The idea that culturally relevant teaching materials can help students connect better with the curriculum is not a new one. Experts across K-12 and higher education have shown, for example, when it comes to the types of texts instructors use, those with characters and plots directly relevant to students tend to be more understandable.
English professor David Kirkland, the executive director of the NYU Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, told Education Dive, tools like literary fiction that embedded in cultural education help students develop broader critical thinking and human interaction skills that translate to other areas of their professional and academic careers.
