African American and other students of color have continued to score lower than White students in many classrooms and on achievement tests in every subject, especially in reading. The purpose of this study was to explore if there is a relationship between a teacher's cultural responsiveness and their third grade African American students' achievement, especially in reading. An additional purpose was to determine if African American students' perceptions of their teachers as culturally responsive was linked to their achievement and if teachers of African American students are effective or highly effective based on their level of cultural responsiveness. When teachers use a culturally responsive pedagogy, it entails using the cultural background, previous experiences, frames of reference, and performance approaches of ethnically diverse students so that learning is more pertinent and effective for them. This concurrent mixed method study, in which quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed within the same analytical framework, explored the research questions related to cultural responsiveness in teachers and African American students' academic achievement in reading, as well as whether the African American students' perception of their teachers as culturally responsive impacts their achievement. The instruments used in this study were surveys, and district and state assessments. Classroom observations and teacher interviews were also used to gather data. It was found that there was no significant difference in the perceptions of students from the surveys of their teachers at School one and School two. However, there was a significant difference between the score for the MOY and the EOY for the students at the two schools. Culturally responsive pedagogy is a key component to helping African American students succeed in school. This pedagogy must be based on the nine dimensions of African American culture. These characteristics are best demonstrated through educational strategies that allow students to have a reason for, or give meaning to what they are learning. These strategies must be shared with teachers in order for them to be done correctly; therefore, it is imperative that teachers and school leaders receive professional development and training on how to implement these strategies. A culturally responsive pedagogy, effectively used by a caring teacher, can close the achievement gap and level the playing field for all students. [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://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]