Like other works in the Cultural Proficiency series, the book begins with a focus on one's self with the premise that one cannot adequately lead change in schools or other organizations until one truly knows and understands one's self as a leader. In Cultural Proficiency as a Journey, the authors model self-disclosure and reflection by offering personal narratives describing their respective journeys toward Cultural Proficiency. They also provide readers with numerous prompts for individual reflection that ultimately result in the creation of "Cultural Autobiographies." Through engagement in this process, leaders are challenged to interrogate their experiences and perceptions through the lens of Cultural Proficiency, openness to difference, and celebration of the Other.
What leaders love most is the way Cultural Proficiency lays the groundwork for powerful organizational growth with resources to: Engage colleagues in collaborative dialogue about creating powerful teaching and learning environments Recognize and respond to both individual and group differences to break down barriers Use the Cultural Proficiency Continuum to assess the limitations of school practices and identify opportunities to shift the culture
An Equitable Approach to Race and Social Class in Our Schools
Using vignettes focused on engagement, leadership, implementation frameworks, and collaborative learning, the authors demonstrate how to uncover and remedy inequities.
Why a new edition of Culturally Proficient Coaching? Why now, especially? Because several polarizing years later, there's even greater urgency for us all to critically examine our attitudes, beliefs, and practices when working with students who look or sound "different." No matter how broadly you define coach, no matter which coaching model you follow, this is the resource to help you get started. With the first edition, the authors' big goal was to shift our thinking in service of standards-based teaching and leading, and equitable interactions that support all students achieving at highest levels. Now, with this second edition, the authors add a third goal: to encourage a more holistic mindset and expanded contextual uses. New features include: Enhanced research on the effectiveness of coaching in educational settings New data on response to implicit bias and microaggressions--subtle and unintentional, yet destructive, forms of discrimination that continue to marginalize Refinement and updating of the Tools of Cultural Proficiency, which enable you to provide equitable life-affirming experiences to all cultural groups Expanded models of Culturally Proficient Coaching Conversations A special section on crafting Breakthrough Questions to shift entrenched mindsets and barriers to Cultural Proficiency By design, Culturally Proficient Coaching is an intentional, inside-out approach that mediates a person's thinking toward values, beliefs, and behaviors that enable effective cross-cultural interactions and equitable learning environments. Here's your opportunity to serve as that expert and trusted mediator, boosting educators' cultural confidence and consciousness, while honing their coaching skills. "We owe it to ourselves and to our children to productively embrace and engage diversity, with all of its tensions, for the sustainability of humanity. These authors have given us the invitation, the road map, and the call to action. the embarkment is up to each one of us." --Carolyn M. McKanders, Director Emeritus Center for Adaptive Schools and Thinking Collaborative
A Culturally Proficient Guide to Family, School, and Community Engagement
Here at last is a resource that will open up access and reveal all-new ways to forge more culturally inclusive partnerships with families and communities.
Students of color and those who are immigrants or LGBT face unprecedented levels of bullying and hate speech that pose significant obstacles to their readiness to learn. Such marginalized students can't help but be affected by rising tides of White Nationalism, Islamaphobia, anti Semitism, and similar expressions of intolerance. This book frames our current, post-election predicament in the greater context of historical change. Cultural Proficiency can help cut through the rancor and noise, become a rallying cry for action and, ultimately, provide school leaders with essential vocabulary and tools for acting on the promise of public schooling.
An Implementation Template for Cultural Proficiency
See how one school district made Cultural Proficiency real-and how you can too! In spite of Brown vs. Board of Education, true integration and corresponding equality of educational opportunity is still far from reality in American schools. Opening Doors tells the story of Ventura Unified School District's successful implementation of cultural proficiency, which opened long-closed doors for marginalized students and returned gains on every key success metric. Most importantly, it will empower you to do the same for your school or district. Resources include: A method for evaluating the impact of educational decisions on students' access to learning A clear three-year implementation plan for making your school culturally proficient A content-rich companion website that includes templates and forms for implementing the book's suggestions It is long past time to make cultural proficiency real by ensuring universally equal access to educational resources for all students. This book removes the remaining barriers to the achievement of this ideal. "This powerfully insightful and thought provoking book, takes us on a journey to culturally proficient actions." -Rosemary Papa, Professor Northern Arizona University "The book is full of compassion, conviction and hope-pure heart, pure corazon-in the quest to tackle inequality and the opportunity gap head on." -Gilberto Q. Conchas, Professor of Educational Policy and Social Context University of California, Irvine
Professional development that increases educator effectiveness and student success! Learning Forward is a leader in understanding and advancing professional learning that leads to student success. This series explores Learning Forward's seven Standards for Professional Learning which outline the characteristics of effective professional learning that, collectively, advance teaching and learning. This volume gives teachers and administrators a detailed roadmap for implementing the Outcomes standard. Deepen you knowledge of this standard with: An original essay by Delores B. Lindsey and Randall B. Lindsey on using the lens of Cultural Proficiency to highlight the theme of educational equity that is embedded in the standard Practical tools that guide leaders in finding coherence between performance standards for educators and curriculum standards for students A powerful case study to illustrate how the standard was enacted across a major urban school district With this book, educators will reach new heights in professional growth and students will reap the benefits!
Lead a Common Core implementation that closes achievement gaps! Will your Common Core implementation promote equity, access, and inclusion? This illuminating book shows how central Common Core tenets-rigor, meaningful curricula and assessment, and higher order thinking-can become educational realities for every child in your school or district. Written by a team of respected authors known for guiding schools and districts towards cultural proficiency, this resource enables readers to Understand how underlying beliefs related to historically-underserved students may create roadblocks to effective instruction Create a school culture where diversity is valued, including developing relevant professional learning Compile and analyze meaningful data that enables faculty to better reach students from all backgrounds Advance the goal of college and career-readiness for all learners With a compelling call to action and practical strategies, this timely book points the way to a Common Core implementation that benefits every student. "The authors have ensured that the use of cultural proficiency by educators provides the Common Core State Standards with the 'step towards the place where equity and access are realized for all learners.' Equity and access, two of the pillars of equity in education, are essential if meeting individual student needs are truly to occur." -Dr. Kenneth R. Magdaleno, Associate Professor Kremen School of Education, Fresno State, CA "This resource gives not only theory and rationale for this important change in thinking, but also the guided steps to collaborate and reflect as part of the change process." -Dr. Carol Van Vooren, Assistant Professor California State University, San Marcos
