Requires DOE to develop credential to introduce teachers to culturally responsive teaching practices, characteristics, and methods.

This bill requires New Jersey's Department of Education to create a new credential focused on culturally responsive teaching practices. The credential will introduce teachers to methods that acknowledge students' cultural backgrounds and connect learning to their experiences, aiming to improve equitable access to education. Developed in partnership with the Diverse and Learner-Ready Teachers Initiative, the credential must be available to all teachers starting the first full school year after the bill's enactment. The bill defines culturally responsive teaching as incorporating students' cultural references and using research-based strategies that link school learning to students' cultures, languages, and experiences.