The Tools of Cultural Proficiency

Getting Centered

The situations described below occur all too frequently in our schools. While reading them, be fully aware of your feelings and reactions:

• You read reports of the very high levels of high school dropout rates in which young people who are African American, Latino, Native American and/or First Nations and who are from families of low income are vastly overrepresented.
• You overhear bigoted comments about students from your colleagues.
• Students in your school make bigoted, insensitive comments to one another.
• You attend a professional development seminar or a university course, and the presenter appears to minimize issues of diversity and equity.

How do you react to these ...