Cultural Proficiency

Question 1

Essential Elements

Answer 1

1. Assess Culture: identify the cultural groups present in the system and claim your own differences (i.e., departmental cultural assessment)
2. Value Diversity: develop an appreciation for the differences among and between groups, recognize that differences add value to the environment (i.e., diversity activities in office)
3. Manage the Dynamics of Difference: learn to respond appropriately and effectively to the issues that arise in a diverse environment; if conflicts arise, reframe differences so diversity is not perceived as a problem to be solved (i.e., providing mediation convo and space to learn how to conduct tough convos)
4. Adapt to Diversity: change and adopt new policies and practices that support diversity and inclusion (i.e., providing curriculum and information about change)
5. Institutionalize Cultural Knowledge: drive the changes into the system and organization

Question 2

Barriers to Cultural Proficiency

Answer 2

1. Unawareness of need to adapt
2. Resistance to change
3. Systems of oppression and privilege
4. A sense of entitlement: believing all ones personal achievements and societal benefits one has accrued are due solely to merit and quality of one’s character

HOW TO OVERCOME BARRIERS:

• attend workshops on diversity
• personal reading on cultural proficiency
• become aware of one’s biases and stereotypes
• invite students to share about their family holiday practices in order to give students a window into peers’ cultural traditions
• invite guest speakers from different backgrounds

Question 3

Principles of Cultural Proficiency

Answer 3

1. Culture is a predominant force
2. People are served in varying degrees by the dominant culture (need to recognize there is privilege among dominant cultures; colleges primarily built for the dominant culture may lack services that respond to unique needs of minoritized students)
3. There is diversity within and between cultures
4. Every group has unique culturally-defined needs (need to understand experiences to develop programs and services that are more supportive)
5. People have personal identities and group identities (cannot generalize and treat all individuals within a culture the same because they have multiple identities)
6. Marginalized populations have to be at least bicultural
7. Families, as defined by culture, are the primary systems of support
8. The diverse thought patterns of cultural groups influence how problems are defined and solved
9. The absence of cultural competence anywhere is a threat to competent services everywhere

Question 4

Cultural Proficiency Continuum

Answer 4

Do I Bake Pretty Chocolate Cupcakes:
1. Destruction: eliminate differences; elimination of other people’s culture; see the difference and stomp it out (ex: supporting ICE visiting campuses and screening students)
2. Incapacity: demean differences; believe in superiority of one’s culture and behavior that disempowers another’s culture; see the difference and make it wrong (ex: “Asian students come to this country and succeed. Why wouldn’t the other students coming to this country do so as well?”
3. Blindness: dismiss differences; acting as if cultural differences you see do not matter or not recognizing that there are differences among and between cultures; see the difference and act like they don’t (ex: “I don’t see color. I just see students.”)
4. Pre-Competence: respond inadequately to the dynamics of difference; awareness of the limitations of one’s skills or an organization’s practices when interacting with other cultural groups; see the difference at times, but respond inappropriately (ex:
“I value all cultures. On the last day of finals, I have a day where students each bring food representing their country.”)
5. Competence: engage with differences using the essential elements as standards for individual behavior and organizational practices; see the difference and value it (ex: If a student makes a derogatory remark, counselor uses it as a teachable moment)
6. Cultural Proficiency: esteem and learn from differences as a lifelong practice; knowing how to learn about and from individual an organizational culture; interacting effectively in a variety of cultural environments; advocating for others; see the difference and esteem it as an advocate for equity (ex: active in a committee that helps create culturally relevant lessons into the curriculum)

Question 5

Why is Cultural Proficiency important?

Answer 5

• Learn and develop an understanding of other perspectives
• Students can learn to work together
• Educators can attend workshops on diversity
• One can become aware of own biases and stereotypes
• Makes us better able to advocate for our students
• Helps address achievement gaps and what can be done to support disadvantaged students (i.e., places to study, healthy meals, finances)

Question 6

4 Tools for Developing Cultural Competence

Answer 6

1. Barriers: caveats that assist in overcoming resistance to change
2. Guiding Principles: underlying values of the approach; a response to the barriers
3. Continuum: language for describing both health and non-productive policies, practices, and individual behavior and values
4. Essential Elements: behavioral standards for measuring the planning for growth toward cultural proficiency