Cultural Competence
Heather Sanderson
Eastern Connecticut State University
Dr. David Stoloff
April 1, 2018
I chose to read Cultural Competence in America’s Schools. This book explored what cultural competence is and its impact on society, understanding cultural history and its effect on learning, and building relationships within the classroom and community.
The dropout rate of ethnic and racial subgroups in many U.S. cities is staggering. Greene’s (2002) statistics show that the graduation rate of African American Males was 29% in Ohio, 34% in Milwaukee, and 39% in Memphis (Nichols, 2013, p.3). The statistics for Latino graduation rates were just as bad according to Greene (2002) with Cleveland only achieving a 26% graduation rate, Dekalb County Georgia 29%, and Clark County Nevada 37% (Nichols, 2013, p.3). Teachers and citizens must address cultural competence because we have “rapidly changing population demographics in the United States,” we are “an integral player in the global economy,” and education is certainly “a means to become productive and healthy citizens” (Nichols, 2013, p.2). We cannot fail this large segment of our population. America is becoming more diverse every day, and the need for a highly skilled workforce is necessary for positive economic growth.
In Connecticut alone the personal per capita income would grow $3,950 if African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans reached the same educational attainment as white students (Nichols, 2013, p.27).
The effect education levels have on income and the disparity among income and race is especially notable. According to Glass Ceiling Commission (1995), an African American male with less than a high school diploma earned yearly on average $7,203, while a European white male without a high school diploma made $30,275. With African Americans having such high dropout rates, their low income basically ensures they will be living a life of poverty, as well as their offspring, since “the cycle of poverty and ignorance is unrelenting” (Nichols, 2013, p.19).
How do our schools become more culturally competent? A first step would be to have diverse teachers and administrators leading our schools. I was surprised to learn that there has been a decline in the racial diversity of teachers since the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling (Nichols, 2013, p.10). During the 1950’s and 1960’s, “more that 38,000 African American educators in 17 southern and border states were terminated” (Nichols, 2013, p.10). This was due to integration of black and white schools that “remained largely in the hands of white school boards” (Nichols, 2013, p.11). Additionally, the number of African Americans who chose to pursue education careers “declined by 66%” between 1975 and 1985 (Nichols, 2013, p.11). A report by Tillman in 2004 states “that by 2001, African American teachers represented only 6% of the public teaching force, while African American students represented 17% of the student population (Nichols, 2013, p.12). The same decline is mirrored when discussing school administrators. After the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling, 50% of African American principles were fired (Nichols, 2013, p.12). Sadly, Jones (1997) concludes this was due to “the refusal of white policy makers to allow African Americans to supervise European Americans” (Nichols, 2013, p.12). If minority groups are not going to have a proper representation within our schools, we must all dedicate ourselves to cultural competence to rid our schools of the unequal educational outcomes minority students have been experiencing.
As a white educator I must fully understand my cultural background to be able to effectively teach other cultural backgrounds. I never thought of myself as bringing a European background to my teaching practice, nor did I know one even existed. Turns out I am from a member-object axiology where “the lives of people of European descent have tended to revolve around their relationship to objects and the accumulation of said objects” (Nichols, 2013, p.38). This competitive nature to acquire things makes me an individualist, one who puts herself before the group and leads me to think in a linear and sequential way, meaning “step 1 leads to step 2 leads to step 3, etc.” (Nichols, 2013, p.37). My European axiology that focuses on objects “is consistent with the focus on the belief that the only knowledge that matters is the knowledge that you can count and measure,” which is also where our current focus on standardized testing comes from (Nichols, 2013, p.49). As a country we are fully approaching education from the top down in a European style member-object axiology where we teach in a sequential linear fashion and then test the student’s knowledge. This one sided cultural teaching philosophy is leading to a widening achievement gap between students of different ethnic backgrounds.
Now that I understand my cultural background, I must understand the background of my students. My students come from European, African American, Latino, Arab, and Asian backgrounds. The African American, Latino, and Arab axiology is member-member where “the highest value lies in the relationship between persons” (Nichols, 2013, p.37). This philosophy developed because these ethnicities “thrived in geographic regions where there was an abundance of food” which “allowed for these cultures to focus more on collaborative modes of living” (Nichols, 2013, p.42). The people from member-member axiology place a high emphasis on human relationships and on collaboration among the school and community, values that are important to educating these cultures (Nichols, 2013, p.42). Students from a member-member axiology approach learning differently. European member-object axiology approaches learning in a step by step sequential way, but member-member axiology learners need to see the whole picture when synthesizing information (Nichols, 2013, p.37). This different way of learning between cultures may stand in the way if our school systems do not adjust to be more varied in their approach to testing.
There is also a third axiology that is present in my classroom. The Asian and Asian American students are from a member-group axiology. These groups’ ancestors were “highly dependent on collective decision-making and group consensus” (Nichols, 2013, p.43). This leads the member-member student to see the whole picture and the parts simultaneously and have a “cyclical and repetitive” approach to learning (Nichols, 2013, p.37). Asian students do best with “rote learning” practice where memorization and repetition are used to master a concept (Nichols, 2013, p. 56).
Reading through this book I am reminded that I must address cultural differences in my classroom. I need to come up with a variety of formative and summative assessments that approach the different learning styles of these students. I must reach out to the families of these students and form relationships with them and their parents. Research by Lewis (2004) “found that student success is grounded in three critical areas: (1) teacher content knowledge, (2) teacher pedagogy, and (3) strong teacher relationships with students (Nichols, 2013, p.81). Coming from a European member-object society, I need to realize the importance of relationship building that my students from member-member and member-group cultures value. Building these relationships will help engage them more in my classroom. Furthermore, identifying the cultural differences is necessary to reduce the achievement gaps. Nichols states “saying ‘I don’t see color’ is the same as saying ‘There is only one ethnic group in America (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) that counts’” (p.90). We cannot ignore the fact that we are different, but learn what our differences are and address them.
As a teacher, I can make a difference in my classroom, but real change needs to come from the top. Administrators need to address our achievement gaps and become more culturally aware. The research suggests “school leaders, educational consultants and policy makers continue a sole and obsessive focus on tweaking the test (member-object focus) as opposed to a needed focus on the quality of the school experience (member-member and member-group focus)” (Nichols, 2013, p.126). I fear we will not see the changes that are necessary until there is pressure put on administrators to become more culturally competent.
References
Nichols, E.J. (2013). Cultural Competence in America’s Schools: Leadership, Engagement and Understanding. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing, Inc.