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Cultural Competence:
Coming to a School Near You?
'Cultural Competence': the
trendy term is appearing with greater frequency in
darkwing.uoregon.edu/~codac/OregonCCSummit.pdf
education proposals and www.scu.edu/strategicplan/futuredirections/themes/diversity.cfm
literature. Parents would do well to ask, "What is
it, and how could it effect my children's education
from kindergarten through university?
'Cultural competence'
first arose in connection with health care
services, where www.omhrc.gov/cultural
a standard definition is, "services that are
respectful of and responsive to the cultural and
linguistic needs of the patient." For example, this
means health care providers should be able to
communicate with a non-English-speaking patient and
they should take into account cultural habits when
constructing a health regime.
Recently, the term has
migrated from health care to education; its
definition has shifted in the drift. In theory,
'cultural competence' in the classroom means being
able to teach children from diverse backgrounds. In
practice, the term is the new face of political
correctness, which is often accompanied by the PC
concepts of 'diversity' or
'multiculturalism.'
'Cultural competency'
advances the same basic goals as those buzz words.
Certain groups (such as minorities) and certain
ideas (such as gender feminist interpretations of
oppression) are to be promoted by
institutionalizing policies that encourage them. Of
course, this means that other groups and other
ideas are de facto penalized or discouraged.
But instead of being
applied directly to students, as with affirmative
action in college entrance, 'cultural competency'
applies to educators: their hiring, their firing,
their promotion. It is more of a behind-the-scenes
process and, so, less visible to the public. Yet
the impact upon children's education could be as
dramatic.
Norman Levitt, Professor
of Mathematics at Rutgers University,
www.spiked-online.com/articles/0000000CADAC.htm
explains, "'Cultural competence' is…a
bureaucratic weapon. 'Cultural competence', or
rather, your [an educator's] presumed lack
thereof, is what you will be clobbered with if you
are imprudent enough to challenge or merely to have
qualms about 'affirmative action', 'diversity' and
'multiculturalism', as those principles are now
espoused by their most fervent academic
advocates."
According to Levitt, the
beliefs that are likely to torpedo an educator's
career include:
- affirmative action
conflicts "with other standards of justice and
equity"
- feminism's theory of
"the social constructedness of gender" is
incorrect
'Cultural competence' has
achieved some momentum. For example, in March 2005,
the Corvallis Gazette Times www.gazettetimes.com/articles/2005/04/01/news/oregon/frista03.txt%20id=r-1_0
reported, "A quiet effort by state officials to
require that all newly certified Oregon teachers be
'culturally competent' looks to be dead-on-arrival
in the Republican-controlled House, despite firm
support from education advocates."
(Oregon is one of dozens
of states exploring and implementing 'cultural
competency' but it seems be on the cutting edge.
For example, starting in 2007, the state's Teachers
Standards and Practices Commission says it will
require new school administrators to demonstrate
cultural competency.)
The definition of the term
is all-important. Unfortunately, language
surrounding the term is usually vague and
bureaucratic. The University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey is typical in
www.umdnj.edu/culturalcompetency/pages/whatis.htm
stating, "Cultural competence requires that
organizations…have the capacity to (1) value
diversity, (2) conduct self-assessment, (3) manage
the dynamics of difference, (4) acquire and
institutionalize cultural
knowledge…"
Piercing the Bureaucrat
Speak returns us to 64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:hoRBfha7NcwJ:www.ode.state.or.us/opportunities/grants/saelp/chroncultdivinit.pdf+Oregon+%22Senate+Bill+103%22&hl=en
Oregon where, in 2003, the Teachers Standards and
Practices Commission began developing
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/college/coll-opinions-gordly.html
'cultural competence' standards for certifying
teachers and administrators. The task required a
clearer definition.
In May 2004, the Oregon
Department of Education sponsored darkwing.uoregon.edu/~codac/OregonCCSummit.pdf
a Summit of "over 100 of the State's leaders in
education…to engage in a dialogue about
cultural competency." Its purpose was to develop a
specific proposal on how to implement 'cultural
competence' in education, from kindergarten to
university.
It was the Summit's
definition of 'cultural competence' that caused
Oregon's House to balk at the education bill that
ensued 64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:1LWLMybCV04J:www.leg.state.or.us/05reg/measpdf/sb0001.dir/sb0050.intro.pdf+%22Senate+Bill+50%22+Oregon&hl=en
Senate Bill 50. The essence of that definition:
"Cultural competence is based on a commitment to
social justice and equity" darkwing.uoregon.edu/~codac/OregonCCSummit.pdf
p.8
.
Some of the specifics of
what constitutes 'social justice' and 'equity'
emerged from the Summit, which was organized into
discussion Tables. 'Cultural competence' "entails
actively challenging the status quo…one table
noted the need to incorporate institutionalized
notions of power, privilege, and oppression into
the definition….Thus, for many, cultural
competence is transformative and political."
(p.7)
In practical terms, a
"culturally competent" teacher "advocates for
social justice"; the teacher "exhibits awareness of
key concepts" such as "privilege, affirmative
action"; he or she must not only "apply cultural
competencies" but also "believe it."
(p.9)
'Cultural competence'
would not be a request but a requirement. In its
five year projection, the Summit proposed to
"revise rules to achieve high cultural standards
including possible revocation of licensure for
culturally incompetent behavior" and "to require
cultural competence for license renewal." (p.13)
Indeed, SB50 would have authorized the
establishment of "standards for cultural competency
and require an applicant for a teaching license to
meet those standards."
In short, teachers would
be required to advocate a specific vision of social
justice to be licensed.
Dave Mowry, a legislative
coordinator for Rep. Linda Flores, noted in
www.oregonlive.com/commentary/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1115978118228830.xml&coll=7
The Oregonian (May 11), "[T]he Teachers
Standards and Practices Commission and the Oregon
Department of Education are backtracking, saying
they really didn't mean it…Then why is it in
the definition and the five-year plan and on the
commission's Web site?"
Oregon may be an extreme
example but PC policies have a tendency to become
extreme…and quickly so. The best protection
for children against political correctness is for
parents to be aware.
©2007, Wendy
McElroy
* * *
Wendy
McElroy is the editor of ifeminists.com
and a research fellow for The Independent Institute
in Oakland, Calif. She is the author and editor of
many books and articles, including her latest book,
Liberty for Women: Freedom and Feminism in the
21st Century. She lives with her husband in
Canada. E-Mail.
Also, see her daily blog at www.zetetics.com/mac
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