Teachers’ perceptions and lived experiences of challenges in culturally diverse classrooms: establishing an equitable school environment

Abstract The increasing population of students of color in public school settings in the United States is a persistent challenge for White teachers teaching diverse student populations with students from racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse families and communities of lower socioeconomic status to make learning more effective in their classrooms. This qualitative study aimed to identify the challenges in teaching students of diverse backgrounds in public school settings in a school district in Houston, the most ethnically diverse large metropolitan area in the United States. The study focused on the lived experiences with in-depth and semi-structured interviews conducted with 7 participants (6 females; 1 male) to gain insights into their perspectives and understand the essence of their experiences. The findings showed that the lack of language proficiency and trained teachers in culturally responsive teaching often create barriers to effective schooling. The findings emphasize the importance of culturally responsive teaching to prepare highly effective teachers to address the needs of an increasingly diverse student population in the United States.