A Look at Cultural Proficiency at Wilshire Elementary
CULTURAL PROFICIENCY CONTINUUM
Below are listed the six stages of cultural proficiency as offered by Nuri-Robbins et. al. in a 2007 article
entitled, “Cultural Proficiency: Tools for Secondary School Administrators”. (Nuri-Robbins, Lindsey,
Terrell, & Lindsey, 2007)
Cultural
Cultural
Destructiveness
Blindness
Cultural
Incapacity
Cultural
Competence
Cultural
Precompetence
Cultural
Proficiency
The stages of the continuum are described as follow:
Cultural destructiveness: sees the difference, attempt to destroy it; (example might be genocide
against specific groups).
Cultural incapacity: sees the difference, make it wrong; (example might be labeling certain groups as
evil).
Cultural blindness: sees the difference, act like you don’t; (example might be “I don’t see any
differences in my students, and therefore I am treating all of those special education kids just like
everyone else”).
Cultural precompetence: see the difference, respond inappropriately; (example might be “Oh I have
some of those students with special needs, they all need to be exempt from TAKS”).
Cultural competence: sees the difference, understand the importance of difference; (example: we
have so many students from such diverse backgrounds, we need to have more professional
development to better understand the differences).
Cultural proficiency: sees the difference, respond effectively by promoting cultural competence.
(example: we have really improved our campus improvement plan by including programs to promote
cultural proficiency).
The following are examples of actions that represent each stage of the continuum:
Cultural destructiveness: This is maybe a trite example of such strenuously worded language, but I
do remember with a bit of a wince a time earlier in my career when I believed that everyone should give
and maintain eye contact when spoken to: that do not do so was a sign of disrespect or of poor
character. I made more than one student cry over this, and felt vindicated that I was teaching them a
vital lesson in character. When told that, in some cultures, maintaining regular eye contact was a sign
of aggression and would be completely unacceptable in their homelands, I simply maintained that I was
providing an important skill in mastering the cultural mores of American society. What rubbish. It was
only later, when my own son was born, that I learned the terrible damage that such a simple demand
could wreak on a child. My older son, diagnosed with autism, finds maintaining eye contact completely
overwhelming in most instances. In developing understanding of my son’s very real obstacle, I learned
the power of these children’s cultural norms must have had, and how very damaging I had been to the
very self-confidence that I had purported to be building up.
Cultural incapacity: Public school can be an absolute hotbed of cultural incapacity in the absence of
strong, culturally proficient leadership. A campus and its students can be buffeted between the
strongly-held beliefs of various stakeholder groups, and much too often the public school environment
falls prey to the most virulent intolerances in our society. In elementary school, I see this happen most
often in areas where rights to free speech are chipped away by board policies on dress code, student
groups, and the like. In our school law course, there was a discussion thread related to the “I Love
Boobies” wristbands that were starting to wend their way into classrooms. I happened to mention this
discussion in my own teacher’s lounge, expecting that others would see what I had seen in the
discussions and news reports: an extreme overreaction that created more distraction in the classroom
than the bands themselves. I was quite truly shocked when I was roundly criticized for my tolerance of
something that was “so obviously inappropriate for any child to be wearing.” One teacher went on to
comment, “I don’t care if he’s wearing it because his mother is dying of cancer or not – he needs to find
a more appropriate way to express himself.” The conversation moved further, condemning T-shirts that
read “shut up and have a lousy day” and “Trick or Treat, Smell my Feet” because “that’s just rude
commentary, and it has no place in school.” I mentioned that we wear faculty shirts that say, “It is what
it is”, which is a rough translation of “screw it” in urban slang. I must confess that my comment
effectively doused the entire conversation, although I expect that most came away from the
conversation even more convinced of the rightness of their position. I walked out of the lounge feeling
largely frustrated that I didn’t seem to have the tools to redirect this imposition of educators’ personal
world views on the classroom.
Cultural blindness: I have spent my entire teaching career, almost 15 years, in environments of rich
cultural and socioeconomic diversity. I think that it is impossible during that time not to have moments
of cultural blindness, although I find I might be slightly uncomfortable with the connotations implied by
the definition and example given in the assignment. There have been times in my career when I have
seen different groups place widely different priority on the lessons I am trying to provide students. In a
few instances, like the discussion above of eye contact, my attempt to impart a particular skill or
expectation on my students did much more harm than good. However I believe that, on the whole, one
of the greatest gifts I can give my students is a set of consistent, high expectations. I recognize that
students walk out of the classroom into all manner of home situations, and I do not dispute that family
and societal norms give advantage to some over others as they work toward their goals. However, I
live in the world with these students, and I know what is expected of them as they grow into adults. I do
no service to these children by lowering my expectations to meet their circumstances. Just as I do not
allow a student to turn in incomplete homework because they spent three hours at football practice the
night before, I do not allow a student to turn in incomplete homework because they spent three hours
attending church, or three hours in the car driving from one babysitter to the other. I will give students
whatever resources I can to succeed: I will give them the information, the skills, the supplies, and the
support. But what I will not give them are excuses. Geoffrey Canada tells it this way:
You’ll say to the world, “While I couldn’t save all,
I did not let these children fall.
By the thousands I helped all I could see.
No excuses, I took full responsibility.
No matter if they were black or white,
Were cursed, ignored, were wrong or right,
Were shunned, pre-judged, were short or tall,
I did my best to save them all.”
(Canada, 2007)
Cultural precompetence: It seems many of our initial efforts to acknowledge and understand diversity
are marked by inappropriate overtures. From America’s early attempts at racial integration of schools
through busing to my own awkward first attempts at implementing differentiation for mainstreamed
students, part of the learning curve involves making mistakes. We over-compensate for the slights and
discriminations of the past, and in doing so we create new ones. A teacher with the best of intentions
for providing a differentiated classroom can alienate both LEP learners through too overt
accommodations and content mastery, and gifted learners through a disproportionate amount of
project-based and independent study. Here no child’s academic needs are served while maintaining
both her dignity and her role in the whole classroom.
Cultural competence: I currently work in a school environment which I believe is, on the whole, at this
stage of the continuum. We recognize the value in giving value to our diversity, and we look for ways
that we can accomplish this. Our weakness is that our action tends to happen in fits and starts. We
have International Night on our campus, where many of the cultures of our campus community are
given an opportunity to share information and connect with the larger community. However, we are
admittedly lax in taking this opportunity to bring this moment into our classrooms and use it to
springboard instruction. We also find that with the overwhelming pressures of district and state
assessment that creating opportunities to add these cultural components to instruction does not receive
all of the attention it deserves. We have engaged in some pieces of professional development, for
example Ruby Payne coursework and sessions on developing home/school relationships; yet, these
opportunities have not truly turned into school-wide initiatives, acting rather as ‘consciousness-raising’
activities with no follow-through.
Cultural proficiency: This is the gold standard for which we all strive in our classrooms and on our
campus, and I think that my school does much to work proactively toward this goal in all areas.
“Accepting and celebrating diversity in all of its forms” is a basic tenet of our campus improvement plan,
and the professional development opportunities and campus activities that I mentioned previously are
results of that focus. I believe this goal can never be achieved completely; because there is always
more to learn about others, there are always opportunities to learn and grow as a campus and as a
community.
CULTURAL PROFICIENCY RECEPTIVITY SCALE
1. I believe that all children and youth learn successfully when informed and caring teachers assist
them and make sufficient resources available to them.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
2. I want to do whatever is necessary to ensure that the students for whom I am responsible are welleducated and successful learners.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
3. I am committed to creating both an educational environment and learning experiences for our
students that honor and respect who they are.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
4. I am willing to ask myself uncomfortable questions about racism, cultural preferences, and
insufficient learning conditions and resources that are obstacles to learning for many students.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
5. I am willing to ask questions about racism, cultural preferences, and insufficient learning conditions
and resources that may be uncomfortable for others in my school or district.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
6. I believe that all students benefit from educational practices that engage them in learning about their
cultural heritage and understanding their cultural background.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
7. I believe that all students benefit from educational practices that provide them with hope, direction,
and preparation for their future lives.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
8. It is important to know how well our district serves the various cultural and ethnic communities
represented in our schools, and it is also important to understand how well served they feel by the
educational practices in our schools.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
9. It is important to know how the various cultural and ethnic communities represented in our schools
view me as an educational leader and to understand how well my leadership serves their expectations.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
10. Our district and schools are successful only when all subgroups are improving academically and
socially.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
11. Cultural discomfort and disagreements are normal occurrences in a diverse society such as ours
and are parts of everyday interactions.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
12. I believe that lack of cultural understanding and historic distrust can result in cultural discomfort and
disagreements.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
13. I believe we can learn about and implement diverse and improved instructional practices that will
effectively serve all our students.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
14. I believe we can use disaggregated data to understand more precisely the achievement status of all
students in our schools, and that we can use that information to identify and implement effective
instructional practices for each of them.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
15. As a leader, it is important for me to be able to communicate across cultures and to facilitate
communication among diverse cultural groups.
Strongly Disagree
1
2
Agree
3
Strongly Agree
4
5
6
7
SURVEY REFLECTION
I believe that my overall standing in the scale is a positive one. My experiences in vibrant,
culturally diverse campuses throughout my career have given me a real-time education in the
value of embracing cultural differences, and the real risk in ignoring them. I do believe that
while entire districts can and should have policies in place to facilitate cultural proficiency, the
bulk of the responsibility to this charge falls at the campus level. Each campus has a unique set
of needs and opportunities, and it is necessary for a campus administrator to assess those and
implement activities and communication that will speak to her campus’ specific profile. I
struggle with my own embedded cultural mores, and I know that part of my work as an
administrator would involve retooling the way I think about creating opportunities for a campus
to begin dialogue about those barriers. The results reflect a component of my personality that
speaks not only to cultural issues but to my overarching management style. I tend towards a
fairly assertive personality, and while the certainly has benefits as a leader, it can also prove offputting to some. As such, an increased awareness of how I am perceived by stakeholders will
continue to be a personal goal for me. As I previously mentioned, I also have a heightened
sense of personal accountability. Again, while I believe that this trait generally serves me well,
there is no question that it leaves me vulnerable to insensitivities to cultural differences. It will
be necessary for me to be constantly vigilant in my self-assessment of my perceptions and my
decision-making.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RUBRIC
The following rubric represents the basic tenets of the article by Nuri-Robbins et. al.
Cultural
Destructiveness
Cultural
Incapacity
Cultural
Blindness
Cultural
Precompetence
Cultural
Competence
Cultural
Proficiency
Assessing
Cultural
Knowledge
Extent to which
professional
development
addresses issues
of cultural
identity.
Professional
learning that
provides
opportunities to
learn about one’s
own and others’
cultural identities
is avoided and
prohibited.
Professional
learning
promotes
practices and
approaches that
promote
assimilation to
the dominant
culture.
Professional
learning provides
common
approaches that
avoid issues
related to cultural
identity believed
to be beneficial
to all students.
Recognizing
differences
between the
culture of the
home and the
culture of the
school,
professional
development
may address
issues of culture.
Professional
learning helps
staff close
achievement
gaps for
underserved
groups and
anticipate
changing
community
needs.
Valuing
Diversity
Extent to which
professional
development
addresses
cultural issues.
Professional
learning
opportunities
intend to
extinguish
manifestations of
culture,
language, or
learning styles.
Professional
learning
opportunities
support
assimilation to
the dominant
culture and
learning styles.
Professional
learning
opportunities
promote one
approach to meet
the needs of all
students.
Recognizes
community
diversity and may
address the
needs of different
cultural groups in
professional
learning.
Professional
learning informs
participants
about their
culture, the
culture of others,
and the school’s
culture.
Professional
development
helps close gaps
in achievement
and bridge gaps
in cultural,
linguistic,
learning, and
communication
styles.
Professional
learning helps
staff develop
approaches that
meet the needs
of multiple
cultural,
linguistic, and
learning styles.
Professional
learning
opportunities
help participants
anticipate,
identify, and
respond to
changing
demographics
Managing the
Dynamics of
Difference
Extent to which
professional
development
promotes and
models the use
of inquiry and
dialogue related
to multiple
perspectives and
issues arising
from diversity.
Professional
learning
provokes and
foments
opportunities to
denigrate the
cultural needs of
some student,
parent, or staff
groups.
Adapting to
Diversity
Extent to which
professional
learning
facilitates change
to meet the
needs of the
community.
Professional
learning activities
suppress change
to meet the
needs of a
diverse
community.
Institutionalizing Cultural
Knowledge
Extent to which
professional
development
shapes policies
and practices
that meet the
needs of a
diverse
community.
Professional
learning
opportunities
shaped by values
and policies that
deny the needs
of a diverse
school
community are
systematically
applied in
schools and
classrooms.
Professional
learning is used
to influence and
shape practices
that expect
others to
assimilate the
dominant culture
in order to better
educate and
conserve the
resources of the
school district.
Processes are
justified by
majority rule or
opinion.
Professional
learning
opportunities
assume that the
best way to meet
the needs of a
diverse
community is to
maintain the
status quo and
help others to
assimilate.
Professional
learning and
meetings
advocate topics
and processes
that promote the
common good,
and consensus is
favored when
conflict arises.
Professional
learning
opportunities that
reinforce values
and policies
ensuring
assimilation are
applied in
classrooms and
schools.
Believing they
serve the needs
of all cultural
groups,
mandated
professional
learning
opportunities are
applied in
classrooms and
schools.
Believing they
serve the needs
of all cultural
groups,
professional
learning
opportunities
consist mainly of
programs
sanctioned by
local, state, and
federal agencies.
Recognizing that
issues arising
from diversity are
ever-present and
often provoke
conflict, school
leaders may
identify and
develop
professional
development
opportunities that
surface multiple
perspectives
about issues
arising from
diversity.
Recognizing the
needs of a
diverse
community,
professional
learning
opportunities
examine and
alter practices
that may better
meet the needs
of a diverse
community.
Recognizing that
some community
needs are not
met, professional
learning
opportunities
may examine
and shape
values and
policies to meet
identified needs.
Professional
learning
opportunities
incorporate
multiple
perspectives on
relevant topics
and build
capacity for
dialogue about
conflict from
issues that may
arise from issues
related to
diversity.
Professional
learning
opportunities
promote social
action to better
meet the needs
of an everchanging
community.
Professional
learning
opportunities use
data to drive
change to better
meet the needs
of a diverse
community.
Professional
learning
opportunities
help staff
anticipate the
needs of a
changing
community and
develop flexible
policies and
practices to meet
current and
future needs.
Professional
learning
opportunities
lead to improving
community
welfare and
interdependence
Professional
learning
opportunities are
encouraged,
shared, and
applied in
classrooms, the
school, and
community for
the purpose of
improving
student learning
and
achievement.
RUBRIC REFLECTION
Assessing Cultural Knowledge: Recognizing differences between the culture of the home
and the culture of the school, professional development may address issues of culture: we
have engaged in some pieces of professional development, for example Ruby Payne
coursework and sessions on developing home/school relationships; yet, these opportunities
have not truly turned into school-wide initiatives, acting rather as ‘consciousness-raising’
activities with no follow-through.
Valuing diversity: Professional learning helps staff develop approaches that meet the needs
of multiple cultural, linguistic, and learning styles: we recognize the value in giving value to our
diversity, and we look for ways that we can accomplish this. Our weakness is that our action
tends to happen in fits and starts. We have International Night on our campus, where many of
the cultures of our campus community are given an opportunity to share information and
connect with the larger community. However, we are admittedly lax in taking this opportunity to
bring this moment into our classrooms and use it to springboard instruction. We also find that
with the overwhelming pressures of district and state assessment that creating opportunities to
add these cultural components to instruction does not receive all of the attention it deserves.
Managing the dynamics of difference: Professional learning and meetings advocate topics
and processes that promote the common good, and consensus is favored when conflict arises:
when reading this outcome, it seems like a perfectly appropriate way of managing the goals of a
school. I think that the outside observer would not necessarily object to this approach to
balancing the needs and desires of diverse populations. Frankly, I am shocked to find this is the
descriptive statement for ‘cultural blindness’ as it applies to managing differences. I am
personally in favor of social action, and I believe in the idea that as educators we are charged to
respond nimbly to the dynamic needs of our student populations. However, I recognize that at
times the needs of different groups can be mutually opposed. While a school system does seek
understanding and context as a learning community in order to resolve conflict, I think it is
perfectly appropriate to seek resolution that serves the greatest good for the greatest number,
when necessary.
Adapting to diversity: Professional learning opportunities use data to drive change to better
meet the needs of a diverse community: we utilize both quantitative and qualitative data in our
assessment of student and stakeholder needs. Our district spends significant time and
resources looking at the performance indicators of students according to PEIMS subgroup
categories. Benchmark assessment data is input into our ADM software, which enables
teachers to disaggregate the data with whatever criteria they need to determine areas of focus.
However, in addition, we have particular goal teams that commit energies to looking at the
picture through a closer lens: our LEP team looks at the specific language barriers to effective
communication with not only those students, but with their families, as well. Our Core
Knowledge team constantly looks for ways to involve stakeholders’ expertise in driving teaching
and learning at our school: we collect annual survey data from parents that includes questions
of cultural differences and needed tools for communication and success.
Institutionalizing cultural knowledge: Recognizing that some community needs are not met,
professional learning opportunities may examine and shape values and policies to meet
identified needs: this is the venue where the deficits of consensus can be more specifically
addressed. We are a data-driven district, as mentioned above, and we work to respond to the
needs revealed by a careful analysis of our data, both qualitative and quantitative. Our district
follows the Continuous Improvement model, and as such, our professional development is
driven by our goal teams, or learning communities. Stakeholder outreach is a significant part of
our campus mission, and so a portion of meeting involves addressing student and family needs,
which includes cultural components.
Works Cited
Canada, G. (2007). Don't Blame Me. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from Harlem Children's Zone:
http://www.hcz.org/images/stories/pdfs/dont_blame_me.pdf
Nuri-Robbins, K., Lindsey, D. B., Terrell, R. D., & Lindsey, R. B. (2007, September). Cultural
Proficiency: Tools for Secondary School Administrators. National Association of Secondary School
Principals: NASSP Principal Leadership , 8 (1), pp. 16-22.