As the diversity in the United States increases year after year, it is critical for teachers to be provided with the skills and knowledge to teach diverse learners, whether through their pre-service educational program, higher degree courses, or professional development. To meet the needs of diverse students in the classroom, educators need to be equipped with culturally responsive pedagogy or "using the cultural knowledge, prior experience, frames of reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning encounters more relevant and effective for them" (Gay, 2000, p. 29). The theoretical and conceptual base of the need for culturally responsive pedagogy has been clearly articulated in literature. However, this previous research is focused on the urban education settings, as the growth of diverse students in this setting is growing yearly. However, the developmental process of how individual teachers, both pre-service and current educators, are attaining these much needed culturally responsive practices is an area of needed investigation. Further, there is an obligation for research to reflect the academic needs of diverse students in the suburban setting, as the number of underserved students also continues to grow yearly. This dissertation aims to contribute to the knowledge of culturally responsive development by examining teachers' perspectives about development and practice of culturally responsive pedagogy, both in pre-service education and professional development. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]