Enhancing Cultural Proficiency- Making Schools Better for Everyone NTAP - August, 2014

1. Enhancing Cultural Proficiency- Making Schools Better for EveryoneNTAP - August, 2014 The more we understand each other, the more we appreciate our differences. Diana McIntosh Lynne Partridge

2. Agenda I. Openings II. Perceptions Count III. What is Culture ? IV. The Cultural Proficiency Continuum

3. Goals • Define culture and its impact on our daily lives. • Gain a better understanding of Cultural Proficiency and the Cultural Proficiency Continuum and how it affects our lives. • To ensure a common language and common understanding of this work.

4. Four Agreements • Stay engaged. • Observe the quiet signal • Cell phones on vibrate and laptops away • Experience discomfort. • Speak your truth (and allow others to speak theirs) • Expect/accept non-closure.

5. 3Ps and an A of active listening It is important in conversations where race/ diversity are discussed that we practice our best active listening techniques. • Pause • Probe • Paraphrase • Acknowledge

6. … listening… requires not only open eyes and ears, but open hearts and minds. We do not really see through our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs... It is not easy, but it is the only way to learn what it might feel like to be someone else and the only way to start the dialogue. -Lisa Delpit

7. The Big Questions for Today • What is cultureand why does it matter in schools and life? • How do we create environments that allow individuals and organizations to interact effectively with people who differ from them?

8. II. Perceptions Count First Impressions • Partner with someone you know little about- personally • Guess about them from the following list:

9. Write your guess • Country of family origin and heritage • Languages spoken • Interests or hobbies • Favorite food • Type of movies ,TV preferred • Type of music preferred • Pets, if any, or favorite animals

10. Perceptions • How close were you? • We make judgments about people all the time, just by looking at them- it’s human nature. • To move to a place of cultural proficiency we first must examine our own beliefs and ideas and then get to know our students, their families, beliefs and their expectations.

11. III. Culture- What is it? • Jot down words and/or phrases that describe your definition and ideas about “culture” • Turn to a new partner and share ideas. Add to yours. • Let’s hear a few.

13. Culture Is: “The integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communication, action, customs, beliefs, values and instructions of a racial, ethnic, religious, or social group”. “The way we do things ‘round here.” –AsaHilliard

14. Cultural Groups Besides ethnic/racial cultures…you can belong to • Schools • Community/Neighborhood • Professions • Gender • Age • Religion • Others?

15. Culture- Redefined • Please take a moment to put your new ideas about culture down on the page. • Talk to someone about your new learning. • Let’s hear a few. Culture is………….

16. IV. The Cultural Proficiency Tools • The Continuum • Language for describing both healthy and non-productive policies, practices and individual behaviors • The Essential Elements • Behavioral standards for measuring, and planning for growth toward cultural proficiency • The Barriers • Caveats that assist in responding effectively to resistance to change • The Guiding Principles • Underlying values of the approach

17. The Cultural Proficiency Continuum Cultural pre-competence Cultural destructiveness Cultural incapacity Cultural competence Cultural proficiency Cultural blindness

18. Why Cultural Proficiency Society today… • We live and work in an increasingly diverse world. • Interacting effectively with cultures different than ours is a critical skill today. • If organizations or people are to interact effectively in a culturally diverse setting, • an organization must examine its policies and practices; • an individual must examine his/her values, beliefs and behaviors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InCdx8g1zYQ

19. Why Become Culturally Proficient? Schools today… • The student population is becoming more diverse. • Achievement requirements are higher for all children. • There is attention being paid to the gap in achievement for African American and Hispanic students https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgouex0WSJw

20. Building Cultural Proficiency in Schools • Building cultural proficiency requires: • informed and dedicated staff, • committed and involved leadership, and • time • People cannot attend a one-day training and be expected to return to work with solutions to all the equity and racial/cultural issues in their environment.

21. Cultural Proficiency ContinuumJigsaw Task • At your table number off 1-4- read to be able to teach the point to your teammates- make sure you give the definition and one example from the text and one of your own. • 1’s Read- Destructiveness • 2’s Read Incapacity • 3’s Read Blindness • 4’s Read Pre-competence

22. Teach • When I call the number – begin teaching- Please do not move on to the next number until I call it. • Make sure that your teammates are looking at the text you read as you teach.- jot down your new example • Have them underline or highlight the parts you feel are important • Have them dialogue a minute about it. • Number 1’s begin…..

23. The Continuum Cultural destructiveness • See the difference, stomp it out

24. The Continuum Cultural incapacity • See the difference, make it wrong

25. The Continuum Cultural blindness • See the difference; dismiss it

26. The Continuum Cultural precompetence • See the difference, respond inadequately

27. The Continuum Cultural competence • See the difference, understand the difference that difference makes

28. The Continuum Cultural proficiency • See the difference and respond effectively in a variety of environments

29. Definition of Cultural Proficiency • Cultural Proficiency is defined as having the knowledge, skills, and attitudes/beliefs to work with individuals from cross cultural settings with the ability to respond to their needs in a positive and effective way. Culture makes a difference, and that difference matters!

30. Be the change you expect in others.