1. Cultural Competency Inside JCPS September 25 & 26, 2008

2. Cultural competence is the foundation for culturally relevant pedagogy in the classroom and one of the pillars of social justice in society. Carl Grant, Hoefs-Bascom Professor of Education Ph.D. University of Wisconsin- Madison

3. JCPS has made cultural competence an integral part of our teaching competencies and core practices for all classrooms.

4. Discover more ways to connect the core curriculum to what is important and unique about our students’ worlds and life experiences.

5. The choice of books, activities, and resources can reflect the heritage of our community.

6. Cultural Competence: to see differences among students as assets. to close empowerment and achievement gaps. to create caring, culturally relevant and responsive learning communities.

7. Cultural competence is integral to our administrative goals (4) and strategies (22).

8. Goal 3: Strengthen Organizational Culture We will foster an organizational culture that builds community among families, businesses, organizations and schools. We will stimulate the creation of caring, respectful and culturally-responsive classroom communities that empower all students and employees to be successful and to have a voice and opportunities to practice leadership and civic engagement.

9. Strategy 1: Strengthen School Culture and the Character Development of Students We will strengthen school culture, advance character development, and promote the social and emotional growth of students by creating inclusive, caring school communities that nurture respectful, supportive relationships among students, educators, support staff and parents. We will embed opportunities for character development in the daily life of the school by implementing Adventures in Peacemaking in our pre-kindergarten classrooms; CARE for Kids in our elementary and middle schools; and, Freshman Academies and Facing History and Ourselves in our high

10. Strategy 2: Enhance Cultural Competency We will promote a district culture in which individual differences are respected and valued by offering professional development that supports and enhances the staff’s cultural competency and world-view. We will provide opportunities for students to learn in heterogeneous groups, and to study about people from backgrounds representing the cultural spectrum, by means of student cultural exchanges, both in person and electronically. We will work to close the engagement gap and the empowerment gap through CARE for Kids/Developmental Design activities, personalized instruction, and classroom support for teachers in the use of culturally relevant/responsive pedagogy.

11. Strategy 7: Address Disparities in Student Outcomes We will collaboratively employ multiple strategies—such as effective interventions, differentiated instruction, Response to Intervention, self-advocacy instruction, Thinking Reader, and increased student involvement in extra-curricular activities—to help students become intrinsically motivated and take ownership of their learning. We will reinforce these efforts with high expectations and personalized instruction to assist students in becoming actively engaged members of their school communities, thereby leading to increased attendance, reduction of suspensions and retentions, prevention of dropouts, and closing of achievement gaps.

12. Creating caring and culturally responsive classrooms is one of the four components of the of the District’s Theory of Action

13. Four Components of the Theory of Action 1.Create caring and culturally-responsive classroom communities. 2.Provide high-quality, personalized instruction that challenges and engages students in authentic work. 3.Ensure equitable access for all students to a consistent, world-class, inquiry-based curriculum. 4.Prepare leaders to engage in collaborative strategies to move this shared vision forward.

14. Theory of Action WHEN WE COLLABORATE TO -- Create caring and culturally-responsive classroom communities; Provide high-quality, personalized instruction that challenges and engages students in authentic work; Ensure equitable access for all students to a consistent, world- class, inquiry-based curriculum; and Prepare leaders to engage in collaborative strategies to move this shared vision forward... THEN -- All students graduate with ･ A high level of academic performance, ･ Strong character development and civic engagement, and ･ Enhanced health and wellness... SO THAT - All students are prepared to ･ Achieve their goals, ･ Follow their dreams, and ･ Create a more just society.

15. Essential Elements of Cultural Competence Cultural competence requires that organizations and their personnel have the capacity to: 1.value diversity – Top Level Support 2.conduct self-assessment 3.manage the dynamics of difference 4.acquire and institutionalize cultural knowledge 5.adapt to the diversity and cultural contexts of the individuals and communities served Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., and Isaacs, M. (1989). Towards a culturally competent system of care volume I. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, March 1989

16. Essential Elements of Cultural Competence The focus includes the development of assessment instruments and processes for both organization and individual.

17. “Joaquin Dilemma” Understanding the link between racial identity and school-related behaviors http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/er/pnjoaq1.html by Pedro Antonio Noguera Cambridge, Massachusetts http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/er/pnjoaq1.html