Today America's public schools serve an increasing population of students whose cultural backgrounds differ from those of their teachers. Meeting these students' needs requires changes in teachers' beliefs and pedagogy which may be accomplished through effective professional development. There is little research on the influence of in-service majority culture teachers' professional development on teaching non-majority culture students. This study researched the professional development experiences that teachers perceive as influencing their practice with students whose cultural backgrounds differ from their own. The major research question is, What professional development experiences do teachers perceive as positively impacting their practice with students whose cultural backgrounds are different from their own? Three subsidiary questions are: 1) What professional development experiences such as courses, workshops, and trainings influenced teachers' practice with students who have cultural backgrounds that differ from that of their teachers? 2) Have the teachers engaged in any non-traditional professional development experiences such as home visits, teachers' in-passing chats, learning from students and parents, and festivals? (If so, which, if any, influenced their practice with students who have cultural backgrounds that differ from their own?) and 3) What personal and cultural background experiences influenced the teachers' practice with students whose cultural backgrounds differ from their own? Three areas of literature, Cultural Mismatch, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, and Professional Development, are reviewed. This qualitative study includes in-depth interviews of eight vetted participants. Data organization and analysis were done in NVivo 8®. The data suggest that participants perceived non-traditional professional development experiences such as home visits, community based involvement, and time for reflection as having a positive influence on their practice with non-majority culture students. Teachers identified two elements for positive professional development experiences, differentiated learning in a respectful learning environment and relevance to practice. There are implications for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers. Practitioners need to understand that their own cultural backgrounds influence their beliefs which are shaped by personal and professional experiences. Policy makers need to broaden current professional development policy to assist practitioners in incorporating culturally responsive pedagogy. Researchers could replicate this study on a larger scale to further inform teachers' understandings of becoming culturally proficient. [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.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]