Cultural Gap

As the student population becomes more diverse, the cultural gap between students and educators must be addressed in order for all students to succeed academically and socially. A National Education Association policy brief (2008) noted a few of the many factors that make a strong case for educators to become culturally competent.

The following are reasons for educators to be more culturally competent:

• Students are more diverse than ever.
• Culture plays a critical role in learning.
• Cultural competence leads to more effective teaching.
• Culturally competent educators are better equipped to reach out to students' families.

Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell (2003) define culture as a set of common beliefs and practices that a person shares with a group and that enables him or her to recognize himself or herself as part of that group.

In educational contexts (formal and informal), culture influences each group’s shared beliefs about and expectations for

• what children should be taught,
• how it should be taught, and
• by whom this instruction should be provided.

(Excerpted from Responding Educationally to All Learners, Pathways to Cultural Proficiency, Texas Education Agency and Statewide Multicultural and Diverse Learners Network, 2010.)

Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell (2003) further explain that culture is about groupness, not just ethnicity. Cultural identity within a particular group enables people to have a sense of belonging. It is only then that people have the interest and motivation to become fully engaged and vested in achieving the group's goals. For this reason, educators must understand the sociocultural context in education, especially with the current accountability measures of content and performance standards. The role of culture cannot and must not be disregarded when addressing ELLs' linguistic and academic needs.

The Iceberg Model of Culture demonstrates how some aspects of culture are visible (e.g., dress, language, and greetings). At times, it may be difficult to understand what is driving and causing particular attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors, academically and socially. However, it is important to recognize that those cultural aspects are deeply rooted in individual beliefs, values, and expectations.

Source: Kwintessential, n.d.

Educators' Values

While the focus has been on students’ diversity and their cultural differences, educators’ values and beliefs are inherently cultural as well. Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell (2003) used the term culturally proficient to describe individuals who are able to recognize and understand how one’s culture affects others. Becoming culturally proficient enables individuals and organizations to interact effectively in diverse environments.

Cultural proficiency is an inside-out approach which begins within an individual or organization. It encourages self-reflection on one’s understandings and values. While considering the inside-out approach to cultural proficiency, there must be a paradigmatic shift from viewing others as challenging to viewing how one works with people who are culturally different from oneself.

Cultural proficiency must include all stakeholders. Students should not be the only ones responsible for adapting to the social norms, expectations, and values. Transformation to cultural proficiency is developmental and requires time to think, reflect, decide, and change. The process is on-going as everyone continues to learn from one another, adjusting and adapting to differences.

The Cultural Lens

The cultural lens must narrow from a global view to one's organizational policies and practices. The shift must not only be systematic; it must be a personal change, rather than a strategy or checklist. This process is a mindset shift for those educators committed to refocusing and better serving the individual needs of all students.

Being culturally proficient doesn’t necessarily mean knowing about every cultural group. Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell (2003) identify the following key attributes of a culturally proficient educator:

Cultural Proficiency Continuum

The cultural proficiency continuum provides the language to describe healthy and unhealthy behaviors, values, policies, and practices of organizations and individuals. The goal is to become culturally proficient and aware of their effects on students’ learning.

There are six points along the cultural proficiency continuum that indicate unique ways of perceiving and responding to differences.