Theory to Practice: Schoolwide Equity Work & Strategies in Math, Science and Cultural Literacy Classrooms
A Talk by Cliff Luft , Cristine Watson-Smith , Kelly Turk and Katrina Mancuso
About this Talk
City Charter High School, a public charter school in Downtown Pittsburgh, prepares students for success through a personalized, career-focused approach that centers academic, technological, and social readiness. Committed to equity, City High uses culturally responsive teaching to close opportunity gaps and empower students.
This session will highlight the school’s equity-focused strategies across multiple content areas—Math, Science, and Cultural Literacy. Presenters will share the work of City High’s Equity Focus Group and showcase case studies that reflect inclusive curriculum design, reflective professional development, and student-centered engagement.
Attendees will:
- Examine barriers to equity and explore strategies to address them through instruction and leadership.
- Learn how to apply culturally responsive coaching practices and lesson design.
- Explore tools such as:
- Schoolwide professional learning models grounded in equity.
- Social Justice Math lessons.
- A new “Science in Society” course focused on real-world issues like environmental justice and health equity.
- Curricular innovations in Cultural Literacy that apply social, political, and economic lenses to history and literature.
This session is led by experienced educators who have applied and refined these approaches schoolwide and in the classroom.