Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders

Develop positive, productive responses to the diverse populations in your school and community.

The authors define "cultural proficiency" as that which enables one to interact effectively in a culturally diverse environment. Use your cultural proficiency to ensure that your students are treated with respect, compassion, and the expectation that they will achieve. Then make sure they do by adjusting your style to their needs and abilities.

You, your staff, and your students can learn how to:

• Avoid unintentional cultural or ethnic slights
• Eliminate practices that create negative outcomes
• Recognize differences as diversity instead of of viewing them as adverse or inappropriate
• Understand how historical distrust affects present-day interactions
• Accept that each culture finds some values and behaviors more important than others

Develop and maintain good cross-cultural communications by learning to acknowledge the differences present in staff, students, and community members. Integrate cultural knowledge into staff development systems and curricula, and watch staff and student morale rise.

Master concepts and skills you can translate into culture-friendly curricula, programs, and activities. As a culturally proficient school leader, you will maximize the effectiveness of communication, reduce complaints, and create a more comfortable and pleasing climate in your school.

Conference Room.