Qualifying Sociopolitical Consciousness

This article explores the intersection of culturally responsive pedagogy and faith-based schooling. The author presents a portion of a larger ethnographic research project conducted at a Catholic elementary school that serves a predominantly Latino population in urban Chicago. This work contributes to theories of culturally responsive education by pointing to tensions that emerge when teachers in faith-based schools seek to foster sociopolitical consciousness, an important tenet of culturally responsive pedagogy. The author proposes the extension of theories of culturally responsive pedagogy to include a form of sociopolitical consciousness that is informed by the religious institutions of the teachers, the students, and the school. By preparing teachers to foster a qualified form of sociopolitical consciousness, school leaders may facilitate the efforts of America’s 325,000 faith-based school teachers to adopt culturally responsive teaching practices in religious school contexts.