Transcript The Guiding Principles of Cultural Proficiency

The Guiding Principles of
Cultural Proficiency
ELPS 715
Leading Change Through Cultural
Competence
Some Approaches to Diversity
• Right the Wrongs- Some are angry and
insist on fixing things immediately. Justice
must be served and the wrongdoers
should be punished.
• The Golden Rule- These people want
everyone to get along. If we all would treat
each other kind, there would be no
problems.
Diversity Approaches (cont’d)
• My Pain Equals Yours- These people would say
that everyone has been discriminated against at
some point in time. “I got over it and so should
they!” We need to forget the past and move
forward!
• Oppression Olympics- These people recognize
all have suffered discrimination, however, their
group has suffered the most and this should not
be minimized in discussing other’s alleged
oppression experiences.
Various Comments from Teachers
& Administrators
• I don’t have a culture, I’m Heinz 57!
• He sure didn’t sound black on the phone!
• I didn’t know there were Chinese people
over six feet tall!
• You are DIFFERENT, but we are
comfortable with you!!
• We would have more of YOUR kind
around if they were just like you!
Comments (cont’d)
• Why do they have to have a special
program?
• I think everyone should be given the same
attention and information, that’s fair!
• If one of these folks is allowed in our
neighborhood, we will have more
tomorrow!
• Do I really have to get along with
everybody?
Impetus for Guiding Principles
• As witnessed in the foregoing
approaches to diversity and the past
statements overheard in faculty
lounges and administrator offices;
one can make the case for common
guiding principles for Cultural
Proficiency….
The Guiding Principles
• Culture is a predominant force
• People are served in varying degrees by
the dominant culture.
• Group identity is as important as individual
identities.
• Diversity within culture is vast and
significant.
• Each cultural group has unique needs.
Guiding Principles (cont’d)
• The best of both worlds enhances the capacity of all.
• The family, as defined by each culture, is the primary
system of support in the education of children.
• School systems must recognize that, marginalized
populations have to be alt least bicultural and that this
status creates a distinct set of issues to which the
system must be equipped to respond
• Inherent in cross-cultural interactions are dynamics that
must be acknowledged, adjusted to, and accepted.
Culture is a predominant force
• You cannot NOT have a culture
• Culture is everywhere; you do not notice it
until IT changes
• The dominant group does not notice or
pay attention to Culture—they know where
they are and how they fit in
• This may create a sense of entitlement
unless they acknowledge the differences
among members of the culture.
Predominance (cont’d)
• Culture shapes values and behaviors; it defines
every aspect of humanity.
• We may take offense at behaviors different than
ours; however, as a culturally proficient leader,
be reminded that offensive behavior may not be
personal, it may be cultural!
• Members of the emerging majority populations
have to be bicultural which in and of itself, is
problematic
People are Served in Varying
Degrees by the Dominant Culture
• Common Knowledge is NOT common!
• Not all will know the expectations of the
culture for success
• It is REALLY hard to learn how we do
things around here!
• Worse yet, sometimes the policies and
procedures are in conflict with behaviors;
as a new person what are YOU to do?
Varying Degrees (cont’d)
• Culturally Proficient educators adjust their
behaviors and values to accommodate the full
range of diversity in the school populations.
• They recognize minority groups and individuals
find success in varying degrees in the dominant
culture within the school
• All share responsibility for change( dominant
groups, dominated groups and emerging
groups)
Group Identities & Personal
Identities
• Model Minority Syndrome- occurs when
one member of the dominated group
learns and uses the cultural norms of the
dominant group.
• The model minority is bicultural, and
assimilates into the dominant culture
without causing discomfort to the power
group.
Group/Individual Identities (cont’d)
• “You know, you are not like other _____, you’re
different. You fit right in!” (insult or
compliment????)
• IT IS IMPORTANT TO TREAT ALL PEOPLE AS
INDIVIDUALS AS WELL AS TO
ACKNOWLEDGE EACH GROUP’S IDENTITY
• Culturally Proficient educators know that to
preserve the dignity of each person, they must
also preserve the dignity of each person’s
culture!
Diversity Within Cultures is
Important
• Within any group there are vast differences in
wealth, income, education, and lifestyle.
• Ethnic groups like culture are not monolithic;
there are distinctive subgroups within each
major ethnic group.
• Because of class difference in the US, there is
often more commonality across ethnic lines
between groups sharing the same
socioeconomic status (SES) than those within
an ethnic group between the upper and lower
SES of the group.
Diversity Within Culture (cont’d)
• Upper middle class U.S. citizens of European,
African and Japanese descent will be more likely
to share values and a similar worldview than will
members of any one ethnic group who came
from SES backgrounds varying from working
class to upper class.
• Culturally Proficient leaders recognize these
intracultural differences and provide faculty and
staff with access to information and training
about people who are not like themselves.
Each Group has Unique Cultural
Needs
• Early history of educational practices focused on the
“one size fits all.”
• We have come a long way since that time but still have
schools/districts who refuse to adapt to differences.
• Each group is unique in that it wants to know information
and history that is relevant to its culture.
• A Culturally Proficient educator will make necessary
adaptations to provide educational services so that all
people will have access to the same benefits and
privileges of the dominant group in society.
The Family is the Primary
System of Support in Education
• Traditional relationship between home & school
places responsibility for relationships on the
parents.
• CP stresses the school, leaders, and parents
engage in CP practices that support student
achievement.
• The relationships are defined by the multiple
definitions of the family, e.g. single parent, multigenerational family, same gender parents, foster
care, etc
People not Part of the Dominant
Culture must be Bicultural
• Parents should be fluent in communication
patterns of the school (Ideal)
• Their children should be developing
bicultural skills (Ideal)
• The over-arching goal is to not penalize
those who are learning the culture or
becoming bicultural.
Social and Communication
Dynamics must be Accepted
• Usually unnoticed by the dominant culture.
• While small, or slight, the accumulation of
slights become problems or issues.
• Awareness of historic mistrust and
oppression is essential in adjusting to and
accepting the dynamics of interactions.
The School System
Incorporates Cultural
Knowledge
• CP Educators assess and raise consciousness
about their own individual and organizational
cultures.
• CP Educators, while teaching about their culture,
learn about the cultures of their students and
families.
• CP Educators engage the community expertise
to assist them in the journey.
• This all leads to institutionalizing the knowledge
in the school system.