Schoolwide Cultural Competence

1. Schoolwide Cultural Competence • Definition • Cultural Dimensions • Process • Examples: Microaggression Donna Gilbertson, PhD, Courtenay Barrett, PhD Lynn Adams, Lesther Papa, Christina Patterson Utah State University

2. Schoolwide Cultural Competence • How well a district’s policies, programs, practices, and behaviors • 1) reflect the needs and experiences of diverse groups in the school • 2) Promote behaviors that support social justice • 3) Establish a safe setting where all students are respected and engaged in learning • 4) Ensure the academic success of all children • (Bustamante, 2006; National Center for Cultural Competence, 2005; Frattura & Capper, 2007)

3. Race Ethnicity Social Class Religion Disability Status Gender Sexual Orientation Multicultural Domains Think about an experience when it was proud or painful to be identified with one of the domains.

4. Privilege •  is a special advantage • is granted, not earned with effort 3. is related to a preferred status • is often outside of the awareness of the person possessing it • results in the benefit of the recipient and to the exclusion of others (McIntosh, 1992; Robinson & Howard-Hamilton, 2000).

5. Model Heterosexual Native English High SES Not Disabled Majority Male $ $ $ $ ELL ELL ELL Female Minority LGBTQ English Language Learner Disabled Low SES

6. Difference Matters Everyone has SOME privilege, but some have more privilege than others. As people become aware of the differences, people are more open to learning how to behave in ways that level the differences for everyone

7. Framework • Educators share knowledge while learning from all cultures • Acknowledge the strengths that students and staff bring with them • Include multiple perspectives in decision-making and instruction • Validate students’ cultural identity in classroom practices • Acknowledge students’ differences and commonalities • Recognize and challenge the many forms of oppression that produce the disparities in education • Become aware of one’s own cultural identify and views and the influence those views have on classroom practices • The following are not components of cultural competence: • Color-blindness or cultural neutrality • Cultural celebrations at designated times of the year • Making assumptions that all students from one culture operate in similar ways and have similar experiences • Assuming that only minority teachers are culturally competent or that white teachers are not culturally competent.

8. Benefits Culturally responsive leadership positively influences • Academic achievement • Engagement • Equity • Climate • Absentees • Drop out rates

9. On going process 1. Assess schoolwide cultural competence • how is school responding to the needs of diverse groups? • What are school policies and practices? 2. Use data to examine strengths/inequities impacting outcomes 3. Make action plans for on going cultural competence development and to ensure equitable practices

10. The School-Wide Cultural Competence Observation Checklist Bustamante and Nelson, 2007 Step 1 • Rate at least 1 strong area • Curriculum • Student Interaction and Leadership • Teachers • Conflict Management • Parents and Outer Community • Assessment

11. SWCC Demonstration Step 2 • What is working well? (3.0 or above) • Join group at that poster • Jot down actions that worked

12. SWCC Demonstration Step 3 • What is needing improvement? (Below 3.0) • What actions could your school implement to improve your school’s specific challenges? • Do your teachers have the skills necessary to implement it? If not, how much training is needed? • Where has it been successful before? Do those schools match yours in demographics?

13. Jigsaw Method • Content groups get together • Each person in the content group becomes an expert in that content • The content groups break into learning groups • Each learning group contains one member from each content group

14. Food Housing History Beliefs ModelTopic: Paiute Tribe Content Groups Learning Groups

15. Empirical Evidence • Shown to improve intergroup cohesion and Increases intragroup dependence (Aronson & Bridgeman, 1979; Walker & Crogan, 1998)) • Increased learning effects (Souvignier & Kronenburger, 2007; Walker & Crogan, 1998)

16. Microaggressions • Brief daily exchanges that are slights, indignities, and insults to a target group such as students of color or with a disability (Sue et al., 2007) • Why? • culturally destructive behavior • Frequent stressors • More harmful than overt racism

17. Types of microaggressions Activity Verbal, nonverbal, actions, exclusion Unconscious and conscious

18. Common Themes • One’s cultural background and communication style are dysfunctional or less valued than those of White culture • Colorblindness • Denial of individual racism • A person of color is foreign born and therefore not a “true” American • Assumptions of criminality or deviancy • Life chances are due solely to effort and race poses no obstacles • Being treated as a second-class citizen • Lower ability • Invisibility • Lack of privacy • Assumed helplessness

19. Bystander Poll • Administrators /Educators • Race / Disability

24. What happens? • Stepped in it • Aware Powerful reaction • guilt, confused, defensive • Ill prepared to react or discuss it Recipient • TriggerPowerful reaction • anger, frustration, fear, exhaustion, confusion • Internal Questioning  no action • what occurred and why? • was it intentional? • to speak or not to speak? • Will I be supported or invalidated? • Few to “give voice”

25. Feels unwelcome, isolated , invisible, disrespected Lowers well being, health, participation, productivity, motivation, identity development Individual Impact Frequent invalidation Impact ignored Group identities are devalued ODRs, suspensions Absenteeism, Drop oust Poor climate Academic gaps Systemic inequalities Bullying System Impact

26. Ineffective • Ignore the issue • Dismiss the importance • roll eyes, wave it off • “Just kidding”, “ didn’t mean it” • Blaming, excuse, justify • “ too sensitive” • Stifles awareness • Lessens compassion • Precursor to bullying Bell, 2002; Spanierman, Armstrong, Poteat, & Beer, 2006; Sue et al., 2009, Nadar, 2010

27. Responding When Triggered • Breathe • silence can be a powerful indicator of how you feel • Acknowledge or Explore what was said/did • “I just want to make sure I am understanding your point of view…” • “Help me understand more about…” • “Tell me more about…” • “Did I understand you correctly when you said…” • Responding choices • Feel empowered to share the impact of the trigger - educate • Explore solutions together Dr. Kathy Obear (www.allianceforchange.com) Dr. Maura Cullen www.thediversityspeaker.com)

28. Coping with MA Stress • Think positively and reframe negative thoughts • Do not invalidate or minimize your experiences • Take pride in one’s ethnic heritage • Seek social support from trusted peers, mentors • Talk to someone you trust • Find an outlet • Pick battles + safety • Taking care of yourself • Self-reward these efforts

29. Effective Error Recovery • Breathe to calm • Apologize • I hear how you are feeling • I am sorry • How can I help fix this for you, change things, or make the you feel more comfortable • Respect and follow the person’s response • “I am sorry that I made you feel bad or alone. • How can I make it better for you or fix it?”

30. Ongoing Self Reflection Recovery • Consider the teachable potential. • Reflect on your role and awareness • Empathize with the person’s feelings or view • Seek more information • Consider privilege vrs oppression • Do something nice to make the person feel better • Ask the person later if they are OK • Advocate to teach respect • Self-reward these efforts – this is not easy

31. Schoolwide Action Planning • ↑ Teach coping skills • ↑ Awareness and Knowledge with education why some statements or actions are stressors • ↑ Skills on what to do or say to make visible, error recovery • (Derald Wing Sue, Ph.D.)

32. Benefits • Schoolwide Cultural competence • Targets all domains: disabilities, LGBTQI, gender, SES • Climate • Safety • Academic • Social well being • Inclusion • Absentees • Drop out rates • Violence • Social advocates/ Allies

33. Useful readings and resources • Sue, D.W., Capodilupo, C.M., Torino, G.C., Bucceri, J.M., Holder, A.M.B., Nadal, K.L., Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial Microaggressions in Everyday Life. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.62.4.271 • Sue, D.W. (2010). Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation. John Wiley & Sons. Hoboken, New Jersey. • Websites: • Southern Poverty Law Center Teaching Tolerance • www.teachingtolerance.org • Critical Multicultural Pavilion • www.edchange.org

34. Student Training Example Tolerance, Respect and Strengths

35. 1. Respecting our class strengths • Write one of special characteristic by each of your classmates name. You can use each one of these only two times though. • The person who is most likely to…or who we can count on to… • Encourage us Be generous to us • Organize us Be patient with us • Listen to us Keep promises • Support us Be fair to us • Take care of us Work with all of us • Problem solve for us Inspire us • Be loyal to us Calm us when needed • Be brave Be kind • Speak out for us Create for us • Be positive towards us Accept us • Compliment us

36. 2. Why talk about disrespect? • Leads to Feeling… • Less valued, unwelcome, isolated ignored, disrespected, self doubting, frustration, hurt • Poor physical health • Less participation with friends and class • Less work done • Less motivation

37. 3. One minute interviews • Question 1- Describe a time when a classmate did something that you did not like. What did you do? Did it work? • Question 2- When a classmate says “ I am just joking! Or “ you are too sensitive” to you or another classmate did you say something about it? How did it go? When you did not say anything, what stopped you? • Question 3- Describe a time when a classmate TOLD YOU THAT he or she was hurt or frustrated about something YOU DID. How did you respond? How did it go?

38. 4. Discuss Barriers • Powerful Emotions • anger, frustration, fear or guilt, confused, defensive • Slow reaction  no action • What just happened? • Was it on purpose? • Should I say something? • Who will support me? • Unaware made an error • “Just kidding” or “too sensitive” • What do I do?

39. 5. Discuss Rights • 1. Group: “Classmates have the right to…..” • 2. Class prioritize 3 to 5 for poster • 3. Write individual responsibilities for each right • “Every classmate has the responsibility to ..”

40. 6. Teach Apologizing • Breathe deep to get calm • Take responsibility • Apologize • Say you heard how they are feeling • Say your are sorry • Ask how to fix, change things, or make the person feel more comfortable • Respect the person’s response to make it better • “I am sorry that I made you feel bad or alone. • How can I make it better for you or fix it?”

41. Write examples of disrespect or stepping in it you have experienced or observed RED disrespect that makes you feel boiling hot, oh my gosh, flipped out ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Orange a bit over my head, stressed, upset, getting tougher to handle ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Green disrespect: hurt and uneasy but can handle it ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________

42. 7. Self reflection and Move on • Take a break and reflect • Empathize with the person’s feelings or view • Problem solve • Do something nice to make the person feel better • Ask the person later if they are OK • Help others get respect • Reflect on what you can do next time • Reward your efforts • Compliments to replace disrespect

43. 8. Self care for Stress • Thinking positively and reframe negative thoughts • Taking pride in one’s ethnic heritage • Seeking social support from others • Talking to someone you trust and reporting it. Don’t ignore or minimize your experiences • Finding an outlet • Taking care of yourself • Rewarding your efforts

44. Contact • Donna Gilbertson, PhD Utah State University email: donna.gilbertson@usu.edu phone: 435-797-2034