Urban Hip-Hop Cultural Competence

Urban Hip-Hop Cultural Competence

EDUC 6234 Site-Based Leadership: K-12

Guest SpeakersDr. Leslie J. Ward &

Maranda C. Ward, MPH

EDUC 6234 Site-Based Leadership: K-12

Guest SpeakersDr. Leslie J. Ward &

Maranda C. Ward, MPH

Road MapEDUC 6234 Agenda for Week 6

» Urban School Leadership Video» UHHC Video Reflection Activity» Teacher cultural competence; urban culture

and the role of principals—presentation by Dr. Ward

The Urban Culture In the fields of social work and

healthcare, practitioners, universities, and researchers deem cultural competence a necessary part of effectively serving the urban culture.

The urban culture is often seen as one of deficit by society and the teachers that serve in urban schools.

Low-income minority urban students have adopted a tough street culture that is difficult for practitioners to cross culture barriers.

Culturally relevant pedagogy will improve student achievement in urban schools.

Cultural Competence• The cultural competent practitioner is one who

acknowledges and incorporates at all levels the importance of building cultural knowledge, valuing difference, assessing one’s self and applying adapted practice (Cross 1988; Ross, 2002).

• The term cultural competence is in most cases synonymous with the terms

• cross-cultural • culturally relevant • culturally congruent • culturally responsive• culturally competent• culturally compatible • culturally proficient• intercultural competence

The Urban Hip-Hop Culture is Distinct

Ogbu, Kozol, Delpit, Connell, Haberman

UHHC

Description of the distinct Urban Hip Hop Culture

UHHCC

Selecting Teachers with Urban Hip Hop Cultural

Competence

There are various characteristics that describe the UHHC

Ogbar, Gause, Kitwana, Elliot, Chang

Specific attributes principals look for during the teacher selection process that indicate UHHCC

Ladson-Billings-Darling-Hammond ,Ingersoll, Sachs O’Bannon

Various methods used to assess the UHHCC during the teacher selection process. Haberman, Frey, Chelsey, Basking & Ross, Kivell

URBAN TEACHER QUALITY

Cultural competence and teacher selection have adirect impact on student

achievement

When teachers come to the classroom with little to no experience or knowledge of students of diversity and poverty, or little appreciation of the backgrounds and experiences of urban students, it is difficult to positively impact student achievement

- Delpit, 1995;, Ogbu, 1995; Ross, 2002

• The relationship that exists between teacher and student based on differences in culture, socio-economic background, and race is referred to as cultural mismatch.-Haley, 2001

• Teacher Quality is essential to improving academic achievement in urban schools. -Ladson-Billings & Darling-Hammond, 2000

When teachers come to the classroom with little to no experience or knowledge of students of diversity and poverty, or little appreciation of the backgrounds and experiences of urban students, it is difficult to positively impact student achievement

- Delpit, 1995;, Ogbu, 1995; Ross, 2002

• The relationship that exists between teacher and student based on differences in culture, socio-economic background, and race is referred to as cultural mismatch.-Haley, 2001

• Teacher Quality is essential to improving academic achievement in urban schools. -Ladson-Billings & Darling-Hammond, 2000

This generation of youth opted out of past generations’ attempt to assimilate and seek approval from mainstream White America and created a music and culture that opposed acceptance of the mainstream American culture -Chang, 2005

The hip hop culture was born out of a cycle of poverty, hopelessness, and opposition, therefore urban youth in poverty are viewed as not only deficient, but often hopeless -Connell, 1994

Highlights : Description of the Culture

Highlights : Description of the Culture

» Technology is a major part of the culture (hand held devices give them access).

» Legal concerns and issues are prevalent in this culture

» Students’ behaviors often demonstrate their distrust for American social systems

» The use of profanity and in inappropriate language in schools is common.

» The culture is significantly impacted by violence and poverty

Highlights : Selecting Teachers with UHHCC

Highlights : Selecting Teachers with UHHCC

» Urban principals describe the culture as being significantly impacted by violence and poverty.

» Teachers who are flexible, tolerate some degree of inappropriate language, and love their job, are demonstrating Urban Hip-Hop cultural competence.

» Principals often use informal methods to select and screen teachers with UHHCC

» High expectations, exposure to the urban hip-hop culture, and an understanding of their world are UHHCC attributes.

GSEHD Pre-Doctoral Candidate Maranda C. Ward, MPH

Co-founder and Director of Promising Futures: Youth Development Pipeline 

GSEHD Pre-Doctoral Candidate

Maranda C. Ward, MPH

Hip Hip Pedagogy

-Cultural studies (Giroux, 1994) legitimize urban youth as storytellers, authors, thought leaders, change agents, and producers of truths on their varied lived experiences

-A social justice approach to positive youth development draws on Paulo Friere's (1970) reflexive principle of praxis

GSEHD Pre-Doctoral Candidate

Maranda C. Ward, MPH

Food for Thought

-Alim (2009) notes that hip hop is a site for cultural production 

-Hip hop allows youth to develop a sense of agency

-Notions of social capital are re-appropriated as symbolic capital (Bourdeiu, 1985; Clay, 2003)

-Curriculum may fall flat of positive youth development outcomes if they remain isolated from larger sociopolitical forces

Please describe what the teacher in the video clips do wrong, what you would do differently, and the feelings that come up for you …

The WireSeason 4

Episode 3- “Home Rooms”

First day video clip- 30:13The fight video clip- 37:14

UHHC Video Activity

Speaking Point I

Culturally responsive teaching

Speaking Point I

• Grew out of culturally different theory • Educational disadvantage: result from

discontinuities between home and school culture

• Acknowledges existing student language and knowledge to understand and build on students’ perspectives

• Does not entail that the teacher should be racial minority

Speaking Point II

Attributes of Culturally Competent Teachers

Attributes of a culturally competent teacher

• Display publicly and enthusiastically the belief that each student can achieve high standards

• Displays a "we’re all in this together" affect

• Knows very well and loves the subject matter, and conveys that to students (not cynical about it)

• Legitimates students’ real life experiences by building those experiences into the curriculum

Attributes of a culturally competent teacher

• Makes every effort to welcome and celebrate students’ culture (urban youth culture, African American culture, Latino culture, etc.) as an integral part of the learning environment and process

• Help students code switch, know why

• Understand and tolerate behavior that may not conform to school codes( for example profanity)

• Tolerates “uneven” behavior

Speaking Point III

Why is teacher cultural competence necessary?

Cultural Competence

• Multifaceted knowledge of students: academic, social, emotional (the teacher succeeds when students succeed).

• Builds relationships with students as competent individuals (strips away)

• Cultivates relationship beyond the classroom

• Demonstrates a visible connectedness with each student (how?)

• Immersed into the students’ culture

Cultural Competence

• Provides a supportive classroom structure for academic, social, and emotional success

• Encourages a community of learners who are responsible for each other inside and outside the classroom

• Promotes psychological safety in the classroom • Has high academic standards and expectations for all students

Speaking Point IV

Why should aspiring administrators consider leading urban schools? What advice do you offer?

Benefits of leading urban schools

Exposure can help you develop cultural competencies:– Volunteer work (in or servicing urban communities)– Media (websites, magazines, journals, movies, novels, music, and

theater focusing on the urban and/or African-American culture)– Do residency, internship, or shadowing in urban schools– Learn from your students or youth from the culture– Keep an open mind, and remember the culture isn’t deficient . . .

Its distinct.

Hip-Hop Education Literacy Program

H.E.L.P. is in over 50 school districts, over 100 schools, in the US, Canada and Africa. 

For more information visithttp://home.gwu.edu/~ljward/For more information visithttp://home.gwu.edu/~ljward/

Video Activities

Urban Leadershiphttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZkTl3nO464

Reflections & Discussion

Discussion Questions

1. What Hip Hop artists do you find to be the most useful when relating to and motivating your students?

2. Do you ever feel like you are promoting (allowing) derogatory or grammatically incorrect language?

3. How did you use this program to advance your career?

In small groups (4-5) respond and reflect to the following questions

How do you define and conceptualize “cultural competence in teaching”. Identify major attributes of culturally competent teachers

Generate examples of your own to describe how competent/incompetent you are in practicing those competencies

Describe what supervisors should do in order to help teachers implement cultural competencies on routine basis

In urban settings( such as the Metropolitan, D.C.) what unique cultural competences do teachers need to be effective in their roles?

As current and future educational leaders what criteria do you employ in order to recruit and hire culturally competent teachers?