Transcript Culturally Courageous Leadership: The Missing Link

OVERVIEW OF WORKSHOP ON
Culturally Courageous
Leadership
By All Stakeholders:
The Missing Link
BY JOHN R. BROWNE
COURAGE TO PERSISTENTLY
ACKNOWLEDGE THE
ELEPHANT ON THE CEILING,
AND BREAK THE
CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE
THE
SOBERING
REALITY IN
MANY URBAN
SCHOOLS
POSITIVELY CONFRONT
DISTRICT/SCHOOL NORMS, RE
INDIVIDUAL AND
INSTITUTIONAL BIAS/RACISM
IN CURRICULUM, INSTRUCTION,
AND ASSESSMENT
THE SOBERING REALITY
IN MANY URBAN SCHOOLS
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
•
Throughout any school year, in staff lunchrooms, in district
or school site formal or informal discussions, comments may
be heard about the “special needs” population, the code
language frequently used when referring to African
American students or English language learners; such
students are often described as “very challenging” or
“impossible to teach” and sometimes in very exasperated
and hushed tones, the speakers may also voice their being at
a loss as to what to do. These discussions sometimes
suggest the innate inability or low academic potential of the
“special needs” students, and may also include indications of
resistance to, or resentment for, being held accountable for
meeting NCLB or API targets for such students, given the
“lack of support” in the home or by “the district/board.”
Others listen without challenging such comments or sharing
alternative points of view.
WHAT ARE TWO STEPS TOWARD BECOMING A
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADER? 1-CANDID,
CRITICAL SELF REFLECTION, 2-PARTICIPATION IN
CANDID, CRITICAL DISCUSSION WITH OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS OF NORMS IN THE SCHOOL CULTURE
THAT MAY HAVE RACIST/ANTI EQUITY IMPACT ON
STUDENTS
TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU MUST:
 TACKLE THE UNDISCUSSABLES
 END THE PERSISTENT AVOIDANCE
 OVERCOME FEARS ASSOCIATED WITH
“RACE” DISCUSSIONS
TRY TO TRANSFORM YOURSELF AND
THE SCHOOL AS AN ORGANIZATION
Benefits of having the courage to change your
personal “way of being” [i.e. how you think
and act] in a schooling context:
# 1: your change may contribute to the
creation of a culturally democratic learning
environment, which honors diverse ways of
being and learning, and values students’
learning about their cultural heritage and the
common cultural heritage
# 2: your change may facilitate improved
educational outcomes for all students,
including students of African descent
Concrete example:
•
#1
– All support staff, such as front office
staff, counselors, instructional aides,
custodial staff, special education
specialists, part time specialists in
the arts or P.E., work with several
students in an advisory/advocacy
capacity; this can increase the
support system for all students
#2
– Lessen job stratification/hierarchies
and implement more collegial, crossfunctional, collaborative approaches
to addressing student needs
#3
– Use a wider range of perspectives
and human resources to increase
student motivation and efficacy
Review:
• There is a need for leadership actions by all
school community stakeholders, that
demonstrate the importance of cultural
synergy & model respect for all
cultures/diverse roles and perspectives.
• Courage is one prerequisite for being a
culturally courageous leader, as well as being
willing to pay the “cost” of exercising such
leadership.
• The bottom line is that such leadership must
always rigorously pursue and achieve the
goal of maximizing all students’ potential.
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS
LEADERSHIP
BY ALL STAKEHOLDERS:
THE MISSING LINK
By
John R. Browne
THREE REFORM MOVEMENTS THAT
HAVEN’T HAD THE NEEDED IMPACT ON
EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES OF AFRICAN
AMERICAN STUDENTS
DESEGREGATION: POLITICAL VS. EDUCATIONAL AGENDAS;
RESOURCE AND PREPARATION GAPS, COMMUNITY AND TEACHER
RESISTANCE, LOSS OF AFRICAN AMERICAN TEACHERS AND
ADMINISTRATORS
MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION: CURRICULUM IMAGES AND
CONTENT, GOALS, ORIENTATION OF TEXTBOOK INDUSTRY,
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, ASSIMILATIONIST IDEALOGY, TEACHER
EDUCATION PRAXIS
ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS:
CONTINUATION, INDEPENDENT
STUDY, MAGNET, CHARTER, & CHOICE SCHOOL MODELS; SOURCE FOR
DISCIPLINARY, TRUANT, ATTENDANCE, PREGNANT MINOR, “FLIGHT” &
MIDDLE CLASS STUDENTS SEEKING ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS; SOME
HAVE CARETAKER OR ELITIST MENTALITY; DIFFERENTIAL TEACHER
EXPECTATIONS; RESEGREGATION
• CULTURE AND COURAGE ARE TWO MAJOR
VARIABLES INTEGRAL TO THE CONCEPT OF
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP.
• “CULTURE” means beliefs, actions, customs,
and norms that reflect a person’s, group’s, or
organization’s way of being.
• “COURAGE” means having the resolve to
discuss [i.e. confront] thoughts & actions
counterproductive to equity, and take actions
despite the personal risks/discomfort
associated with doing so.
A GOAL OF
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS
LEADERSHIP:
• CULTURALLY DEMOCRATIC
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
•
value/teach about the learner’s multiple cultures, respect
learner identities, their multiple ways of communicating and
relating, and prepare students for responsible functioning in
the common culture
•
use the relationship between culture and cognition when
teaching, value teaching to multiple learning modalities and
intelligences, and provide culturally responsive academically
rigorous teaching to all
•
policies, conditions, procedures, practices of the school and
classrooms respect influence of the learners’ home and
community
SOURCES OF SAMPLE BARRIERS TO
IMPROVED ACHIEVEMENT IN LOW
PERFORMING SCHOOLS:
• II/USP CULTURALLY/RACIALLY
DIVERSE SCHOOLS IN SAN DIEGO,
LOS ANGELES, ALAMEDA, MONTEREY,
SACRAMENTO AND CONTRA COSTA
COUNTIES
• ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY
SCHOOLS
• PUBLIC, CHARTER AND PRIVATE
SCHOOLS
RULES OF CONDUCT FOR
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERS
• BE INCLUSIVE AND TAKE RISKS
– INCLUSIVE: COLLABORATE WITH OTHER
STAKEHOLDERS ON AN ONGOING BASIS
– CRITICALLY EXAMINE PERSONAL “BAGGAGE,”
SUCH AS RACIAL ATTITUDES, FEARS,
ASSUMPTIONS, BEHAVIORS, RATIONALIZATIONS,
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
– FIND OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE ABOUT WHAT IS
REALLY HAPPENING, RE THE EDUCATION OF
BLACK STUDENTS; YOU MUST BE INFORMED WITH
ACCURATE INFORMATION
RULES OF CONDUCT FOR
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERS
•
UTILIZE SEVERAL KINDS OF POWER
– POSITION AND PERSONAL POWER
• POSITION: LEGITIMATE [SELLING AND
PARTICIPATING], REWARD [SELLING], CONNECTION
[TELLING AND SELLING], COERCIVE [TELLING]
• PERSONAL: EXPERT [DELEGATING], INFORMATION
[PARTICIPATING AND DELEGATING], REFERENT
[PARTICIPATING VIA ENCOURAGING AND PROBLEM
SOLVING]
• UNDERLINED ITEMS HAVE BEEN FOUND MOST
EFFECTIVE, BUT LEADERS NEED VARIOUS POWER
BASES, DEPENDING ON THE SITUATION.
PERCEPTION IS VERY IMPORTANT. BUILDING
TRUST AND RESPECT OF CO-WORKERS IS CRITICAL
TO INCREASING ORGANIZATIONAL POWER.
RULES OF CONDUCT FOR
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERS
• START WITH SELF:
– WHAT ARE YOU HIDING? WHAT ARE YOUR BLIND
SPOTS? ARE YOU CONSCIOUSLY REDUCING YOUR
“UNCONSCIOUS SELF?”
– WHAT IS YOUR ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION? DO
YOU SEEK TASK-RELEVANT FEEDBACK, ARE YOU
MORE INTERESTED IN HOW PEOPLE FEEL ABOUT
YOU, OR DO YOU WANT INFO ON BOTH
– WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL NON-NEGOTIABLES,
ETHICS, TOP PRIORITIES? WHAT BATTLES WILL
YOU TAKE ON, REGARDLESS OF THE
CONSEQUENCES?
RULES OF CONDUCT FOR
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERS
• FOCUS ON ISSUE OF RACISM
WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF OTHER
HUMAN DIFFERENCE CONCEPTS:
IDENTITY, DIVERSITY, CULTURE, CONFLICT,
PREJUDICE, AND DISCRIMIMATION, WHEN
ATTEMPTING TO INFLUENCE THINKING AND ACTION
RELATED TO IMPROVING THE EDUCATIONAL
OUTCOMES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS
RULES OF CONDUCT FOR
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERS
• KEEP “RACE” AT THE FOREFRONT
OF ALL TEACHING AND LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
– FOR EXAMPLE, STAFFING, COURSES
OFFERED, SCHEDULING, CLASSROOM
OBSERVATION, CONTENT,
PERFORMANCE, DELIVERY AND
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
STANDARDS/PRACTICES, BUDGETING,
RESOURCE ALLOCATION, SCHOOLCOMMUNITY OUTREACH, ASSESSMENT
COMMENTARY ON SELECT ALTERNATIVE
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES TO ENHANCE
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP
•
THE CONSUMMATE CONCILIATOR MUST BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE
CROSSCULTURAL/RACIAL CONFLICT, & THE CONSCIENTIOUS
COACH MUST BE ABLE TO USE KEY QUESTIONS THAT FACILITATE
CRITICAL SELF-REFLECTION, PROBLEM SOLVING & PLANNING
•
COMMUNITY ORGANIZING: AWARENESS AND COALITION
BUILDING, BONDING, COLLABORATION, JOINT PLANNING,
PRIORITY SETTING, STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
•
ARDENT ADVOCACY: SPOKESPERSON, LOBBYIST FOR STUDENT
INTERESTS AND CONCERNS, STRONG RELATIONSHIP BUILDING,
FREQUENT CONTACTS WITH HOME, HAVE HIGH STANDARDS
•
REFLECT, DOCUMENT, & ASSESS: GENERATE QUALITATIVE AND
QUANTITATIVE DATA, & ANALYSIS, TO DETERMINE OUTCOMES
AND EFFECTS OF INTERVENTIONS
•
BE RESILIENT AND USE EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE:
PERSEVERANCE, MANAGE OWN FEELINGS, ANXIETIES, RAGE,
IMPULSES, STRESS, DEAL WITH SAME IN OTHERS, BE PRESENT
(CONTROL SELF TALK) & POSITIVE
•
KNOW AND USE WORK/COMMUNICATION STYLES TO INFLUENCE
THE ‘DYNAMICS OF DIFFERENCE:’ RELATIONSHIP OF 4 STYLES
IDENTIFIED BY JUNG, D, I, S, & C, TO DIVERSITY AND CONFLICT
COMMENTARY ON CHART DETAILING
EXAMPLES OF CULTURALLY
COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP PRAXIS
•
EXAMPLES OF LEADERSHIP PRACTICES INCLUDE REAL
SITUATIONS DOCUMENTED BY THE PRESENTER OR THE
PRESENTER’S ‘POSSE’
•
SCHOOL DISTRICTS REPRESENTED IN THE LEADERSHIP
PRAXIS INCLUDE: San Leandro, Sacramento, Grant, San
Diego, Lemon Grove, Monterey, and Pasadena.
•
FEW CASES HAVE BEEN FOUND IN CA. WHERE CCL IS BEING
DEMONSTRATED THRU USE OF 3 OR MORE RULES OF
CONDUCT AND 3 OR MORE ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES
•
THERE ARE MAJOR COSTS (e.g. Loss of personal power
relationships) WHEN IMPLEMENTING SUCH PRACTICE
•
STANDARDS OF PRACTICE ARE NEEDED FOR SPECIFIC
TASKS BY PERSONS IN SPECIFIC ROLES
SOME NEXT STEPS: PURSUING THE
JOURNEY OF BECOMING MORE EFFECTIVE
CULTURALLY COURAGEOUS LEADERS
• “LEADERSHIP UPWARD AND OUTWARD” IS A MUST:
e.g. PERSONS WITH POSITION POWER NEED TO BE
INFLUENCED BY THOSE THEY SUPERVISE
• CREATE SUPPORTIVE COCOON-LIKE SYNERGISTIC
ENVIRONMENTS FOR EACH OTHER WHILE
DEVELOPING /REFINING LEADERSHIP SKILLS
• PROVIDE SPECIFICITY, DATA-BASED, WHEN TRYING
TO INFLUENCE ATTITUDES, POLICIES, PRACTICES [i.e.
transformation]
• REMEMBER THIS IS A COLLECTIVE UNDERTAKING,
NOT A VENUE FOR EGO-DRIVEN LONE RANGERS
• MONITOR YOUR PROGRESS, MAKE MID-COURSE
CORRECTIONS AND CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES