Carter G. Woodson School is the leader in culturally responsive education. CGW is a great place to start your journey as an educator. At CGW, we believe that teachers make a difference and culturally responsive teaching is the best method of teaching for the many challenges facing teachers today. At CGW, you will learn aspects of freedom dreaming and the joy of applying rigor and routine, while culturally responding to the students in your classroom.

CGW teachers receive most of their professional development through teacher-based in-person activities at school. They participate in professional learning communities that engage in lesson study, teacher and student data analysis, and coaching at regular intervals with university professors and the curriculum coordinator.

At CGW, we tackle the hard questions about culture, race, poverty, gender, trauma and academic excellence. We have book talks and study sessions to better understand the world we live in and how to best serve our students. We discuss the theoretical concepts of Dr. Carter G. Woodson, our school’s namesake. As a teacher, you will learn theory that will help you understand and process society. We believe theory is the foundation of becoming a great teacher. In the past we have discussed texts such as, We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom by Dr. Bettina L. Love.

At CGW, we invest in a culturally responsive curriculum. Therefore, a high quality culturally responsive curriculum plays a critical role in unlocking the potential of both students and teachers. CGW’s curricula are rigorous, standards-based, and carefully designed to prepare our kids to succeed in college, career, and life beyond. 

English Language Arts is taught with various top-notch curricular products such as Success-For-All (SFA), I-Ready, Imagine-It and Edge in grades K-8. Our literacy program provides opportunities for close reading, writing, and speaking based on high-quality, diverse, and texts that are culturally relevant to students within a comprehensive, college-ready curriculum.

Math is taught through I-Ready, a nationally-recognized curriculum that aligns college ready standards with instruction for grades K-12. I-Ready presents mathematics in a logical progression designed to reduce learning gaps, develop persistence in problem solving, and prepare students to understand advanced mathematical concepts.