Cultural Diversity & Cultural Competence
Annual Training for School Employees
Presented by
Loudon County Schools
Office of Coordinated School Health
Why Have Culture Diversity Training?
• Currently there are 5.5 million English Language Learners
(ELLs) in U.S. public schools who speak more than 400
different languages (Source: U.S. Department of Education,
2004)
• The 2000 census estimated that 65% of school-age children
are non-Hispanic White and that 35% are from other racial
and ethnic backgrounds
• It is estimated that by 2040, no ethnic or racial group will
make up the majority of the national school-age population
• Many students of diverse cultures come from families in
poverty, 39% of children in the United States live at or near
the poverty level ( Source: National Association of State
Boards of Education, 2002)
Dealing With Differences
Dealing With Diversity Can Be Tricky
What is Culture?
“Culture is the total, generally organized way of
life, including values, norms, institutions, and
artifacts, that is passed on from generation to
generation.”
Dictionary of Modern Sociology
How is culture like an iceberg?
How is culture like an iceberg?
food ~ dress ~ music ~ visual art~
drama ~ crafts ~dance ~literature~
language ~ celebrations
notions of modesty ~ conception of beauty~
ideals ~ government ~child-raising~ definition
of sin ~ cosmology ~ relationships to animals~
work patterns ~ superior/subordinate
relationships ~ concepts of humor ~ attitudes
toward elders ~ friendships ~ body language ~
eye contact behavior ~ social interaction ~
conversational patterns ~ roles in relation to
status by age, sex, class, occupation, kinship,
and so forth.
Understanding Culture
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Culture becomes our reality
The map that guides us
The window through which we view the world
To attack someone’s culture is to attack that
person’s innermost self
• We ALL have a culture
Culture Matters
• When culture is ignored, families are at risk of
not getting the support they need, or worse
yet, receiving assistance that is more harmful
than helpful.
Culture Gives Context and Meaning
• It is a filter through which people process their
experiences and events of their lives.
• It influences people’s values, actions, and
expectations of themselves.
• It impacts people’s perceptions and
expectations of others.
Culture Is Inherent in
Family Support Practice
• It informs our understanding of when support
is needed.
• It influences how and from whom we seek
support.
• It influences how we attempt to provide
support.
Schools as a Vessel
• Culture is not inherited; rather we are
socialized to behave according to traditions
established over generations
• The cultures of schools may or may not be in
harmony with the culture each student brings
to school
• Schools greatly influence how young people
see themselves and therefore need to
understand and validate their backgrounds
Source: Cartledge, 1996
What Is
Cultural Competence?
• 1. The integration and transformation of
knowledge about individuals and groups of
people into specific standards, policies,
practices, and attitudes used in appropriate
cultural settings to increase the quality of
services, thereby producing better outcomes
Source: National Technical Assistance Center for State Mental Health Planning (Davis, 1997)
Cultural Competence
• 2. The ability to think, feel, and act in ways that
acknowledge, respect, and build upon ethnic, sociocultural, and linguistic diversity
Source: Lynch and Hanson, 1998
• 3. A culturally competent school is generally
defined as one that honors, respects,
and values diversity in theory and in
practice and where teaching and learning
are made relevant and meaningful to
students of various cultures
Source: A More Perfect Union: Building an Education System
that Embraces All Children, National Association of State Boards of Education , 2002
Teachers Can Help
• A school’s social system is a reflection of the
larger society and is instrumental in
transmitting cultural values
• The classroom teacher is the most important
component of that system as far as social
development in youth
Source: Schneider, B.H., 1993
How Teachers Can Help
Learn as much as possible about the cultural and linguistic
background of students they teach
• Pronounce students’ names correctly and learn key phrases
in their native language
• Allow students to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings
through use of cooperative groups, role plays, dialogue
journals and other forms of active and interactive learning
• Enhance students’ self-image, motivation and cultural pride
by using culturally-relevant materials and encouraging
discussion and actions that honor their cultural and
linguistic heritage
Source: National Association of State Boards of Education, 2002
How Teachers Can Help
• Invite parents and families to actively participate in their
child’s education
• Facilitate home-school communication and collaboration
• Be aware that families from diverse linguistic or cultural
backgrounds may not initiate requests for help or use inschool resources available to address mental health issues.
Teachers are urged to provide orientations to inform
parents and families about school resources
• Seek help from school psychologists or other school mental
health professional if students exhibit academic, behavioral
and/or mental health problems
Source: National Association of State Boards of Education, 2002
Cultural Competence
vs. Cultural Awareness
• Cultural competence:
The ability to effectively operate within
different cultural contexts
• Cultural awareness:
Sensitivity and understanding toward
members of other ethnic groups
Source: National Association of School Psychologists
How Do We Acquire Cultural Competence?
• Recognize the broad dimensions of culture
• Respect families as the primary source for defining needs
and priorities
• Increase sensitivity to alienating behaviors
• Change decision-making processes to include families and
the community
• Commit to structural and policy changes that support
cultural diversity
• Make policies and practices fluid to accommodate
necessary adjustments
Source: Focal Regional Research Institute for Human Services, Portland State University
Achieving Cultural Competence
Individually
• Do you have close personal relationships with people
who are culturally and socio-economically different?
• Do you have the desire, knowledge, and skill to
integrate culturally relevant considerations into your
work?
• How do your own cultural experience and values
impact the way you work?
• Do you continuously engage in an open and honest
dialogue about culture and diversity with diverse
groups of people?
Achieving Cultural Competence
Organizationally
• Value diversity
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Conduct cultural self-assessment
Identify cross-cultural dynamics
Institutionalize cultural knowledge
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Adapt service delivery to diversity within and
between cultures
Source: Adapted from National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University
Value Diversity
•Create an environment in which people feel
safe to express culturally based values,
perceptions, and experiences
•Host social events at which music, food, &
entertainment reflect cultures represented
•Hire staff and leaders who reflect the
community’s cultural diversity
•Partner with cultural organizations and
institutions
Conduct Self-Assessment
•Honestly explore values, beliefs, and attitudes about
your culture and others’
•Non-defensively engage the entire school system,
families, and the larger community in the selfassessment
•Investigate whether recruiting and hiring practices
and policies ensure diverse staffing and
representative leadership
•Do you continuously engage in an open and honest
dialogue about culture and diversity with diverse
groups of people?
Conduct Self-Assessment
Examine:
• Participation and satisfaction rates of families
served from various cultures
• Program practices, activities, and services
• Methods of communication
• Program environment and décor
Conduct Self-Assessment
• Be open to revising the organization’s mission
and objectives
• Evaluate whether current staff can lead the
organization to cultural competence
Identify Cross-Cultural Dynamics
• Understand how historical and political
differences between cultural groups impact
relationships and opinions
• Build capacity to communicate with nonEnglish–speaking families
• Develop written materials that are
appropriate for the literacy levels of families
served
Identify Cross-Cultural Dynamics
• Be responsive to non-traditional families (gay
and lesbian parents, kinship families, single
fathers, etc.)
• Understand how religion influences values and
behavior
Institutionalize Cultural Knowledge
• Create and / or adopt principles of practice
around cultural competence
• Develop a permanent advisory group that
focuses on cultural competence
• Maintain a library of publications, meeting
notes, and materials from trainings
• Create a budget line-item for cultural
exchanges and competence training
Adapt Service Delivery
• Communicate with parents in the manner
they prefer (orally, in native language, etc.)
• Provide staffing that is linguistically and
ethnically representative
• Develop community-based teams to assist
with program development and
implementation
Adapt Service Delivery
• Make referrals to culturally competent
providers
• Leverage cultural strengths (faith, respect for
elders, broad sense of family, etc.)
• Tailor outreach methods to the cultures
represented in the community
Getting Started
1. Identify cultural diversity within the community
2. Conduct a comprehensive assessment of yourself and
your organization:
• Is cultural diversity celebrated?
• Do staff and the organization understand and respect
the cultures represented?
• Do programs address the unique needs and concerns
of the cultures represented?
• Is cultural competence reflected in policies, practices,
and procedures?
• Do staff at all levels reflect the cultures of the
community?
Getting Started
3. Engage in dialogue with cultural communities
with which Engage in dialogue with cultural
communities with which you work:
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Convene informal gatherings with personnel to
explore beliefs, values, and attitudes related to
cultural competence
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Build and use a network of community experts
who have knowledge of the groups served
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Network with parents and family organizations
Getting Started
4. Identify and understand the needs and
behaviors of individuals and families
5. Identify best practices by learning from
other organizations and individuals
6. Design and implement services that are
based upon families’ and the communities’
culturally based choices
Sources
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Loudon County Board of Education Policy, www.loudoncounty.org
Tennessee School Board Association, www.tsba.net
Morehead State University, College of Education, Creating A Culturally Competent
Organizational Culture. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from www.moreheadstate.edu
North Central Regional Education Laboratory, Critical Issue: Educating Teachers for
Diversity. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from www.ncrel.org
National Center for Cultural Competence of Georgetown University. (2006). Definition
of Culture. Retrieved July 25, 2010 from
http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/
National Association of School Psychologists. (2006). Culturally Competent Schools:
Guidelines for Secondary School Principals. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/principals/Culturally%20Competent%20Schools
%20NASSP
Middle Tennessee State University, Office of Institutional Diversity. Retrieved July 20,
2010 from http://frank.mtsu.edu/~cdinit/
Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports, Cultural Fit Within a School-wide System
of PBIS: Universal and Secondary Examples . Retrieved July 20,2010 from
www.pbis.org
Introduction to Cultural Competence: A Training Tool. Retrieved July 20, 2010 from
www.friendsnrc.org
Cultural Diversity & Cultural Competence
Produced by
Kathy Proaps
Loudon County Schools
Office of Coordinated School Health