wanted Culturally Competent Teachers

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wantedCulturally Competent Teachers

• CAYL Nellie Mae Policy Forum
• Wheelock College, July 28, 2009
• Josué Cruz Jr., Ph.D.
• President CEO, Council for Professional
  Recognition

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cultural (in)competence perceptible around us?
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elements of cultural competence

• valuing diversity
• having the capacity for cultural self-assessment
• being conscious of the dynamics inherent when
  cultures interact
• having institutionalized culture knowledge
• having developed adaptations to service delivery
  reflecting an understanding of cultural diversity
• National Center for Cultural Competence

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• - How do we know this is a complete definition?
• - What gaps can we identify?
• - What are the boundaries of being culturally
  sensitive?
• - How can we be sure that the identified elements
  produce the outcomes we desire?

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• bottom line
• being a culturally competent practitioner means
  knowing how to meet the needs of all of your
  students, always, no matter where and with whom
  you work

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why cultural competence?
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• diversity is the defining parameter of our
  society
• in it lives the greatest challenge for the
  teachers
• in meeting this challenge lives the greatest
  opportunity for our childrenand a better future

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• everyone benefits when society values and builds
  on diversity of talents and experiences

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• children in immigrant families are the
  fastest-growing population in the US
• young Hispanic children is the largest
  racial-ethnic group in the US
• the Hispanic population in the US is expected to
  reach 101 million by 2050, which will be one
  quarter of the nations population
• Society for Research in Child Development

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• linguistic and cultural understanding is critical
  for teachers to develop trusting relationships
  that keep students connected to schools
• teachers must frame educational materials to
  students in linguistically and culturally
  appropriate ways
• teachers must find culturally appropriate ways to
  integrate and involve parents
• Early Academic Achievement of Hispanics

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Yet,

• less than half of surveyed teachers felt that
  they were skilled to work with children with
  special educational needs or who were
  English-language learners
• Washington, V., 2008

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from words to action

• what is it that we want at the end of the day?
• how do we get there?
• how do we translate investment in inputs into
  desirable outputs?
• how do we encourage excellence and willingness by
  teachers to undertake a challenge and go the
  extra mile?

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3 worlds in 1
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1.institutionalized approaches to strengthening
cultural competence among teachers
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• professional development systems
• quality rating improvement systems
• teacher preparation program standards

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cultural competence professional development
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• Professional Development system that addresses
  and supports policy principle of access,
  inclusion, and diversity (AID)

professional development system
NAEYC
DIVERSITY
ACCESS
INCLUSION
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NAEYC, Massachusetts Professional Development
System

• A professional development system in
  Massachusetts addresses AID policy principles as
  its design aims to be accessible, culturally
  competent, and based on a clearly articulated
  framework of demonstrated knowledge and skills.

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• How do we measure continuing progress?
• How do we recognize culturally competent content?
• Who takes ownership?
• How do we define adequate and appropriate
  content?

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cultural competence quality rating and
improvement systems
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• At least two questions must be answered
  regardless of the measurement focus (child,
  family, staff, or program)
• What are the most effective measurement tools to
  use?
• Which tools are the most culturally-appropriate
  sensitive?

NAEYC
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Massachusetts draft QRIS

• A few criteria represent effort in demonstrating
  cultural competency.
• To achieve Level 2, a program must have earned at
  least 2 points by meeting one or more of these
  criteria.
• To achieve Level 3, a program must have earned at
  least 3 points by meeting one or more of these
  criteria.

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Example - Health Safety

• (2 points)
• d.) Staff training and support of cultural
  traditions related to health nutrition.
• documentation
• d.) Agenda of training specific to cultural
  traditions around health nutrition.
• (3 points)
• h.) Program uses internal and external data to
  provide meals snacks that are culturally
  appropriate and meet the nutritional needs of
  the children it serves.
• documentation
• h.) Weekly or monthly menu with written
  explanation of data used to identify childrens
  needs

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• are these 2 or 3 points enough to award the
  center a stamp of cultural competence?
• can we accept minimum when much is at stake?
• how can we measure outcomes?

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standards for teacher preparation programs
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• All students - students with exceptionalities
  and of different ethnic, racial, gender, sexual
  orientation, language, religious, socioeconomic,
  regional/geographic origins.

NCATE Standards
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• To teach and serve all students
• Practice with diverse body of students
• Learn from diverse body of faculty
• Cooperate with diverse body of peers

NCATE Standards
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Lets think about the structure of teacher
preparation programs

• Since it is content that matters, why do we
  emphasize the number of credits completed?
• Perhaps teacher preparation programs should focus
  on designing a learning continuum that aims at
  developing competence and evaluates demonstrated
  competence?

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2.community-oriented approach where innovation
lives
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partnerships that question conventional wisdom

• charter school movement
• Harlem childrens zone
• education establishment schools and
  universities
• local leadership initiatives
• technology as a bridge
• transplanted semesters internships study
  abroad opportunities

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3.teacher dispositions
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• Professional Dispositions. Professional
  attitudes, values, and beliefs demonstrated
  through both verbal and non-verbal behaviors as
  educators interact with students, families,
  colleagues, and communities. These positive
  behaviors support student learning and
  development.

NCATE
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mantra for new attitude

• let go of fear of change and fear of challenge
• always keep your eyes ears open, dont succumb
  to routine
• be open to learning opportunities all around you
• interact with diverse group of professionals to
  expose your own deficiencies weaknesses
• dont deal with parents but rather learn from
  parents

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• Institutions of Higher Education
• - operate within institutionalized matrix
• - have ties with role within a community
• - plant a seed of candidates dispositions
• In such framework, IHEs have the most immediate
  potential to create a culturally competent
  generation of teachers. How can they do it
  creatively effectively?

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developmentally appropriate practiceforcolleges
of education?
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cited materials

• Children in Immigrant Families Ket to America's
  Future (2008). Social Policy Report Brief, 22(3).
• Cultural Competence Definition and Conceptual
  Framework. (1998). from http//www11.georgetown.ed
  u/research/gucchd/nccc/foundations/frameworks.html
  
• Eugene E. Garcia, B. J., Delis Cuellar (2006).
  Early Academic Achievement of Hispanics in the
  United States Implications for Teacher
  Preparation. The New Educator, 2, 24.
• LeMoine, S. (2008). Workforce Designs. A Policy
  Blueprint for State Early Childhood Professional
  Development Systems. Washington, DC National
  Association for the Education of Young Children.
• Massachusetts QRIS. Center and School-Operated
  Standards. Draft - for Public Input (2009).
• Professional Standards for the Accreditation of
  Teacher Preparation Institutions (2007). from
  http//www.ncate.org/public/standards.asp
• Washington, V. (2008). Role, Relevance,
  Reinvention Higher education in the field of
  early care and education. Cambridge, MA The CAYL
  Institute.
• Workforce Development System Building Update
  (2009). Massachusetts Department of Early
  Education and Care.
• Young Hispanic Children Boosting Opportunities
  for Learning (2009). Social Policy Report Brief,
  23(2).

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Thank you