Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education

(CR-SE) Program Framework Guidelines

Introduction
On April 23, 2022, the final form amendments to Chapter 49 (relating to Certification
of Professional Personnel) of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code became effective
upon publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.1

22 Pa. Code § 49.14(4)(i) requires the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) to

identify competencies and develop associated standards for educator training in
culturally relevant and sustaining education (CR-SE).

Chapter 49 requires instruction in CR-SE to be integrated in educator preparation,

induction, and continuing professional development programs as follows:2

• Continuing professional development programs must integrate the CR-SE

competencies no later than the 2023-24 academic year.
• Educator preparation and induction programs must integrate CR-SE competencies
no later than the 2024-25 academic year.

22 Pa. Code § 49.1 defines several terms and their definitions are provided in the
glossary.

1 https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pabull?file=/secure/pabulletin/data/vol52/52-
17/624.html&continued=/secure/pabulletin/data/vol52/52-17/624a.html&d=reduce
2 https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pabull?file=/secure/pabulletin/data/vol52/52-

17/624.html&continued=/secure/pabulletin/data/vol52/52-17/624a.html&d=reduce

November 2022 1
 COMPETENCIES: CULTURALLY RELEVANT AND SUSTAINING
EDUCATION (CR-SE)
COMPETENCY 1
Reflect on One's Cultural Lens
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE1.A Reflect on their own life experiences and membership to various identity
groups (race, skin color, ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality,
language, class, economic status, ability, level of education, sexual
orientation, and religion).
CRSE1.B Understand that they, like everyone, can unwittingly adopt societal
biases that can shape the nature of their interactions with groups and
individuals.
CRSE1.C Engage in critical and difficult conversations with others to deepen their
awareness of their own conscious/unconscious biases, stereotypes, and
prejudices.
CRSE1.D Reflect on how they meet the needs of each learner.
COMPETENCY 2
Identify, Deepen Understanding of, and Take Steps to Address Bias in the
System
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE2.A Know and acknowledge that biases exist in the educational system.
CRSE2.B Understand the importance of social markers, such as race, skin color,
ethnicity, gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic
status, ability, sexual orientation, and religion.
CRSE2.C Identify literature and professional learning opportunities for themselves
to understand more about the manifestations of racism and other biases
at institutional and structural levels that can result in disadvantaging
some groups of learners, educators, educational leaders, and families
while privileging others.
CRSE2.D Identify and make efforts to remove bias in their teaching materials,
assignments, curriculum, and resource allocation.
CRSE2.E Recognize schools' history of inequities and institutional biases and their
consequences.
CRSE2.F Disrupt harmful institutional practices, policies, and norms by advocating
and engaging in efforts to rewrite policies, change practices, and raise
awareness.

November 2022 2
 COMPETENCY 3
Design and Facilitate Culturally Relevant Learning that Brings Real World
Experiences into Educational Spaces
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE3.A Respect the real-world experiences of learners, educators, educational
leaders, families, and caregivers and the diverse funds of knowledge
they bring into educational spaces.
CRSE3.B Integrate multiple perspectives into learning experiences and
interactions that capitalize on learners’ real-world experiences,
identities, and heritage.
CRSE3.C Recognize that learners are connected to local and global communities
and events that influence and impact their learning and their relationship
to and understanding of their social worlds.
CRSE3.D Challenge their own beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, and behaviors
regarding the knowledge and backgrounds of dominant and non-
dominant social groups, thinking critically about the nuances of culture,
identity, and other social markers, and how they manifest themselves in
curricula and other educational materials.
CRSE3.E Design learning experiences and spaces for learners to identify and
question economic, political, and social power structures in the school,
community, nation, and world.
CRSE3.F Provide rigorous learning experiences and relevant projects in culturally
supportive spaces that integrate advocacy skills, deep listening and
thinking, collaboration, resource gathering, and strategic actions.
COMPETENCY 4
Provide All Learners with Equitable and Differentiated Opportunities to Learn
and Succeed
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE4.A Make fair and equitable instructional and assessment decisions to
ensure all learners have equitable access to educational resources,
experiences, and opportunities.
CRSE4.B Create an equitable learning environment by challenging and debunking
stereotypes and biases about the intelligence, academic ability, and
behavior of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and other
historically marginalized learners, educators, educational leaders,
families, and caregivers.
CRSE4.C Utilize differentiated methods of communication to articulate clear
expectations aligned with the ability of each learner, which allows them
to demonstrate knowledge through differentiated modalities.
CRSE4.D Provide multiple pathways and opportunities for students to achieve
academic and social success.

November 2022 3
 COMPETENCY 5
Promote Asset-based Perspectives about Differences
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE5.A Recognize diversity as an asset to the entire learning community and
treat it as such.
CRSE5.B Show respect for every BIPOC learner, educator, educational leader,
and family across cultural, racial, and linguistic differences.
CRSE5.C Assess how learners from different backgrounds experience the
environment and encourage them to reflect on their own experiences
with bias.
CRSE5.D Exhibit sensitivity to the ways in which BIPOC learners, educators,
educational leaders, families, and guardians experience social and
academic spaces.
CRSE5.E Assist learners in valuing their own and others' cultures and help them
develop a sense of responsibility for recognizing, responding to, and
addressing bias, discrimination, injustice, and bullying.
COMPETENCY 6
Collaborate with Families and Communities through Authentic Engagement
Practices
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE6.A Believe that every family, regardless of their race, skin color, ethnicity,
gender identity, age, nationality, language, class, economic status,
ability, level of education, sexual orientation, and religion wants the best
for their children.
CRSE6.B View the cultural aspects of the community as an extension of their
teaching spaces.
CRSE6.C Value every family as an asset and resource.
CRSE6.D Understand the nuances of diverse families and the wide range of
factors that shape how families interact with educators and schools.
CRSE6.E Identify systems, structures, practices, and policies that exclude and
marginalize BIPOC and multilingual families, families living in poverty,
and families with varying sexual orientations and gender identities.
CRSE6.F View family and community engagement as a priority.

November 2022 4
 COMPETENCY 7
Communicate in Linguistically and Culturally Responsive Ways that
Demonstrate Respect for Learners, Educators, Educational Leaders, and
Families
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE7.A Understand and honor the ways in which culture influences verbal and
nonverbal communication.
CRSE7.B Employ diverse channels to communicate with families in their first
language.
CRSE7.C Honor and respect the home language of learners and their families.
CRSE7.D Exhibit an awareness of the multi-dialectical nature of language in
American society and the social constructs of different dialects, including
learners’ natural ways of talking.
CRSE7.E Believe that all learners have a choice and a right to practice the
language(s) of their culture.
COMPETENCY 8
Establish High Expectations for Each Learner and Treat Them as Capable and
Deserving of Achieving Success
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE8.A Understand the importance of having high expectations for all learners,
including BIPOC students.
CRSE8.B Communicate expectations and a clear framework for all learners
(specifically individuals from diverse backgrounds), which clarify and
articulate the standards to which they are being held.
CRSE8.C Foster positive learning spaces that nurture creativity, build high self-
esteem, support agency, and lead to self-actualization for all learners
(including those from disadvantaged and historically marginalized
backgrounds).
CRSE8.D Recognize and respect that learners have agency and are capable of
contributing to their own learning.
CRSE8.E Establish authentic relationships with learners.
CRSE8.F Recognize the integral role families play in their students’ education and
work closely with families and learners to set mutually agreed-upon
goals and devise a plan for accountability that is supported by all
individuals.

November 2022 5
 COMPETENCY 9
Educate Oneself About Microaggressions and their Impact on Diverse Learners,
Educators, and Families, and Actively Disrupt the Practice by Naming and
Challenging its Use
Professional Educators:
Standard Competency
CRSE9.A Believe and acknowledge that microaggressions are real and take steps
to educate themselves about the subtle and obvious ways in which they
are used to harm and invalidate the existence of others.
CRSE9.B Take responsibility for informing themselves about the various types of
microaggressions and the specific communities and subgroups harmed
by these practices.
CRSE9.C Inform themselves about the long-term impact of unchecked
microaggressions on the mental and emotional health of BIPOC and
other marginalized learners, educators, educational leaders, and
families.
CRSE9.D Understand the relationship between impact and intent.
CRSE9.E Create learning communities and spaces that are inclusive and free of
destructive and harmful microaggressions.
CRSE9.F Actively counter deficit-based and invalidating behavior in themselves
and others by engaging in affirming practices.
CRSE9.G Engage in critically reflexive practice.

A Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license permits re-use of New America content. These
competencies were adapted from Muñiz, Jenny. 2019. Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Reflection
Guide. 2020. New America Foundation.
https://newamerica.org/documents/5724/Culturally_Responsive_Teaching_A_Reflection_Guide_2021_W
AMBwaO.pdf.

November 2022 6
 APPENDIX A
GLOSSARY
Cultural Awareness: Cultural awareness is defined as understanding, consideration
and integration of individuals’ culture, language, heritage, and experiences. (Source: 22
Pa. Code § 49.1.)

Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education (CR-SE): Education that ensures

equity for all students and seeks to eliminate systemic institutional racial and cultural
barriers that inhibit the success of all students in this Commonwealth—particularly those
who have been historically underrepresented. CR-SE encompasses skills for educators
including, but not limited to, approaches to mental wellness, trauma-informed
approaches to instruction, technological and virtual engagement, cultural awareness,
and emerging factors that inhibit equitable access for all students in this
Commonwealth. (Source: 22 Pa. Code § 49.1.)

Diverse Learner: A student who because of limited English language proficiency or

disabilities may have academic needs that require varied instructional strategies to help
the student learn. (Source: 22 Pa. Code § 49.1.)

Equity: Equity in education is defined as every student having access to the resources
and rigor they need at the right moment in their education across race, gender,
ethnicity, language, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family
background and/or family income. (Source: Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in
Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Department of Education).

Historically Underrepresented Groups: Groups that are documented to have been

represented across time in the educator population in proportions below their
representation in the general population. These include, but are not limited to, people of
color and the economically disadvantaged. (Source: 22 Pa. Code § 49.1.)

Marginalized: Relegated to a marginal position within a society or group; excluded

from or existing outside the mainstream of society, a group, or a school of thought.
(Source: Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Marginalized; Marginal)

Microaggression: A comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or

unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized
group (such as a racial minority). (Source: Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-
Webster, Microaggression)

Reflexivity: The act of being directed or turned back on itself; marked by or capable
of reflection. (Source: Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Reflexive)

Trauma-informed approaches to instruction: Pedagogy that recognizes the signs

and symptoms of trauma and integrates knowledge about trauma for the purpose of
promoting resiliency among students. (Source: 22 Pa. Code § 49.1.)

November 2022 7
 APPENDIX B
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The Pennsylvania Department of Education recognizes the following organizations and

individuals in the development of these competencies:

• Pennsylvania State Board of Education for leading the process to update the
Chapter 49 regulations
• Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Teacher Educators for identifying and
recommending members to PDE’s Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education
(CR-SE) Working Group
• Culturally-Relevant and Sustaining Education Working Group Members: Dr,
Reuben Selase Asempapa (Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg; Dr. Juliet
Curci (Temple University); Dr. Leighann S. Forbes (Gannon University); Jill
McNeish (Mount Union School District); Dr. Constance Nichols (Grove City
College); Dr. James Preston (Slippery Rock University); Dr. Kathleen Reeves
(Temple University); Dr. Amy Rogers (Lycoming College); Dr. Laura Roy (La
Salle University); Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker II (Cabrini University)
• Educator preparation program faculty for participating in the Listening Sessions
to review and provide input to the draft developed by the CR-SE Working Group
• The original authors and contributors of the draft CR-SE competencies who were
members of the Aspiring to Educate Work Group within the Temple University
Institution of Higher Education Educator Diversity Consortium that became the
Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium: Dr. Donna-Marie Cole-Malott
(former PDE contractor); Karen Parker Thompson (subcontractor to the Region
IV Comprehensive Center); Dr. Rochelle Peterson-Ansari, Dr. Trent McLaurin,
and Dr. Laura Roy (La Salle University); Dr. Ronald W. Whitaker II (Cabrini
University); Dr. Marc Brasof and Dr. Priscilla Jeter-Iles (Arcadia University); Dr.
Megeara Glah Mabry and Dr. Tamara Sniad (Temple University); Dr. Larry
Keiser (Drexel University); Dr. David Monk (former PDE contractor); and Dr.
Beverly Mattson and Tandra Turner (subcontractor to the Region IV
Comprehensive Center)
• Colleagues at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network in
Harrisburg who supported PDE in the facilitation of the working groups and
listening sessions

November 2022 8