Skill Builder: Archived Page

October 18, 2010

Understanding Cultural Proficiency: A Lens Through Which You View Our Work

"Culturally Proficient individuals are aware of their values and beliefs about diversity and at the same time are aware of the behaviors, policies, and practices within an organization or institution" (Lindsey, Martinez, Lindsey, 2007, p. 34). Effective members of professional learning communities are aware of the inclusive nature of their community and look for opportunities to rely on the diversity of each other to create and share their vision, mission, and collective learning. The major purpose of this Skill Builder article is to present the Tools of Cultural Proficiency as a frame for communities of learners to intentionally focus on setting and reaching academic achievement goals for students who have historically not been well served by schools. Culturally Proficient practices are not extra things "to do," rather are the way we do our current work.

Cultural Proficiency is about serving the needs of historically underserved students within the context of serving the needs of all students. When education is delivered in a culturally proficient manner, historically underserved students gain access to educational opportunities intended to result in high academic achievement. When education is delivered in a culturally proficient manner all students understand and value their own culture and the cultures of those around them. Concomitantly, when the educational experience is delivered in a culturally proficient manner, all educators, legislators, board members and local business community members understand and value the culture of those around them in ways they have rarely experienced or appreciated.

The four Tools for Cultural Proficiency that guide educators work are:

Overcoming the Barriers to Cultural Proficiency—the recognition that systems of historical oppression continue to exist and can be overcome by people and organizations that adapt their values, behaviors, policies and practices to meet the needs of underserved cultural groups using the democratic means of public education.
The Guiding Principles of Cultural Proficiency—an inclusive set of core values that identify the centrality of culture in our lives and in our society.
The Cultural Proficiency Continuum—six points along a continuum to indicate unhealthy and healthy ways of responding to cultural difference.
The Five Essential Elements of Cultural Competence—five standards to guide a person’s values and behaviors and a school/district’s policies and practices in meeting the academic needs of cultural groups.

Reflection and Intention

As you continue to grow professionally, in what ways will you:

clarify your personal values, assumptions and beliefs about providing all demographic groups of students access to high quality education?
develop knowledge and skills in how to work with fellow educators in developing shared values for educating all demographic groups of students?
develop knowledge and skills in creating policies and practices that align with shared values for educating all demographic groups of students?
choose to act differently when you acquire and develop knowledge and skills that make a difference in your life and the members of your learning community?

Lindsey, Delores B., Jungwirth, Linda D., Pahl, Jarvis V.N.C., & Lindsey, Randall B. (2009). Culturally Proficient Learning Communities: Confronting Inequities Through Collaborative Curiosity. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

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