Assessing Visual Materials for Diversity & Inclusivity

Culturally responsive teaching demands that educators know their students and their communities and develop instruction that centers and celebrates their students’ stories in meaningful ways.

Because images can serve as powerful expressions of ideas and meaning, teachers should pay special attention to the messages conveyed by the images in the instructional materials they use. They must also be aware of how their own cultures, perspectives, and dispositions my lead them to favor certain imagery and visual representations over others. Reflecting on how images convey messages through individual visual elements; the relationships depicted through the visual elements; the interplay of text and visual information; and the context in which the visual material was created or is made accessible establishes a framework for evaluation.