Parents’ Perceptions of Culturally Responsive Teacher Practices and Elementary Children’s Mental Health and Well-Being

The opposition to culturally responsive teaching practices in the media overshadows the importance and benefits of these practices for minoritized children and families, given the disparate mental health and educational disparities for students of color. Therefore, this study assessed the relationship between parents’ and legal guardians’ perceptions of culturally responsive teaching practices to the perceptions of their elementary-aged children’s mental health and well-being. This study also aimed to investigate the buffering role of culturally responsive teaching practices on the relationship between school discrimination and children’s mental health outcomes. One hundred thirty-one diverse parents and legal guardians with children in elementary school (M_age = 8.05) were recruited for participation. According to parents and legal guardians, teachers’ culturally responsive practices were positively associated with children’s prosocial behaviors and significantly moderated the relationship between discrimination and mental health, including internalizing behaviors. This study provides crucial information regarding cultural variables that should be considered in school professional development and educator practices for elementary-aged children.