Culturally Responsive Personalized Learning: Recommendations for a Working Definition and Framework

Culturally responsive personalized learning (CRPL) emphasizes the importance of aligning personalized learning approaches with previous research on culturally responsive practices to consider social, cultural, and linguistic contexts for learning. In the present discussion, we briefly summarize two bodies of literature considered in defining and developing a framework for CRPL: technology-enabled personalized learning and culturally relevant, responsive, and sustaining pedagogy. We then provide a definition and framework consisting of six key principles of CRPL, along with a brief discussion of theories and empirical evidence to support these principles. These six principles include agency, dynamic adaptation, connection to lived experiences, consideration of social movements, opportunities for collaboration, and shared power. These principles fall into three domains: fostering flexible student-centered learning experiences, leveraging relevant content and practices, and supporting meaningful interactions within a community. Finally, we conclude with some implications of this framework for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners working to ensure that all students receive high-quality learning opportunities that are both personalized and culturally responsive.