CRSE Project and Communities of Practice

The Pennsylvania Teacher Education Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education (CRSE) Initiative launched in 2022 with the support of the William Penn Foundation. Housed at Temple University’s College of Education and Human Development and in partnership with the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium (PEDC), the Initiative brought together Pennsylvania teacher educators in advancing CRSE across the education ecosystem. The Initiative was later funded under a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Education that focused on increasing the number of diverse, highly qualified educators in Pennsylvania.

Program Description

The Pennsylvania Teacher Education CRSE Initiative, most frequently referred to as the CRSE communities of practice (CoPs), convened cohorts of teacher educators and preK-12 teachers and district leaders to collaborate, share resources and strategies, and strengthen CRSE in Pennsylvania. Members of the CRSE CoPs- who represent a wide array of institutions of higher education, school districts, and intermediate units- convened monthly as they revised teacher preparation coursework to embed the Common Ground Cultural Awareness (formerly CRSE) Competencies, develop strategies for integrating the Competencies into all facets of teacher preparation, and enhance their pedagogical and leadership skills to become advocates for CRSE in their unique contexts.


CRSE Resources for PreK-16 Educators

The Pennsylvania Teacher Education CRSE Initiative is excited to share a plethora of resources to support educators in implementing CRSE! Developed by teacher educators from institutions across PA and reviewed by PreK-12 teachers and leaders, these resources will be of use to those both newer to, and more familiar with, what CRSE looks like in the classroom. The Initiative’s deliverables include:

Resource Description
Transformative Teacher Education

Transformative Teacher Education: Disrupting Pedagogy, Practice, and Ideology to Forge Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education (Emerald Press, 2026), an edited volume documenting CoP members’ experiences making sense of CRSE and embedding it at the course and program levels.

CRSE Repository

The CRSE Repository, which houses examples of teacher preparation syllabi that have been revised to incorporate the CRSE Competencies, reflections documenting the syllabus revision process, course artifacts, and other projects.

Navigating Challenging Waters

Navigating Challenging Waters: A Guide for Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Educators in PreK-12 [pdf], which provides strategies and resources for implementing CRSE when faced with three common challenges in education.

9 Activities for Emerging Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Educators

9 Activities for Emerging Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Educators [pdf], which provides a starting point for those newer to CRSE.

Integration resources

Resources on integrating CRSE in STEM [pdf], the alignment between CRSE and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) [pdf], and how to use AI to strengthen connections between STEM curriculum and CRSE [pdf].

Analysis of the Common Ground Competencies

Analysis of how each set of the Common Ground Competencies - Cultural Awareness [pdf], Technological and Virtual Engagement [pdf], and Trauma-Aware Mental Health and Wellness [pdf] - aligns with the Danielson Framework, to further support CRSE’s integration into all aspects of teaching.

Tips for Teachers

Tips for teacher educators [pdf] when navigating challenging conversations about identity and justice in the classroom.

While the communities of practice are no longer running due to the conclusion of their grant period, we continue to support culturally relevant and sustaining education by sharing these resources and advocating for CRSE across the Commonwealth.
 
For More Information
If you are interested in learning more about the project or collaborating to support CRSE, please contact Project Coordinator Luca Poxon at