Gloria Ladson-Billings

American education scholar who introduced Culturally Relevant Pedagogy — the framework for teaching that affirms students' cultural identities and uses cultural knowledge as a resource for academic success.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (1994): Ladson-Billings's framework developed from studying highly effective teachers of Black students — what made them successful where others failed. Her three criteria: academic success (high expectations and achievement for all students), cultural competence (affirming students' cultural identities), and socio-political consciousness (developing students' critical awareness of their social condition). She also introduced CRT to education scholarship, arguing that the education system perpetuates racial inequality through nominally race-neutral policies and practices.