Culture - The customs, traditions, arts, and beliefs of a racial, religious, or other social group; that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired...as a member of society 

Cultural competence - a set of behaviors, attitudes, policies, and practices that enable and empower a practitioner or organization to provide culturally maximizing service to a culturally complex clientele. Cultural competence goes beyond simply acknowledging cultural diversity or a conglomeration of groups. In practice, culturally competent practitioners and organizations should acknowledge the influence that culture plays in communication and action, recognize the dynamics within cross-cultural relations, enhance their cultural competence through the acquisition of additional knowledge, and amend and adapt existing knowledge and practice with accompanying shifts in cultural competence.

Cultural relevance is evident through the integration of cultural knowledge, prior experiences, and performance styles of diverse learners to make learning more appropriate and effective for them; it teaches to and through the strengths of these learners. Culturally relevant instruction integrates a wide variety of instructional strategies that are connected to different approaches to learning.

Diversity refers to the range of identities that exist in a group of people. Common identity categories referenced when discussing diversity include race, class, gender, religion and sexual orientation. Diversity in education represents a broad range of ideas and initiatives to create learning environments that are safe, inclusive and equitable for as many identities as possible. Recognizing, fostering and developing sensitivity to the needs of people in various identity categories are primary aims of educational diversity. 

Implicit Biases: An individual’s unconscious attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and stereotypes that impact their behavior and interactions with another individual.

Multicultural education is a lifelong learning process designed to empower all students to become knowledgeable, caring, and active participants in their communities. Education that is multicultural is inclusive and respectful of all ethnic, racial, and cultural backgrounds and engages staff, families, students, and community.