CULTURAL PROFICIENCY MODEL FOR

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLSRodney TaylorOctober 2012

Alliance for International Education Doha, Qatar

Who am I in the world? What is my socio-cultural background? What is my socio-cultural baggage? What is my privilege?

Take a look in the mirror. Take a moment of personal inventory. Who are you in this room? What defines you as a person – nationality, regional ties, sports affiliation, race, religion, creed, class status, educational background. Do you feel comfortable? Why or why not?

Allow someone else to tell you about yourself.

• Where you are from?

• What you eat regularly?

• Religion?

• Family?

• Where do you shop? Your favorite music genre?

• Where they expect you to be in 5 years?

Thank them for sharing their opinion and now do the same thing for them, giving your own estimation of them.

How do our students handle the assumptions that others make of them? Even their teachers. How do our students feel in the context of international education? Are we even aware of how they might feel?

The Guiding Principles of Cultural Proficiency as defined by Lindsey, Robins and Terrell (2009) in Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders (3rd Edition) states:

Culture is a Predominant Force People Are Served in Varying Degrees by the Dominant

Culture The Group Identity of Individuals Is as Important as Their

Individual Identities Diversity Within Cultures Is Vast and Significant Each Group Has Unique Cultural Needs

The International School must be very cautious in becoming almost too cavalier, self-confident and making assumptions about how international and culturally proficient it truly is.

Return to Self-Check Mode for the school The Privileged Strangers in a strange land

THE EQUITABLE SCHOOL CONTINUUM: PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT as adapted from Rose, Kolb &Barra-Zumman (1991). The Equitable School Continuum.

Physical environment is welcoming to all, displays a variety of peoples from all parts of humanity in both traditional and non-traditional roles and non-stereotyped ways, physical barriers for movement are removed

Racial and ethnic groups portrayed are reflective of society beyond immediate community and attempts are made to counter negative stereotypes and images received from other places

THE EQUITABLE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL CONTINUUM: CURRICULUM as adapted from Rose, Kolb &Barra-Zumman (1991). The Equitable School Continuum.

The curriculum is open to all students who may pursue a variety of options, including honors courses, without hindrances based on perceptions or stereotypes

The school’s curriculum itself fully integrates multiple perspectives and also includes key opportunities for the expatriate student to better understand the heritage and contributions of his or her host country of residence across every subject of the curriculum

THE EQUITABLE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL CONTINUUM: ROLE MODELS as adapted from Rose, Kolb &Barra-Zumman (1991). The Equitable School Continuum.

Students at an international school see a more accurate and realistic view of the world’s actual composition with a wide variety of role models of African, European, Hispanic and Asian descent working and contributing to the school community as permanent professional employees, administrators and frequent visitors.

School policy and hiring practices promote and guarantee this diversity of role models from different racial and ethnic backgrounds

CULTURAL PROFICIENCY CONTINUUM BY LINSEY, ET.ALSix points along the continuum that indicate unique ways of seeing and responding to difference.

Where are you and your school located on the CP continuum?

Cultural Proficiency Continuum Cultural

Destructiveness -- see the difference, stomp it out

Seeking to eliminate all aspects of the culture in all aspects of school in relationship to the community they serve

Cultural Incapacity -- see the difference, make it wrong

Any policy, practice or behavior that presumes that one culture is superior to others

Cultural Proficiency Continuum Cultural Blindness --

see the difference, act like you don’t

Any policy, practice or behavior that ignores existing cultural differences or that considers such differences inconsequential

Cultural Precompetence -- see the difference, respond inadequately

People recognize that their skills and practices are limited when interacting with other cultural groups. They are aware and may have made some changes but are aware that others are needed

Cultural Proficiency Continuum Cultural Competence –

see the difference and understand the difference that the difference makes

any policy, practice or behavior that uses the essential elements of cultural proficiency as the standard for the individual or the organization

Cultural Proficiency – see the difference and respond positively and with highly supportive affirmation of the difference

valuing diversity, assessing your culture, managing dynamics of difference, adapting to diversity, institutionalizing cultural knowledge in a consistent and ongoing manner

CHALLENGE TO INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION LEADERS

Stand up and take an Equity Walk of your School and review your curriculum and staffing (where are the windows and mirrors physically and in the curriculum for students and staff?)

Are there cultural standards or unspoken codes of superiority within the school culture that alienates or impacts people of other backgrounds? What are the school policies and hiring practices that impact or inhibit cultural proficiency at the international school?

Form a Professional Learning Community around Cultural Proficiency at your school, set some clear objectives to have more courageous conversations and set times to study relevant literature, establish objectives in each department and facilitate school-wide discussion and action in this ongoing effort towards cultural proficiency

TOGETHER AS INTERNATIONAL EDUCATORS

WE CAN BE THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE

IN THE WORLD

Citations

Lindsey, Robins, Terrell (2003). Cultural Proficiency Instruction.

Rose, Kolb &Barra-Zumman (1991). The Equitable School Continuum.