Diversity Today
More Inclusive Tomorrow &
Best Practices
For
PA Title I ISP Conference
“Pathways to Success”
Keynote
By: Mauricio Velásquez, MBA
President, CEO
The Diversity Training Group
mauriciov@diversitydtg.com
Diversitydtg.com
About Mauricio
Mauricio Velásquez is the President and CEO of The Diversity Training
Group (DTG) in Herndon, VA. Mauricio serves as a diversity strategy
consultant, diversity trainer, sexual harassment prevention trainer,
executive coach, mentoring trainer, and expert witness. Mauricio holds a
BA (Economics, Psychology double major) from UVA & MBA from GWU.
DTG’s client include particular schools, school systems, charter schools,
public and private schools, colleges and universities. Mauricio and his firm
have partnered with the NEA and NPTA for years. Mauricio conducted
two national webinars for NPTA and recently conducted Minority
Leadership Training in select cities and is also working with NPTA Board.
Mauricio recently spoke at two PA statewide conferences (SPAC most
recently) where Mauricio is now working with several PA school systems.
Mauricio has trained more than a half million participants in every state
but North Dakota. With recent work in Cuba, Italy, Spain, Guam (United
States Navy) work and life has taken Mauricio to over 75 countries.
Mauricio has three kids – Ethan (15), Elise (13), and Maya (10) and he is
active in their school parent teacher organization.
My Mission Today
Provoke Thought
Facilitate Discussion & Learning
Surprise You
Entertain You
Add Value
Provide Subject Matter Expertise
Opening Remarks
What You Don’t
Know You Don’t
Know
(DKDK)
What You
Don’t Know
(DK)
What You Know
(K)
We all mean well but…
Intent
(What you meant to say)
vs.
Impact
(What you actually said)
Diversity means “Different”
Different is not …..
… “ew”
… “yuk”
… less than, inferior
… “them” or “those people”
We need a framework – a model to look at
all of these issues
Diversity…
What differences exist in our student
ranks?
What differences exist in our parent
ranks?
What differences exist in our teacher and
administrative ranks?
You see we need a common framework from
which to look at diversity, diversity issues, and
address them.
Diversity – What Pops into your head?
Race
Class
Culture
Ethnicity
‘Hood
Zip Code
National Origin
Gender
Language Accent
GLBT
Age
World View
Able
Disable
Military
Veteran
Urban
Rural
Background
Color
Upbringing
Values
Beliefs
Marital
Parental
Family
Suburban
Dimensions of Diversity
Language
Military
Experience
Education
Religion
Age
Gender
Work
Style
Family
Status
Income
Sexual
Orientation
Ethnic
Heritage
Mental/
Physical
Abilities
Race
Work
Experience
Individual
Geographic
Location
Communication
Style
Operational Role
and Level
Group
Organizational
Affiliation
Dimensions of Diversity
Military
Experience
Language
Education
Religion
Work
Style
Age
Gender
Mental/
Physical
Abilities
Sexual
Orientation
Family
Status
Ethnic
Heritage
Communication
Style
Income
Work
Experience
Race
Geographic
Location
Operational Role
and Level
Dimensions of Diversity
Indivi
Individual
dual
Group
Organizational
Affiliation
TO BE INCLUSIVE
To include
To welcome
To make
comfortable
To “tap this
diversity” –
untapped
potential
Performance
Improves!
A lot of talk of “Cultural Competence”
Please look closely at our model
Culture is part of a more complex conversation
(not the whole picture)
Focusing solely on culture can create “blind spots”
– we want to be “Diversity Competent”
Don’t get me wrong – culture is important, but not
solely important - many other factors!
Spend a few minutes on this topic of “Culture”
CULTURE
A shared set of beliefs that a common group of people
have that may influence relationships and how we
interact with others
An integrated system of learned behavior patterns that
are characteristic of the members of any given society
Refers to the way of life for a particular group of people
Includes what a group of people think, say, do, and make,
and its customs, language, material artifacts, and
shared systems of attitudes and feelings
Is dynamic and can change over time
Is the environment in which we live and our life
experiences that have a profound impact on each group
and each individual within that group
Culture is Like an Iceberg
15
Cultural Competence:
Dimensions of Culture
 SENSE OF SELF & PERSONAL SPACE
 COMMUNICATION & LANGUAGE
 DRESS & APPEARANCE
 FOOD AND EATING HABITS
 TIME CONSCIOUSNESS
 RELATIONSHIPS
 VALUES & NORMS
 BELIEFS & ATTITUDES
 MENTAL PROCESS / LEARNING
 WORK PRACTICES
When interacting with someone “different” these
dimensions can have very different meaning!
WITH CHANGE COMES OPPORTUNITY
A Change Agent addresses issues, problems, and
conflict and see opportunities and does not ignore
them!
If the student population is changing
If the parent population is changing
 How can “Status Quo” be the answer?
Status quo – doing the same things we have always
done and expecting better results is not working
- Worst Practice! MV
As Change Agents - Advocates
We engage, address negative behaviors
We lead by example
We are ever vigilant, ever mindful of biases,
prejudices, and stereotyping
We are coaches (give each other feedback)
We stand up for all children (not just our own)
We always keep our mission first in our mind
We know or understand “best practices” –
constantly in search of “What is working”
We have a vision for the future
To Affect Change
 You first have to define your destination – “Future State”
 A Vision for your organization – a Diversity and Inclusion Vision
 Define it, so you know when you have arrived
 Then you have to size up your “Current State”
 Realize Status Quo is not working
 What got us here may not get us to Future State
 Assess, study, diagnose your culture, your firm
 Identify current obstacles, barriers
 What is stopping this firm from becoming more diverse, inclusive,
and a better firm (all go together)
 Devise a D & I Strategy and Plan
 Execute
 Have metrics – measure progress, put on website, market, etc.
Best Practices
We acknowledge that “Status Quo” is not
working
We study the changes - demographics
We embrace the changes
We anticipate – see trends, get ahead of
them
We find advantage from change
We see the value that change brings
No such thing as “We have always done it
that way – why change?”
The Most Critical “Best Practice”
TRUST
Is their trust in your ranks?
Trust the students?
Trust the teachers?
Trust the administrators?
Trust Defined
“Trust means confidence. The opposite of trust is
suspicion. When you trust people, you have
confidence in them – in their integrity, and in their
abilities.
When you distrust people, you are suspicious of them
– of their integrity, their agenda, their capabilities
or their track record.”
S.M.R. Covey
Speed of Trust – Executive Overview
Stephen M. R. Covey – in his book: The Speed of
Trust talks about Trust - Taxes and Dividends
When there is high trust – there is an actual
dividend for this trust – tasks, work, progress,
cooperation, collaboration - success is easier
When there is low or nonexistent trust – there is an
actual tax – tasks, work, is harder, indifference,
bogged down, sabotage
I highly recommend you read this book for your
community, for your kids, for your families and
jobs, of course…
Economics of Trust
Quality of Task
High Trust
Organization
Low Trust
Organization
Cost of Task
What do you want to be…
EXCLUSIVE?
“Them”
“Those people”
“Ignoring”
Marginalizing
Gossiping
Being negative
Caddy
“Those different are
bullied”
INCLUSIVE?
Welcoming
Buddy system
You are introduced to all
No cliques
Mentoring the new folks
Embrace those different
Make feel part of team
Anti-bullying anticipates
the exclusion
Best Practices
Questions For All District Personnel
 Do you say anything or do anything if you witness
someone (student, staff peer) being treated differently
or excluded?
 Do you promote positive conversation about differences
in the workplace?
 Do you purposely discourage negative, stereotypical
conversations about differences in the workplace?
 Are you mindful of how staff who are “different” might
be treated differently by their (by staff peers,
students)?
Best Practices - Administrators
Questions we need to ask ourselves:
 Are we encouraging our teachers to share their best practices –
what is working – with each other?
 Do we have a resource center where our teachers can come for
help and information?
 Do we have a multicultural mentoring program in place for our
teachers?
 Are we sponsoring a “lunch & learn speaker series” to
encourage this dialogue?
 Have we defined what we expect from our teachers with respect
to multicultural, diversity and inclusion competency in the
classroom?
 Are we involving the parents of the increasingly, more diverse
students?
Best Practices- Teachers
Questions we need to ask ourselves
 Do teachers observe other teachers for teaching style feedback
and constructive improvement? (formally, regularly)
 Are your educational materials inclusive or exclusive of
difference?
 In other words, are photographs, pictures, and educational
materials representative of the diverse society in which we live
and work?
 When disciplining children, do practices vary from child to
child based on a particular difference (group)?
 What does your seating arrangements look like? Do you move
the students around? Or, are certain students always up front
or in the back?
Best Practices -Teachers
Questions we need to ask ourselves
 Which children are regarded as the most intelligent (is there a
pattern or trend)?
 Are their gender trends with respect to classroom discussion and
participation?
 Are the parents of the culturally diverse students encouraged to
participate to the same extent as other parents?
 Are questions of racial, ethnic, and linguistic differences a part of
curricular development?
 How are linguistically different children integrated into the
classroom discussions and activities?
 In other words, does the linguistically different child have to wait
until you have time to deal with his/her specific issues?
Best Practices - Teachers
Questions we need to ask ourselves
 How much do you know about your students background,
cultural, and home traditions?
 What do your colleagues say (or what do you say) about the
culturally diverse students?
 What attempts are being made (besides this discussion) to
learn about effective teaching strategies for diverse students?
From Recent Workshops
“What do you expect – that kid is from X
neighborhood!”
“I remember the good ‘ol days when they
were not here, not coming to our school.”
“Why do they all _______?”
“Those ‘dang’ ________” …. (Usually a
cultural group)
Why are all ________ (blank)?
Positive Behavior Intervention Approach
PERSON
SEPARATE
BEHAVIOR
Stop Start Message Tool
Start with a Positive
Please stop_______________________________________
(describe negative/unproductive behavior)
Start_____________________________________________
(describe new, more appropriate/positive behavior)
Continue_________________________________________
(describe ongoing positive behavior)
End with a Positive
Using Communication to Solve Problems
Step
?
Action
Example
Identify and agree
on the problem
(consensus) Ask the
right questions.
 Ask for the facts
 Verify the information
 Decide what else you need to
know
 “Help me understand exactly”
 “Let me make sure this is recorded
correctly”
 “I will be able to help you better if I
know…”
Conduct problemcause analysis to
identify a specific
problem and its
cause
 Restate the problem in simple
terms
 Get agreement on the problem
and its importance/impact
 “So, the basic issue is…”
 “It seems we agree it is important
to fix this because…”
Identify
solutions/alternative
s
 Ask what can be done to solve the
problem
 Suggest other options for
consideration
 Tell them what you can do
 “What ideas do you have on how
this can be fixed?”
 “In similar situations we have..”
 “I really wish we could do exactly
what you suggested. However,
according to…, we must…”
APPENDIX
Remainder of Content
Provided as a Professional
Courtesy
Essentials for Cultural Competence
Knowledge
Skills
Abilities
Cultural Competence - Knowledge
Knowledge of the:
 culture, history, traditions, values, and family systems of
our culturally diverse students.
 impact of culture on the behaviors, attitudes, and values of
our students.
 roles of language, speech patterns, and communication
styles in culturally distinct communities.
 resources (for example, agencies, persons, and helping
networks) which can be utilized on behalf of culturally
diverse customers and communities
Cultural Competence - Skills
Skills
 Personal qualities that reflect genuineness, empathy,
warmth, and a capacity to respond flexibly to a range of
possible situations
 Acceptance of cultural differences between people
 Explicit understanding of the student’s/parents personal
values, stereotypes, and biases about their own and others'
culture
 Techniques for learning and adapting to the personal and
cultural patterns of students
 Capacity to work with family members of students
Cultural Competence - Abilities
Ability to:
 communicate accurate information on behalf of culturally
diverse students, parents and communities
 discuss cultural differences and issues openly, and to
respond to culturally-based cues.
 assess the meaning culture has for individual cultures.
 interpret the implications of evidence of problems as they
are expressed by students from different cultures.
 work effectively with an interpreter to obtain information
from students and parents.
 evaluate new techniques, research, and knowledge
regarding working with culturally diverse students.
Culturally Competent Focused
Example of Cultural Competent District
1. One high school principal instituted three new programs:
 human relations program
 conflict resolution program
 mentoring program for new students
Action Steps:
1. A principal met with all teachers and students to identify priority needs, such as
the need for safety and security, and students’ need for more after-school
activities
2. team structure was developed to cultivate more personal relationships among
students, teachers, and parents
3. several staff with similar cultural backgrounds to students and parents were
hired to enhance communication across language barriers and to help mediate
cultural difference
4. Most school leaders and teachers could tell whether race/ethnic relations had
improved or worsened during the past years, but no school had a system of
tracking progress in inter-group relations
Cultural Competent Focused – Cont.’d
Results across 21 schools:
 Built student and teacher leadership in interethnic relations and
improved the overall climate of the school.
 Improved proactive leadership in interethnic relations
 Improved interethnic relations among students;
 Increased academic achievement
 Increased staff awareness about interethnic relations and diversity;
 Increased involvement of diverse parents
Culturally Competent Districts
Five essential elements for becoming more culturally
competent. The district should :
(1) value diversity
(2) have the capacity for cultural self-assessment
(3) be conscious of the dynamics inherent when
cultures interact
(4) institutionalize cultural knowledge
(5) develop programs and services that reflect an
understanding of diversity between and within
cultures.
These should be reflected in attitudes, structures, policies, and
services at every level of the district.
Dimensions of Culture (cont.)
 Sense of Self & Personal Space
 The dominant American culture teaches us to stay about 1 1/2 to 3
feet, from people with whom we are talking in a business relationship.
 Since most other cultures are more formal than the dominant American
culture, you are safest if you err on the side of formality.
 Communication & Language
 Nodding the head is a nonverbal cue that causes problems. A nod
often means “Yes, I heard you,” not “Yes, I understand” or “Yes, I
agree.”
 Perhaps the difference that causes the most difficulty in communication
is the subtlest. It has to do with the degree of directness or
indirectness. In Japanese culture, for example, communication is very
indirect, depending on subtle contextual cues. A manager wanting to
tell an employee about some errors on a report might suggest the
employee look it over again. If both manager and employee are
Japanese, the employee would understand that this subtle suggestion
meant something was wrong with the report. This implied direction
would be missed by most American employees, who would probably be
perplexed by the suggestion.
Dimensions of Culture (cont.)
 Dress and Appearance
 One client almost discounted a qualified job applicant because of
appearance differences. When an interviewee arrived dressed in a
bright silk dress, lots of jewelry and long painted nails, the committee
collectively gulped. However, they realized she was dressing very
appropriately for her culture.
 Hair can also be an appearance hot spot. Turbans, dreadlocks,
Afros, ponytails on men and mohawks are just a few of the different
hairstyles that raise eyebrows cross-culturally.
 Food and Eating Habits
 People from Spain have their main meal at lunch and a very late
dinner.
 Among the Kosher food laws adhered to by some Jews is the
prohibition against eating pork and shellfish. Hindu religious beliefs
prohibit the eating of meat of any kind.
 Burping is considered a breach of etiquette in America, yet this
behavior may be entirely acceptable elsewhere. In fact, belching is
seen as a compliment to the cook in Asia.
Dimensions of Culture (cont.)
 Time Consciousness
 The so-called mañana attitude in Mexico clashes with the American views of
time. In Latin America, time is considered more elastic and more relative.
Mañana does not necessarily mean “tomorrow,” but sometime in the future.
 Relationships
 In the dominant American culture, hiring relatives is considered nepotism and
is, in fact, prohibited in many organizations. This is not true in other cultures.
 Family in America usually means the nuclear group of one’s parents and
siblings. In other cultures it involves a large network of extended family
members.
 Values & Norms
 Regarding privacy Americans are quite open. Thoughts, feelings and problems
are kept to oneself in most groups outside the dominant American Culture.
 Loyalty is differently displayed from culture to culture. Most Americans are
taught loyalty to such abstract principles as truth, justice, and the “American
way” and believe no one is above the law. Mexicans, Filipinos, and Middle
Easterners, on the other hand, are loyal to individuals rather than to
abstractions.
Dimensions of Culture (cont.)
 Beliefs & Attitudes
 Everyone does not practice the same religions, celebrate the same holidays
or want the same days off. An observant Orthodox Jew, for example, cannot
work during the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to nighttime Saturday, so
holding important staff meetings on Friday afternoons or scheduling a teambuilding retreat on a Saturday would exclude this person.
 Beliefs about the position of women in society differ among cultures. In some
groups, it is accepted that women work outside the home. In other groups, it
is seen as a deficiency on the part of the male head of the house if any of the
women from his family work.
 Mental Processes and Learning
 Do you prefer getting directions in words or with a map? Do you learn best by
listening and taking notes; by being involved in experiential activities; by
seeing models, diagrams and graphs; or by taking part in lively discussions?
 Work Practices
 Taking initiative and being self-directed are work habits not universally taught.
In most cultures, workers are not expected to exercise independent judgment,
make decisions, or initiate tasks without being directed to do so.
Cultural Competence
First – BEING SELF AWARE
Do you have a clear understanding of culture –
period?
Do you understand your own culture?
Do you understand how you “judge” or “value”
“other cultures” – those different from you
through your cultural lens?
Do you understand how you TREAT people from
“other cultures?”
Lastly or ultimately – it is important that we care!
For More Information:
The Diversity Training Group
692 Pine Street
Herndon, VA 20170
Tel. 703.478.9191
Fax 703.709.0591
Mauriciov@diversitydtg.com
Mauricio Velásquez, MBA - President