Lawrence educators return from Dominican Republic immersion, plan culturally responsive classroom changes

Eleven Lawrence educators told the Lawrence Alliance for Education on May 14 about a spring immersion trip to the Dominican Republic and outlined plans to use their experience to reshape classroom practice and district coaching.

The educators said the program combined pre-trip preparation, school and community visits, curriculum study and time teaching in Dominican classrooms. The district organized the immersion to deepen teachers’ cultural knowledge and to inform strategies for multilingual learners and newcomer students.

Dr. Pena (on Zoom), who led the effort, said the team visited Santo Domingo, La Vega, Santiago and Puerto Plata and worked with schools and community organizations to examine curriculum, social-emotional supports and family‑engagement models. “We prepared. We talked to students. We met with families. We learned from them,” she said, describing the trip as structured around “funds of knowledge” and culturally responsive practice.

Teacher Brianna Johnson said the immersion changed her perspective on students’ lived experiences: “I no longer simply know my students as, like, Dominican. I've seen where they've come from. I've shared meals in their communities, and I've listened to the stories of people who come from those communities.” Leah Banks Bruno, an eighth‑grade math and special‑education teacher at Spark Academy, described steps her school will take: staff orientation on Dominican culture, stronger newcomer supports and family nights that reflect local community practices.

Floridilena Den, the district’s multilingual (ML) expert educator, outlined a three-stage coaching plan: build teacher awareness of biases and cultural context, deepen relationships and parent engagement (including home visits), and integrate culturally responsive references and student voice into curriculum planning. She said the district is designing brief cultural primers and a shared resource library for staff.

Board members praised the program and asked how the trip’s lessons will be scaled across the district. Educators described immediate school-level changes and a plan for district coaching to support broader adoption. The presenters said a district coaching rollout and teacher professional development sessions will follow this summer and into the next school year to help embed practices for multilingual and newcomer students.