Cultural Competency &

EducationTo expose the current lack of cultural

competency in the American school system and thus help change the educational outcomes of

minority students

IMPORTANCE AND RELEVENCE

Development of new teacher culturally competent curriculum for certification

Change the disparaging statistics of minority students in elementary through post secondary education.

Create equality in

education

MINORITY EDUCATION HISTORY

Pre-Civil Rights: Slavery to separate but equal

Post-Civil Rights Law: Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 mandating the rights of minorities to be educated

by prohibiting discrimination.

GRADUATION STATISTICS 2005 According to the National

Center for Education Statistics (2007), 9.9% of White students; 18.8% Black; 41.5% Hispanics; 12.3% Asian; and 24.2% Native; did “NOT”

complete high school.

05

1015202530354045

Lack ofHigh SchoolCompletion

WhiteBlackHispanicAsianNative

DISPARATE TREATMENT Children react to adults by the way that they are treated. If the teacher treats the student as if they are not worthy

of an education, the student will react to that form of prejudice.

“Minority-group responses to prejudice and discrimination include avoidance, deviance, defiance, and acceptance, depending in large measure on the group’s perception of its power to change the status quo” (Parrillo, 2003, p. 132).

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING “I have a dream that my four little children will one day

live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character”

(Kenrick, Neuberb, & Cialdini, 2007, p. 489).

POLICING THE DISPARATE TREATMENT OF MINORITY CHILDREN

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is in charge of overseeing the education of all children.

Malicious Intent or Ignorance?

INHERENTLY GOOD TEACHERS

“Teachers are some of the most dedicated professionals in the world, yet

the societal conditioning of biases often prevents them from successfully educating all students” (McLean-Donaldson, 2001, p. 11). Many have not turned a critical lens inward at the racist constructs of our society through the media and/or inherited beliefs, and how it reflects

in their perceptions of educating

minorities.

STEPS FOR CHANGE1) The first step in educational curriculum reform for teachers is a

course or courses that provide a space for their reflection of cultural differences and the deconstruction of racist views and attitudes mandated for all people who want to become teachers and administrators.

2) Courses need to be created to teach multi-cultures that actually break down the myths created by a bias society so that when they become educators, they will help create curriculum and teaching practices that include all views and different perspectives based on cultural differences.

CONCLUSION“No educational approach can be successful over the long term if it is based on an erroneous and unflattering perception of the capabilities of learners, and if not grounded in a full respect for the student’s home culture and community values” (DeVillar, Faltis, & Cummins, 1994, p. 106). These unflattering and erroneous perceptions have been allowed to culminate in American society since the days of slavery and although minorities have made some gains in the education arena, there is still a lot of work to do.

REFERENCESDeVillar, R., Faltis, C., & Cummins, J. (1994). Cultural Diversity in Schools:

From rhetoric to practice. Albany, NY. State University of New York Press.

Kenrick, Douglas, T. Neuberg, Steven, L. Cialdini, Robert B. (2007). Social Psychology: Goals in interaction (4th Ed.) Boston, MA. Pearson Education, Inc.

McLean-Donaldson, K. (2001). Shattering the Denial: Protocols for the classroom & beyond. Westport, CT. Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.

National Center for Education Statistics. (2007). Status and trends in the education of racial and ethnic minorities. Retrieved on November 21, 2009

from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2007/2007039.pdf Parrillo, V.. (2003) Strangers to these shores. (7th Ed.) Boston, MA. Pearson

Education Inc.