students and their parents to identify alternative or reentry programs that could help them reengage. Connect older students with job training programs that could build career skills.

Although this resource discusses Federal laws and regulations, it is intended solely to provide general information and does not constitute legal advice. This guidance provides a general overview of allowable activities, but whether or not a particular cost can be supported with Federal funds depends on the underlying facts and circumstances and State and Federal rules (e.g. New Jersey Treasury Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Uniform Grant Guidelines, respectively). Therefore, an activity listed in this resource may not be allowable in all circumstances, and conversely, an activity not listed in this resource may be allowable. This guide was created to demonstrate how programs, strategies, or initiatives may be supported with Federal funds. Please note a school or local education agency is under no obligation to use its Federal funds for those programs or activities highlighted in this guide.