Equipping Educators for Equity Through Ethnic-Racial Identity Curriculum: Comparing Teachers' Fidelity of Implementation Across Remote and in-Person Training

Abstract

Professional development (PD) to help teachers learn to use curriculum materials can be effective in aiding fidelity of implementation and supporting student learning. PD may be particularly necessary for curricula focused on students' ethnic-racial identities, given educators' potential discomfort and limited formal training focused on strategies for discussing race/ethnicity in class. The Equipping Educators for Equity through Ethnic-Racial Identity (E⁴) PD prepares educators to implement an eight-lesson ethnic-racial identity curriculum with high school students. We tested whether fidelity of implementation of the ethnic-racial identity curriculum varied by two training modalities: in-person versus remote. Teachers' (N = 14) fidelity of implementation across 55 classrooms was assessed via 440 observations. Teachers' fidelity regarding curriculum adherence was high (76%) and did not vary significantly by training modality. Remote and in-person training resulted in similar fidelity of implementation, suggesting remote trainings may enable scaling up without sacrificing impact.