Culturally Proficient Leadership

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Culturally Proficient Leadership

• Presented by
• Dr. Ray Terrell
• Assistant Dean for Research and Diversity
• Miami University

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Session Purposes

• Introduce the Cultural Proficiency Framework
• Introduce the tools for culturally proficient
  leadership
• Engage in conversations and activities about the
  impact and influence of race, culture, ethnicity,
  language, sexual orientation, socioeconomics, and
  class on educational practice

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Cultural Competence

• It is an inside-out approach
• It is about being aware of how we work with
  others
• It is about being aware of how we react to those
  different from us

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Cultural Competence the Achievement Gap

• What is the Achievement Gap?
• Not a single fixed thing
• Multiple gaps (gender, class, language, other
  cultural factors)
• Many data sources including test scores,
  suspensions, expulsions, gifted and other special
  education placements, attendance, etc.

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2008 National ACT Scores

• Afr. Am. Whites AI/AN Latino AA/PI
• Avg. Comp. 16.9 22.1 19.0 18.7 22.9
• Avg. Eng. 16.1 21.7 18.1 17.7 22.1
• Avg. Math 17.0 21.8 18.8 19.0 24.1
• Avg. Read 17.0 22.5 19.6 18.9 22.4
• Avg. Sci. 17.2 21.7 19.2 18.7 22.3

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2008 ACT Percentages Meeting Proficiency

• Afr. Am. Whites AI/AN Latino
• English 37 77 52 49 75
• Math 11 49 25 26 63
• Reading 21 61 40 35 59
• Science 5 33 16 13 38
• All 4 B. M. 3 27 11 10 33

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Cultural Competence Journey

• Cultural Competency Journey
• American education system is built on a
  Euro-centric, middle class, physical and mentally
  able culture
• The system works very well for most students for
  whom it was constructed.
• Hierarchical culture
• Competition as a cultural norm
• Meritocracy as a cultural norm
• Gender bias in elementary schools
• Individualism as a cultural norm
• Standard English as the basis for success in all
  areas of curriculum
• Our question is, what do we do for the students
  who have a different culture, different set of
  values, different behavior patterns and different
  learning styles?

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CULTURE

• Culture involves far more than ethnic or racial
  differences. Culture is the set of practices and
  beliefs that are shared by members of a
  particular group that distinguishes that group
  from other groups. Culture includes all
  characteristics of human description , including
  age, gender, socio-economics, geography,
  ancestry, religion, language, history, sexual
  orientation, physical ability, occupation and
  other affiliations. Defined as such, each person
  belongs to more than one culture.

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What are the Cultural Proficiency tools?

• The Guiding Principles
• Underlying values of the approach
• The Continuum
• Language for describing both healthy and
  non-productive policies, practices and individual
  behaviours
• The Essential Elements
• Five behavioural standards for measuring, and
  planning for, growth toward cultural proficiency
• The Barriers
• Three caveats that assist in responding
  effectively to resistance to charge

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• The Guiding Principles

The Guiding Principles are the core values, the
foundation upon which the approach is built
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Culture is a Predominant Force

• Acknowledge culture as a predominant force in
  shaping behaviors, values and institutions.

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People are served in varying degrees by the
dominant culture

• What works well in schools for some students may
  work against members of other cultural groups.
  Failure to make such an acknowledgement puts the
  burden for change on only one group.

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People have group and individual identities

• Although it is important to treat all people as
  individuals, it is also important to acknowledge
  the group identity of individuals. Actions must
  be taken with the awareness that the dignity of
  the a person is not guaranteed unless the dignity
  of his or her people is also preserved.

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There is diversity within and between cultures

• Since diversity within cultures is as important
  as diversity between cultures, it is important to
  learn cultural groups, not as monoliths, e.g.
  Asians, Latinos, Gay Men, and Women, but as the
  complex and diverse groups that they are.

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The Continuum

• Cultural destructiveness
• Cultural incapacity
• Cultural blindness
• Cultural pre-competence
• Cultural competence
• Cultural proficiency

• There are six points along the cultural
  proficiency continuum that indicate unique ways
  of perceiving and responding to differences.

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The Continuum Cultural Destructiveness

• See the difference, stomp it outthe elimination
  of other peoples culture examples Genocide,
  avoid talking about certain topics or making
  negative comments about various cultural groups
• Some Black students try to act White in this
  school.
• The poor white kids enter school too far behind
  our regular kids.
• I cant understand any of the Spanish speaking
  students.
• We need to get rid of gay students in the
  school.
• The retards need to stay in their room and not
  mix with the rest of us.

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The Continuum Cultural Incapacity

• See the difference make it wrongbelief in the
  superiority of ones culture and behavior that
  dis-empowers anothers culture Examples
• You cant expect the kids from X community to
  perform at the same level as the students from
  Y community because they dont have the same
  support system at home.
• No wonder those kids are so low, they come from
  parents who dont care.
• Over here are my blue birds, they are excellent
  students, my buzzards are over here and not quite
  so talented, but they do the best that they can.

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The Continuum Cultural Blindness

• See the difference, act like you dontacting as
  if the differences we see do not matter or not
  recognizing the differences, examples
• I dont see color, I just see kids.
• I treat all of my students the same.

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The Continuum Cultural Pre-competence

• See the difference, respond inadequatelyawarenes
  s of limitations of individual and organizational
  ability to respond to differences, examples
• Lets get a parent from X community to represent
  them.
• Celebrate the big three and stop thereKings
  birthday, Black History Month and Cinco de Mayo
• Always assign the diversity work to a member of
  the underrepresented group.

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The Continuum Cultural Competence

• See the difference, understand the difference
  that difference make, examples
• Interacting with other cultural groups using the
  five elements of cultural proficiency as the
  standard for individual behavior and school
  practice
• Advocacy for underrepresented
• On-going education of self and others
• Support and model risk taking behaviors

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The Continuum Cultural Proficiency

• See the differences and respond positively and
  affirmatively esteeming culture, knowing how to
  learn about individual and organizational
  culture, and interacting effectively in a variety
  of cultural environments, examples
• Make personal changes in attitudes and behavior
• Develop alliances with members from other
  cultural groups
• Focus conversation on we and us not on
  them.

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Essential Elements for Leadership Action

• Assess Culture
• Value Diversity
• Manage the Dynamics of Difference
• Adapt to Diversity
• Institutionalize Cultural Knowledge

• The Essential Elements of cultural proficiency
  provide the standards for individual behavior and
  organizational practices

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Assess Your Own Culture

• Describe your own culture (Where folks lived,
  languages spoken, work, foods, religion, and
  education)
• Describe the culture of your organization
  (Classroom, school, district)
• Develop an understanding on how your culture and
  the culture of your organization impacts those
  whose culture is different

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VALUE FOR DIVERSITY

• Recognizing difference as diversity rather than
  an inappropriate response to the environment
• Accept that each culture finds some values and
  behaviors more important than others
• Seek opportunities to encourage and celebrate the
  presence of a variety of cultures in all
  activities

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MANAGE THE DYNAMICS OF DIFFERENCE

• Develop effective strategies to resolve
  conflicts, particularly among people whose
  cultural backgrounds and values are different
• Develop an understanding of the effects that
  historic distrust has on present day interactions
• Realize that you may misjudge others action
  based on learned expectationsrecognize your own
  prejudices and stereotypes

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ADAPT TO DIVERSITY

• Change the way things are done to acknowledge the
  differences that are present in staff, students
  and community
• Develop skills in cross cultural communications
• Examine curricular materials and pedagogy to
  ensure that cultural difference are equitably
  addressed

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INSTITUTIONALIZE CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE

• Incorporate cultural knowledge into the
  mainstream of the organization by integrating
  staff development, education, information and
  skills that enable all persons to interact
  effectively in intercultural situations

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Next Three Steps

• Reflect of three things I learned from this
  presentation
• One thing I will try to observe in a
  classroom/school/school district is
• Given this experience, what are two or three
  questions that I have?

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• Iowa City Community School District
• Mark Twain Elementary
• 2006-2007

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TRANSIENT POPULATION

• Where are the students coming from/ leaving to?
• When are they coming/ leaving?
• Why are families coming to/ leaving Twain?

?
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Where are the students coming from?

• Out of District 57 (88)
• Chicago 29 (51)
• Riverside, Loan Tree, Cedar Rapids 2 each
• Keokuk 2
• Marion 3
• Madison, WI 3
• Oxford, IA 3
• Texas 3
• New Orleans, Minnesota, Missouri, Florida,
  Muscatine, Burlington 1 each

• In District 8 (12)
• Longfellow 2
• Wood 1
• Horn 1
• Hills 1
• Coralville Central 1
• Wickham 1
• Home School - 1

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Where are the students going to?

• Out of District 48 (54)
• Chicago 23 (48)
• Minnesota 4
• Illinois 3
• West Liberty 2
• Florida 2
• Burlington 2
• Waterloo, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City,
  Michigan, Indiana 1 each
• 5 Parts Unknown

• In District 41 drops (46)
• Wood 6
• Lucas 6
• Weber 2
• Roosevelt 8
• Kirkwood - 3
• Hills 5
• Hoover - 3
• Mann - 6
• Coralville Central 1
• Home School - 1

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When are they coming/ leaving?

• Incoming
• Sept. 14
• October 16
• November 8
• December 4
• January 14
• February 5
• March 1
• April 2
• May - 6

• Outgoing
• August 17
• September 19
• October 12
• November 7
• December 11
• January 15
• February 8
• March 1
• April 4
• May - 1

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Why are families coming to/ leaving Twain?

• Leaving from
• Establishing/losing housing over time
• Resources available throughout the district
• Stabilized family structure
• Transition difficulties
• False perceptions
• Kind. transfer requests approved 12
• 10 White, 1 Asian, 1 African American

• Coming to
• Improve educational experience for their
  child(ren)

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Overall Impact over the last 2 years

• 04/05
• Stability 83.8
• Incoming for academic year 135
• Outgoing for academic year - 115

• 05/06
• Stability 41.7
• Incoming for academic year 98
• Outgoing for academic year - 154

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Impact on Classrooms

• Constantly starting over with new students
• Attempting to acquire relevant information
  pertaining to incoming students
• Reestablishing classroom climates
• Reorganizing homogeneous, academic groups
• Increased student discipline

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Current/Future Directions

• School Improvement Plan
• Qualities of School Climate
• Long Range Goal Students will feel safe and
  connected at school.

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Cedar Rapids School District

• Johnson Elementary School 2007-2008
• Approx. 300 students in grades 1 5
• 90 homeless students (almost 1/3 of total student
  population)
• Entering year 3 on SINA plan (School data
  analyzed by several subgroups annually African
  American, White, Special Education, SES, All).

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Cultural Proficiency Rationale

• In 1992, Iowa ranked 5th in the nation on NAEP
  fourth grade reading tests
• Iowa slipped to 13th in 2007
• Demographics in Iowa are changing
• In 07/08, 32 (1021/1477) of Iowa schools DID
  NOT meet annual goals in math and reading ((this
  is up from 9 (1353/1491) in 06-07)).
• All kids learning rather than all kids being
  taught is a tremendous shift for school districts

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The Elephant in the Room

• Theres an elephant in the room
• It is large and squatting, so it is hard to get
  around it.
• Yet we squeeze by with, How are you? and Im
  fine, and a thousand other forms of trivial
  chatter. We talk about the weather. We talk about
  work. We talk about everything else, except the
  elephant in the room.

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elephant continued

• Theres an elephant in the room.
• We all know its there. We are thinking about the
  elephant as we talk together. It is constantly on
  our minds. For, you see, it is a very large
  elephant. It has hurt us all. But we dont talk
  about the elephant in the room. Oh, please say
  its namerace. Oh, please say its name culture,
  Oh, please say its name, poverty, Oh, please say
  its name, diversity Oh, please, lets talk about
  the elephant in the room.

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Cont. elephant

• For if we talk about its ills, perhaps we can
  talk about how to set it right. Can I say its
  name to you and not have you look away?
• For if I cannot, then you are leaving me
• ALONE
• in a room
• with an elephant

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Next Three Steps

• Reflect of three things I learned from this
  presentation
• One thing I will try to observe in a
  classroom/school/school district is
• Given this experience, what are two or three
  questions that I have?