Which statement best describes culturally sustaining pedagogy compared to culturally responsive teaching?

• A. Emphasizes maintaining students' cultural practices in schooling as a resource for learning; expands beyond adaptation to celebrate culture.
• B. Focuses only on matching instructional materials to students' cultures without broader change.
• C. Rejects integration of culture into the curriculum.
• D. Is identical to culturally responsive teaching.

Answer: (A)

Culturally sustaining pedagogy centers on keeping students’ cultural and linguistic practices alive and actively shaping learning, treating those practices as valuable resources for expanding knowledge rather than just something to accommodate. It goes beyond simply adapting instruction to culture by aiming to sustain and transform cultural knowledge across generations, integrating it into the curriculum in meaningful, ongoing ways. Culturally responsive teaching, while focused on making instruction relevant and respectful to students’ cultures, typically emphasizes responsiveness within the existing system rather than a deliberate effort to preserve and cultivate cultural practices over time. So the statement that best describes CSP highlights using students’ cultural practices as a resource for learning and expanding beyond mere adaptation to celebrate and sustain culture.