Cultural Competence Training

On August 31, 2005, the staff of Parker Elementary School met with district Equity Coordinator Terry Leary to continue their training in the area of cultural competence. Below are pictures of their training experience.

Terry begins the workshop by explaining how cultural competence can affect student achievement and success for all at Parker Elementary, while cultural incompetence can have devastating effects.		The staff rotates between sheets of paper adding to words which describe media stereotypes of various groups of people (Native American, Jewish, poor, etc.).
Then each table group is given a family identity of a minority group, with each person taking on an identified role.	In addition to the family description, they also review the list of media stereotypes that refer to their minority group.	The table groups get oriented to their family roles, based on real situations in the Eugene area.
Principal Sharon Tabor reads her table group's family description.	Then the deluge begins - articles and news about minority experiences, selected actual incidents which occured to these families.	"Family" members reflect on how this series of experiences makes them feel; on sharing them, they discover that a common thread of frustration & anger.
Terry invites "family" representatives to share with her their frustrations with and suggestions for the school, which can help change success rates for their "children."	Back in their table groups, staff members reflect on culturally competent ways educators could have responded to their "family" incidents.	The group activities end with sharing their reflections on culturally competent and incompetent ways to respond to people in order to increase their own sensitiviy and effectiveness.
This poster lists the reasons why Parker staff values developing cultural competence.	Examining the many layered dimensions of diversity also increase cultural awareness.	Click here to download a PDF page of Cultural Competence in Practice: Considerations for the Classroom Teacher.