Reflections on Diversity and Cultural Competence in our Schools and Extended Learning Programs

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Reflections on Diversity and Cultural Competence
in our Schools and Extended Learning Programs

• Mary McAllister Shea, Ed. D.
• Shea Consulting
• Sisters, OR
• mmcshea1309_at_msn.com

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Learning Objectives

• Encourage reflection of our schools and
• afterschool communities
• Examine role of leadership in
• transforming school communities
• Expand our definitions of diversity to
• include ability differences

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Goal of Cultural Competency

• Ensuring everyone we come into contact with is
  treated in a manner compatible
• with their cultural beliefs and practices,
  preferred language, physical ability and gender
• Oregon Commission on
  Children and Families

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Cultural Competency is

• Based on respect for individuals and cultural
  differences
• Having the knowledge and skills to adjust
  perceptions, behaviors, and practice styles to
  meet the needs of different ethnic and racial
  groups
• Oregon Commission on Children
  and Families

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Equity Diversity

• Rather than suppressing differences we should
  honor them and build a commonality between us

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Including All of Us

• We must ensure
• that individuals with disabilities
• are also included
• when we describe diversity
• Its time for a paradigm change

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Its a Fact

• Individuals with disabilities
• remain pervasively
• disadvantaged and their goal of
• full participation is a dream deferred

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Medical Model

• Deficiency Based
• Goal to remediate or rehabilitate person
• Experts were in charge
• Very prescriptive
• Outcomes were dismal

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Social Model of Disability

• Empowerment model
• Based on principle of self-determination
• Supports interdependence
• Outcomes are authentic inclusion and
• opportunities for connections in the
• community

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Circle of Friends

• We long for wisdom to make the world more decent
  and tolerant and caring,
• a world where all of us figure in one anothers
  survival. We believe much of the wisdom needed
  for the task comes from reaching toward those we
  may have programmed to avoid
• 
  Perske Perske, 1988

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Prevalence Incidence

• 13.9 of children 0-17 years qualify as children
  with special heath care needs (CSHCN)
• those who have or are at increased risk for a
  chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or
  emotional condition and who may also require
  health and related service of a type or amount
  beyond that required by children generally
• National Survey of CSHCN and National Survey of
  Childrens Health

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Who are These Children?

• They are NOT
• The special education students
• The autistic children
• The behavior challenges
• The wheelchair users
• The Down syndrome kids
• They are just children !

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Oregons Children

• 4.2 of children 6-17 years have
• repeated a grade
• 46.2 of children age 2- 17 years with
• problems requiring counseling received
• mental health care
• 16.4 of kids live in neighborhoods
• with poorly kept or dilapidated housing

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Oregons Children

• 7 of teens are high school dropouts
• 9 of teens are not in school not working
• 17 of children living in poverty (21,027 for
  family of 2 adults 2 children)
• 29 of children in single-parent families
• 35 of children living in families where no
  parent has full time, year round employment

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Whats Happening with These Kids?

• How are they doing in school?
• Are they fully included?
• Do they graduate, participate in service
  learning, or school activities?
• Do they have friends?
• Are they in extended learning programs or quality
  out-of-school time environments?

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Professional Opportunities

• Promote access, provide supports, and
• design respectful accommodations
• Ensure opportunities for meaningful
• inclusion in natural environments
• Model respect for human differences
• Create Caring Communities !

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The challenge is...

• We are often told to build community in our
  institutions, but we are left with a feeling that
  we have neither the fiscal nor moral tools to do
  so
• Tierney, W.G. (1992) Cultural leadership and the
  search for community. Liberal Education 78 (5),
  16-21

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Challenge for Leadership

• Commit to strategically and intentionally
  transform your school communities to become truly
  diverse and multicultural institutions that
  reflect your communities
• Become a boundary crosser !

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Conduct a Cultural Audit

• At the core of any viable institution
• there is a moral code which must periodically be
  reinvigorated
• so that the institution may
• survive and flourish
• Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swindler, Tipton
  (1985). Habits of the heart.

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Leadership in Action

• Begin with reflection
• (personal and organizational)
• Use a developmental continuum to
• measure organizational change
• Ensure stakeholder voices
• Adapt and adjust as needed

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Final Reflection

• Our goal should be clear.
• We are seeking nothing less than a life
• surrounded by the richness and
• diversity of community.
• A collective life. A common life.
• An every day life.
• A powerful life that gains its joy
• from the creativity and
• connectedness that come
• when we join in association to
• create an inclusive world John McKnight