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“The first step toward becoming culturally competent is realizing you probably aren’t,” says educator Monica Bryant in this article in ASCA School Counselor. “To become culturally competent one must value diversity, have capacity for cultural self-assessment, be conscious of the dynamics that occur when cultures interact, and have knowledge of different cultural practices and world views.” Bryant believes schools need to be intentional about developing cultural competence, including: an inventory of classroom practices and curriculum; a task force to develop a schoolwide philosophy and strategy; workshops, guest speakers, and book studies; consultation; and individual and small-group interventions. She identifies three especially important areas:
• Stereotypes – Assumptions about group characteristics (for example, goths wear black, are depressed, and hate society) cause endless problems in schools. Bryant suggests ways educators can combat stereotypes:
- Intentionally acknowledge and value every student’s identity.
- Foster growth mindsets to counter messages about fixed characteristics.
- Hold all students to high standards and assure them that they’re capable of success.
- Provide timely, specific feedback that steers students toward success and instills confidence that they can meet standards.
Counteracting glib, thoughtless stereotyping is continuous, day-by-day work in schools.
• Implicit bias – Educators’ unconscious beliefs about students’ abilities and behavior can produce disproportionate disciplinary consequences, distort referrals to special education and gifted classes, and lead to hurtful comments – for example, as one of the only students of color in her high-school classes, Bryant sometimes received compliments for how well she knew a topic – compliments that weren’t given to white students. She suggests several ways to combat implicit bias:
- Self-assess and acknowledge the unconscious biases we all have.
- Cultivate an inclusive classroom and school climate that mitigates potential biases.
- Expose students to counter-stereotypical speakers and images.
- Gather feedback from students in surveys and small-group discussions.
- Collect data on discipline referrals and enrollments in different programs.
Bringing hidden biases into the light of day often leads to positive change.
• Microaggressions – Educators and students are often unaware of everyday slights, snubs, comments, or insults directed toward colleagues or classmates. Some examples: continuing to mispronounce someone’s name after being corrected; scheduling tests and project due dates on religious or cultural holidays; expecting students to “represent” the perspectives of their race, gender, or religion in class discussions; assigning curriculum projects with high financial costs; and complimenting a non-white student for “good English.” Bryant suggests these ways of combatting microaggressions:
- Focus on impact. Many microaggressions are unintentional, but they still hurt.
- Understand how being “colorblind” minimizes a student’s cultural background and heritage.
- Don’t assume all students have a good command of U.S. culture and the English language.
- When expressing political opinions, understand the risk of silencing students who don’t agree.
- Make sure guest speakers are clear about lesson objectives.
- Speak from your own experience without comparing your oppression to that of others.
“A Lifelong Process” by Monica Bryant in ASCA School Counselor, July-August 2020 (Vol. 57, #6, pp. 38-41); Bryant can be reached at mbryant924@gmail.com.