UNDERSTANDING DIVERSITY + SUCCESSFUL PARENT ENGAGEMENT = STUDENT SUCCESS!
Alex DominguezEducation Service Center, Region 20
WHO ARE YOU?
REFLECTION: 2,3,4
• Pairs: Where did your ancestors come from?
• Triads: Where are you from?
• Quads: Discuss a time when someone made an assumption about you because of your appearance, a group you belong to, or a situation.
WHO AM I?
THE STATISTICS
• In 1984, approximately one in four school children were minority students.
• By 2020, that figure likely will increase to nearly one in two.
Pallas, Natriello, & McDill
• Over 40 million people in the U.S. speak a maternal language that is NOT English.
• Teachers are facing classes of students who speak a dozen or more languages and dialects.
In the past 20 years the fastest growing segment of school-age population has been among English Learners.
National Center for Education Statistics, Institution of Education Sciences (ed.gov)
Spanish 87.4%
Vietnamese 3.2%
Chinese Languages 2%
Korean 0.9%
African Languages 0.5%
Migration Policy Institute
THE STATISTICS
2002-2003 2011-2012 Increase
National 4,119,000 4,390,000 6.6%
Texas 626,000 722,000 15.3%
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CULTURALLY SENSITIVE?
Cultural sensitivity means being aware that cultural differences and similarities exist and have an effect on values, learning, and
behavior.
-Stafford, Bowman, Eking, Hanna,
and Lopoes-DeFede (1997)
STORY TIME
STORY TIME
Mike was riding home on the city bus reading a magazine (his favorite subscription). He left the magazine on the bus and as he exited, he spoke a quick Russian greeting to some passengers whom he had overheard speaking Russian. Mike had learned a few phrases from his brother-in-law who is Russian. After Mike got off the bus, he noticed the bus make its next stop with quite a commotion. He turned to see the Russians running toward him with a guns!
STORY TIME
After taking a circular route home, he got to his second floor apartment, breathing a sigh of relief. He didn’t know why the Russians were so angry with him, but he was relieved to be home and have lost them. A half-hour later, he heard a noise outside on the street, he looked out the window, and saw the Russians coming into his building.
How did the Russians find out where he lived?
SELF-ASSESSMENT
• What are some of the different cultures in my school? • How does my school/classroom celebrate the differences among
our cultures?
How could our reflection activity help a classroom become more sensitive to the cultures in the classroom?
CULTURAL DIFFERENCESBE aware
• Everything we do, regarding time, personal space, body language, voice volume, small talk, eye contact, and eating is shaped by our culture.
• When you have a student and/or parent that appears to have a cultural difference take the time to understand the differences.
Seek first to understand, and then
to be understood.S. Covey
CULTURAL AWARENESS
CULTURAL AWARENESS
• Do not judge the behavior of others through the eyes of your own culture.
• Do be aware of how much culture affects language acquisition and behavior.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
• It reminds me of…
• It makes me think about…
• I remember when…
• I wonder…
WHAT EDUCATORS CAN DO
• Establish rapport with parents.
• Let parents know you care about their child, and suggest ways that they can help their child succeed in school.
• Be consistent and honest.
• Help parents locate community resources.
• Recruit parent volunteers from all cultures.
WHAT EDUCATORS CAN DO
• Demonstrate a positive attitude toward new cultures.
• Familiarize yourself with all the holidays and traditions your students celebrate.
• Plan instruction that includes the integration of cultural histories.
• Make sure your classroom reflects diversity.
WHAT EDUCATORS CAN DO
• Be direct and deal with student biases right away.
• Do not create different standards for different groups.
• Establish expectations and clearly communicate them.
Students should not feel embarrassed of their cultural practices.
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
• Respect the uniqueness of each family system.
• Develop a personalized relationship with families.
• Communicate in culturally appropriate ways.
• Create alliances with cultural guides in the community.
• Evaluate process and outcomes.
ADDITIONAL STEPS
• Help ALL families navigate the system.
• Provide outreach rather than traditional approaches.
• Practice trust and relationship building strategies.
• Help families learn strategies to support their child’s academic needs.
• Children from diverse cultural backgrounds tend to do better when parents and professionals work together to bridge the cultural gap between home and school
• Successful schools engage families from diverse backgrounds, build trust and collaboration, recognize and respect and address family needs, and develop a partnership where power and responsibility is shared
IN SUMMARY …
Sounds Like
Example
Looks Like
Cultural Diversity in the classroom