cultural proficiency school administrators of iowa august 6, 2015
TRANSCRIPT
Cultural
Proficiency
School Administrators of Iowa August 6, 2015
Objectives • To deepen the understanding of the
components of Cultural Proficiency
• To examine the capacity for addressing disproportionality and gaps in districts
• To provide a model for developing an intentional frame for culturally proficient leadership practices
Introductions
Isaiah McGee Equity Coordinator, Des Moines Public Schools PhD Student EPLS-SCS, University of Iowa
Former policy and equity consultant, Iowa DOE Des Moines metro area educator and coach, 7 years
Daniel Spikes Assistant Professor, Iowa State University PhD Education Administration, UT-Austin
Former K-12 educator, 7 years
Jason Salisbury Assistant Professor, Iowa State University PhD Ed Leadership and Policy Analysis, UW-Madison
Former K-12 educator, 8 years
Role of Researchers
• To consult with the district on cultural proficiency initiatives
• To evaluate the effectiveness of those initiatives
• To highlight/publicize the efforts of DMPS in supporting the needs of all students, specifically those from marginalized populations
DMPS Needs
What do we need to accomplish?
• Increase college and career readiness (and success) across all subgroups
• Increase student engagement across all subgroups
• Maintain a safe and orderly environment
• Increase parent/family engagement in their child's school and education across all populations
• Improve connection/ communication in the community across all populations
• Recruit and hire a diverse workforce
Common Good
The best case for public education has always been that it is a common good.
As the main institution for fostering social cohesion in an increasingly diverse society, publicly funded schools must serve all children, not simply those with the loudest or most powerful advocates. This means addressing the cognitive and social needs of all children, with an emphasis on including those who may not have been well served in the past.
Michael Fullan, The Moral Imperative of School Leadership
Culture and Diversity
• Race
• Ethnicity
• Age
• Gender
• Geography
• Ancestry
• Language
• History
• Sexual orientation and identity
• Faith
• Physical and mental abilities
• Occupations
• Affiliations
7
The Challenge
Interesting that our most challenging issues involve student populations that just so happen to experience life different than those responsible for instruction
The Challenge
Students most successful are those that align with the dominant paradigm.
How do educators meet the academic and social needs of young people who enter our schools with a different set of values, beliefs, socio economic experiences, behaviors, world view, home language, and degrees of ableness?
Randall Lindsey, The Culturally Proficient School
Theory of Action
If our goal is to improve student outcomes in every corner
…And our challenge is certain populations are lagging behind the intended outcomes
…And research concludes that the most effective way to improve student outcomes is via a systemic approach where teachers clearly engage student through their own environmental lens
… Then the utilization of a cultural proficiency framework lens will assist in fostering the right learning environment for students and teachers
…By developing the capacity of school leaders and teachers to engage with, create meaning for, and set high expectations for students.
Cultural Proficiency ContinuumCULTURAL PROFICIENCY CONTINUUM
CHANGE MANDATED FOR TOLERANCE CHANGE CHOSEN FOR TRANSFORMATION
DESTRUCTION INTOLERANCE
REDUCTION PRECOMPETENCE COMPETENCE PROFICIENCY
Eliminate differences The elimination of other people's cultures
Demean differences Belief in the superiority of one's culture & behavior that disempowers another's culture
Dismiss differences Acting as if the cultural differences you see do not matter or not recognizing that there are differences among & between cultures
Respond inadequately to the dynamics of difference Awareness of the limitations of one's skills or an organization's practices when interacting with other cultural groups
Engage with differences using the essential elements as standards Using the five essential elements of cultural proficiency as the standard for individual behavior & organizational practices
Esteem & learnfrom differences as a lifelong practice Knowing how to learn about & from individual & organizational culture; interacting effectively in a variety of cultural environments Advocating for others.
■ Focuses on “them” being problems ■ Tolerates, excludes, separates ■ Diversity is a problem to be solved ■ Prevent, mitigate, avoid cultural dissonance & conflict ■ Stakeholders expect or help others assimilate ■ Information added to existing policies & procedures
■ Focuses on “us” & “our practices” ■ Esteems, respects, includes ■ Diversity & inclusion are goals to be attained ■ Manage, leverage, facilitate conflict ■ Stakeholders adapt to meet needs of others ■ Existing policies, procedures, practices examined & adapted to changing environment
Barriers
• Unawareness of the need to adapt
• Resistance to change
• Systems of oppression & privilege
• A sense of entitlement
• Misuse & abuse of power & privilege
Guiding Principles• Culture is a predominant force
• People are served in varying degrees by the dominant culture
• There is diversity within & between cultures
• Every group has unique culturally-defined needs
• People have personal identities & group identities.
• Marginalized populations have to be at least bicultural
• Families are the primary systems of support
• The diverse thought patterns of cultural groups influence how problems are defined & solved.
• The absence of cultural competence anywhere is a threat to competent services everywhere
Essential ElementsCultural Proficiency requires five essential elements for the standards of individual behavior and organizational practices
• Assess Culture: Identify the cultural groups present in the system
• Value Diversity: Develop an appreciation for the differences among between groups
• Manage the Dynamics of Difference: Learn to respond appropriately to the issues that arise in a diverse environment
• Adapt to Diversity: Change & adopt new policies & practices that support diversity & inclusion
• Institutionalize Cultural Knowledge: Drive the changes into the systems of the organization
• Our Identity is the maturation of our collective perspectives
• Our Perspectives are birthed from our experiences
• To change one’s perspective, one must change their experience
• Experience changing begins with the outsider embedding into the experience of the insider
1. What have we done or not done to cause the patterns that persist?
2. How can we recognize what is going on in order to effectively intervene?
3. How can we recognize and change our behaviors to get the results we want?
4. What is it about my thinking and beliefs that allow the results to persist?
Culturally Proficient Leaders
RESPONSIBILITIES OF CULTURALLY PROFICIENT SCHOOLS
ELEMENTS OF CULTURAL PROFICIENCY
Teachers
Observe and Instruct
Site
Administrators Lead and Supervise
District
Administrators Implement Policy
School Board
Set Policy
Families & Community
Articulate Expec tations
VALUE DIVERSITY
Teach all subjects from a culturally inclusive
perspective
Articulate a culturally proficient vision for the
site
Provide guidelines for culturally proficient practices and establish standards for appraisal
Define and establish criteria for culturally
proficient practices
Elect school board members who represent the diversity of the community
ASSESS CULTURE
Assess own culture and its effect of students; assess the culture of the classroom; support students in discovering their own cultural identity
Assess culture of the site Assess culture of the district and the administrator’s role in maintaining or changing it
Assess the culture of the district; assess the culture of the board and the effect of that culture on the community it serves
Share with school personnel the community members’ perceptions of the schools’ cultures
MANAGE THE DYNAMICS OF DIFFERENCE
Use conflict as a tool for object lessons; teach students a variety of ways to resolve conflict
Provide training and support systems for conflict resolution
Provide resources for developing and establishing new conflict resolution strategies
Articulate the need and value for conflict resolution in the context of diversity
Discern the nature and source of conflict when it occurs (i.e., racism, sexism, etc.)
INSTITUTIONALIZE CULTURAL
KNOWLEDGE
Teach students appropriate language for asking questions about other peoples’ cultures and telling other people about theirs
Model and monitor school wide and classroom perspectives
Propose and carry out all policies from a cultural proficiency perspective
Establish all policies from a culturally proficient perspective
Serve as resources and reference groups
ADAPT TO DIVERSITY
Learn own instructional and interpersonal strengths and weaknesses; develop processes to compensate for and capitalize on them
Assess and change current practices where appropriate
Assess policy and propose changes where appropriate
Review and change policies to maintain cultural proficiency as the student population changes
Identify policies and practices that need changing
DMPS Update
1 A system of support for decision makers to develop culturally proficient leadership. 2 Integrated research-based culturally responsive interventions.3 A Guidance handbook containing common definitions, essential questions, and
models of implementation.4 Relevant and appropriate school level equity data and a district level equity audit
to include: teacher placement, program placement, building practices, curriculum implementation and achievement outcomes.
5 Ongoing professional development around culturally proficient schools and communities.
6 Ongoing program evaluation of the DMPS cultural proficiency efforts.7 Input and communication from marginalized and disaffected stakeholders.
1Ensure all staff actions reflect an understanding of the four components of the Cultural Proficiency framework.
2
Ensure that school leadership teams include a diverse set of experiences and perspectives that represent the varying populations represented in the entire DMPS community as well as advocate for the expansion of the inclusion of these perspectives.
3
Conduct school level equity audits to include: teacher placement, program placement, building practices, curriculum implementation and achievement outcomes.
4
Continue to develop the capacity of school leadership teams in ongoing culturally responsive practices to support school staff, students, families and community.
5Acknowledge and embrace various cultural milestones within the context of the community.
1 Build an ethical and professional frame for effective cross-cultural communication and problem-solving.
2 Diagnose values and behavior that influence the policies and practices of the buildings.
3
Express personal and professional conduct that serve as a framework for intentionally responding to the academic and social needs of all cultural groups in the school and community.
4 Develop a coherent approach to educating all students in ways that honor and build on who they are as people and as members of complex and contradictory societies.
Results
Deliverables
Benchmarks
Results
• Culturally responsive approaches for helping parents to help their children
• Incorporation of multicultural, gender fair attitudes and information into the curriculum
• Alternative action plans to address high discipline actions and suspension rates of students of color
• Techniques for collecting qualitative data that monitors student progress and achievement and documents the shift in attitudes and approaches to students and their families
• Effective responses to push-back and resistance to change
Closing Reflections
• Is what we say as leaders congruent with what we do?
• Do we have a coherent approach to honor and build on student strength?
• Do our culturally proficient principles provide a framework to inform professional practice for student learning?
• Is our school and district mission realized by all students?
• Do my values and staff’s values align with established school values of cultural proficiency?
