Review of Another Perspective on Cultural Competence: Preparing Students for an Increasingly Diverse Society

Review Perspective Cultural Competence: Students Diverse Society

As there has been a continued growth in culturally diverse students all over the nation cultural competency is very important. In public schools growth has increased namely because of the increase of Hispanic students (National Center for Education Statistic [NCES], 2006). These statistics will continue to grow as students become more diverse. Ford and Whiting (2007) site scholars in the field of multicultural education call for special attention to the need for teachers, administrators, psychologist and counselors to become culturally competent. Students will benefit from this knowledge by becoming sensitive to and interested in social justice and equality issues on an international scale.
Cultural Competence will allow students with the skills they need to successfully function in diverse society (Cross, 19988). Incorporating the importance of various cultures into a daily route can help students to obtain cultural developmental growth (Cross, 1988; Cross et al., 1989). This competence, Ford and Whiting (2007) states, is demonstrated by having certain knowledge, dispositions and skills to work with individuals for diverse culture backgrounds. To determine where an individual ranks currently when responding to cultural differences a continuum ranging from cultural proficiency to cultural destructiveness is used (Cross, 1988).
There are a variety of possibilities based on the continuum between two extremes. The negative extreme being Cultural Destructiveness the most negative end of the continuum that represents bad attitudes, policies and practices that are destructive to cultures and individuals within the culture. Individuals that are examined on this level are involved in the purposeful destruction or elimination of a culture. The most extreme example of this orientation would be individuals and programs that actively participate in cultural genocide (Ford &Whiting, 2007).
The opposite of that continuum then is Advanced Cultural Competences (Ford &Whiting, 2007) the most positive and progressive end of the model that is represented by advanced cultural competence or proficiency. The individual whose cultural competency level places at this level holds cultural in high esteem. They often seek new educational models to develop new educational approaches based on culture. Ford and Whiting (2007) believe schools who are culturally competent hire staff members who are specialist in culturally competent practices as well as advocates to help improve culture relationships thought schools.
Between the extreme positive and extreme negative continuum levels are cultural incapacity, cultural blindness, and cultural pre-competence, Ford and Whiting (2007) describe the various levels in the continuum as applied to individuals. Each of these levels shows in site into the characteristics of individuals based on their cultural sensitivity. Some examples of this would be cultural incapacity where individuals may act as agents of oppression by enforcing racist policies and maintain stereotypes. Their decisions and actions are guided by ignorance and an unrealistic fear of diverse groups (Ford & Whiting, 2007). Then in cultural blindness, the mid-point on the continuum is where individuals express the philosophy of being unbiased. However they often fall short as members of minority communities are viewed from the cultural deprivation model (Ford & Grantham, 2003; Valencia, 1997), which asserts that problems are the result of inadequate cultural resources. In short (Ford & Whiting, 2007) culturally blind individuals, professionals and schools suffer from a deficit of information and often lack the avenues through which they can obtain needed information. Although they often view themselves as unbiased and responsive to diverse needs, their ethnocentrism is reflected in attitude, policy, and practice.
The last level on the continuum cultural pre-competence according to Cross (1988), culturally competent individuals and organizations are characterized by acceptance and respect for differences, vigilant attention to the dynamics of difference. Which is an ongoing self-assessment regarding culture, regular expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, and a variety of adaptations to delivery and instructional models in order to better meet the needs of diverse students. In essence culturally competent individuals are proactive and strive to seek out guidance from competent culturally diverse families and communities.
In summarizing their model, Cross (1988) maintained that the degree of cultural competence an organization achieves is not dependent on any one factor. In order to change the individual’s level of competency attitudes, policies and practice must be developed in order to move forward, toward cultural competency. A positive move along the continuum results from being aware visionary, and proactive. For students K-12 it has been shown that cultural responsive schools standards (Assembly of Alaska Native Educators, 1998) focus on students becoming well grounded in the cultural heritage and traditions of their community. They are able to build on the knowledge and skills of local cultural community as personal and academic success throughout life. Students are able to actively participate in various cultural environments. These students are able to engage effectively in learning activities that are based on traditional ways of knowing and learning. They are able to demonstrating an awareness and appreciation of the relationships and processes of interaction of all elements in the world around them.
Ford and Whiting (2007) believe that guiding students toward competence in their own culture and toward competence in one or more other cultures should be developed into these standards. They also state that this is just the beginning and that schools should encourage personnel and educational organizations to build upon these cultural standards. These skills will prepare students to live, grow, and thrive in other cultural situations throughout their lives. Educators are encouraged to infuse multicultural content into their lesson plans at the highest levels (Banks, 2006). An example of a social action activity that encourages cultural competency is creating opportunities for students to interact with students from other culture (e.g., pen pals). An example of a transformation activity that addresses social issues would be to challenge stereotypes that appear in curricula (e.g., books, videos, newspapers) and guide students in correcting misconceptions. Students will then examine issues and events from more than one perspective and seek to address social issues where inequities are presented (Ford & Whiting, 2007).