Brittney Houston, Denver Public Schools, Director of Culturally Sustaining Teaching & Learning

Brittney Houston is the Director of Culturally Sustaining Teaching & Learning for Denver Public Schools. In this role, she leads districtwide implementation of culturally responsive-sustaining pedagogy and safe and welcoming learning environments. She also oversees the district’s High-Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM) strategy, including procurement, adoption, and resource management—ensuring equitable access to rigorous, affirming instruction for all students.

Grounded in the values of stewardship, grace with accountability, and purpose, Brittney is known for translating equity commitments into systems-level strategy. She played a lead role in operationalizing the Board of Education’s Know Justice, Know Peace resolution, aligning culturally responsive practices across curriculum, professional learning, and content area teams. She led the development of Denver’s first Vision for HQIM and co-created culturally sustaining curriculum audit tools that now serve as the foundation for the district’s HQIM quality criteria. Brittney played a key role in the redesign of the curriculum flexibility process, which resulted in a 92% opt-in rate for district-aligned materials and minimized variance in the student instructional experience.

Across each of these initiatives, Brittney has mobilized cross-functional teams to bridge values, policy, and practice in service of equitable, humanizing learning environments.

Prior to her current role, Brittney served as Manager and Instructional Specialist for Culturally Responsive Education in DPS. Earlier in her career, she was an AVID Coordinator, Electives Department Chair, and award-winning teacher in Fort Worth and Crowley ISDs. She holds a Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science from Texas State University and a Master of Education from Texas Wesleyan University.