St. Paul Public Schools Cultural Proficiency Professional Development

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St. Paul Public Schools Cultural Proficiency
Professional Development

• WELCOME!

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Why Cultural Proficiency?

• Without a culturally proficient working and
  learning environment, the achievement gap will
  never be closed. Period.
• In nearly every community conversation district
  administrators have held in the past three years,
  SPPS key stakeholders, parents, community members
  and staff have told the district that they want
  to feel welcomed, valued and respected when they
  enter our schools and our workplace. It has also
  predictably come up in many community initiatives
  the district has launched over the past 40 years
  and time and again when community representatives
  appear during the public comment section of the
  SPPS board meetings.
• Based on feedback from staff and internal surveys
  over the past two years, the perceived need for
  cultural proficiency training is urgent. In
  fact, the results of both the 2007 and 2008 SPPS
  Inclusive Workplace Surveys indicated that 94 of
  employees responding rated inclusiveness
  initiatives as being highly important. (In the
  2009 survey 42 of our employees participated.
• Finally, Saint Paul Public Schools is engaging in
  Cultural Proficiency Professional Development
  because its the right thing to do!

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FAQ

• Q What are cohorts and do I need to complete
  the program with the same cohort?
• A A cohort is a group that participates in all
  the sessions of the CPPD together. Participating
  as a cohort increases trust and learning. The
  priority will be to schedule all staff in cohort
  groups of approximately 45 persons.
• Q Where will the professional development
  sessions be held?
• A The majority of CPPD will be held on location
  at work sites or in district-wide spaces that
  have been designated solely for CPPD. Special
  circumstances may warrant scheduling sessions at
  other sites.
• Q What are the CPPD requirements?
• A All staff are required to complete the IDI
  assessment prior to the first PD session, along
  with 12 hours of CPPD training. Some additional
  individual and group coaching and application are
  available for staff. Support Staff will complete
  all 12 hours this year, Instructional Staff will
  complete nine hours this year and the rest next
  year.
•  Q How long are the CPPD sessions?
• A There are four sessions, each is three hours
  long. No more than two consecutive sessions may
  be scheduled in the same day.
• Q How are we paying for the CPPD?
• A Funds for the CPPD come solely from the
  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA or
  federal stimulus funding).

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Speed Dating

• How are you?
• How are you really?
• One hope and one fear about this initiative are.

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Norms

• The implicit and explicit rules about how a
  group functions.

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Recommended Group Norms

• Apply the work to yourself and your own situation
  first and foremost.
• Be present.
• Conflict and tension will be acknowledged and
  used to further group learning.
• Listen to understand---not to respond.
• Respect confidentiality---whats said/done here
  stays here.
• Assume good intent of everyone in the room.
• Be open to new thinking from yourself and others.

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Culture

• Shared experience, shared context, shared
  meaning.
• Milton Bennett
• The way we do things around here.
• Juan Moreno

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SPPS Definition

• Cultural proficiency is defined as the values,
  beliefs and behaviors that enable individual
  employees of the district to interact effectively
  with students, staff, and families and the
  broader community, in a culturally diverse,
  inclusive environment.

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DMIS
Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity
Experience of Difference
Denial
Adaptation
Minimization
Polarization
Acceptance
Monocultural
Multicultural
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DENIAL
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Well, I guess Ill have the ham and eggs
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DENIAL

• Inability to see difference
• Comfortable withseekfamiliar
• My culture is the only reality

Primary Learning Emphasis Begin to notice and
confront cultural differences
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Well, I guess Ill have the ham and eggs
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POLARIZATION
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Neanderthals, Neanderthals! Cant make fire!
Cant make spear! Nyah, nyah, nyah!
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POLARIZATION

• Defense and Reversal
• Judgmental Orientation

Primary Learning Emphasis Identify
commonalities
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DEFENSE

• Dualistic us vs. them
• Denigration/Superiority

Primary Learning Emphasis Cooperative activities,
shared needs/goals
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REVERSAL

• Peace Corps Volunteer Syndrome
• Reverses us/them polarization
• Internalized oppression

Primary Learning Emphasis Recognize stereotypical
nature of ones perceptions
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Neanderthals, Neanderthals! Cant make fire!
Cant make spear! Nyah, nyah, nyah!
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MINIMIZATION
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Inadvertently Roy dooms the entire earth to
annihilation, when, in an attempt to be friendly,
he seizes their leader by the head and shakes
vigorously.
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MINIMIZATION

• Focus on commonality/similarity
• Dont denigrate also avoid stereotypes
• Deep down, were all the same

Primary Learning Emphasis Cultural self-awareness
and general knowledge about cultural frameworks
(E.g., different communication styles)
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Inadvertently Roy dooms the entire earth to
annihilation, when, in an attempt to be friendly,
he seizes their leader by the head and shakes
vigorously.
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ACCEPTANCE
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Well of course I did it in cold blood, Im
cold-blooded!
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ACCEPTANCE

• Recognize cultural patterns need to be understood
  from perspective of other culture
• Begin to explore cultural differences
• Non-evaluative
• More difference means more creative ideas!

Primary Learning Emphasis Culturally specific
information coupled with application
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Well of course I did it in cold blood, Im
cold-blooded!
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ADAPTATION
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Realizing something different needed to be done,
the cheetah embraced change and took action
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ADAPTATION

• Empathy frame-shifting
• Adapt behavior
• NOT assimilation
• Can see more than one cultural perspective

Primary Learning Emphasis Big picture strategies,
deeper cultural exposure
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Realizing something different needed to be done,
the cheetah embraced change and took action
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The Bottom Line

• We can be any and everywhere in
• this developmental process on any
• particular issue---however, we all have a
• predominant orientation, which is what
• the IDI helps us understand.

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Interpreting Your IDI Profile
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To Begin . . .

• The IDI Profile Report can help you reflect on
  how you
• experience cultural differences and similarities.
• As you review your IDI profile results
• Re-consider and reframe your understanding of
  past events based on your IDI profile
  resultsthis can help you better uncover hidden
  assumptions that may have guided your actions in
  these situations.
• Focus on a challenge you are currently facing in
  which cultural differences and similarities have
  emerged. Proactively apply the insights provided
  in your group IDI profile

Source Mitchell R. Hammer, Ph.D.
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Primary Elements

• Perceived Orientation (PO)
• The PO score reflects where you place yourself
  along the intercultural development continuum.
  
• Denial Polarization Minimization
  Acceptance Adaptation
• Developmental Orientation (DO)
• The DO indicates your primary orientation toward
  cultural differences and commonalities along the
  continuum as assessed by the IDI. The DO is the
  perspective you are most likely to use in those
  situations where cultural differences and
  commonalities arise.
• Denial Polarization Minimization
  Acceptance Adaptation
  
  

Source Mitchell R. Hammer, Ph.D.
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Primary Elements

• Orientation Gap (OG)
• The Orientation Gap (OG) is the difference along
  the continuum between your Perceived Orientation
  and Developmental Orientation.
• Denial Polarization Minimization
  Acceptance Adaptation
• Denial Polarization Minimization
  Acceptance Adaptation

Source Mitchell R. Hammer, Ph.D.
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Primary Elements

• Trailing Orientations (TO)
• Trailing orientations are those orientations that
  are in back of your Developmental Orientation
  (DO) on the intercultural continuum.
• Trailing Orientations may or may not be
  resolved. When an earlier orientation is not
  resolved, this trailing perspective may be used
  to make sense of cultural differences at
  particular times, around certain topics, or in
  specific situations.
• Leading Orientation (LO)
• A Leading Orientation is that orientation that is
  immediately in front of your Developmental
  Orientation (DO). A Leading Orientation is the
  next step to take in further development of
  intercultural competence.
• Trailing
  Leading
• Denial Polarization Minimization Acceptance
  Adaptation

Source Mitchell R. Hammer, Ph.D.
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DMIS Behaviors

• Denial An orientation that likely recognizes
  observable cultural differences (e.g., food) but
  may not notice deeper cultural difference (e.g.,
  conflict resolution styles) and may avoid or
  withdraw from cultural differences.
• Polarization A judgmental orientation that views
  cultural differences in terms of us and them.
  This can take the form of
• Defense An uncritical view towards ones own
  cultural values and practices and an overly
  critical view towards other cultural practices.
• Reversal An overly critical orientation towards
  ones own cultural values and practices and an
  uncritical view towards other cultural values and
  practices.
• Minimization An orientation that highlights
  cultural commonality and universal values and
  principles that may also mask deeper recognition
  and appreciation of cultural differences.
• Acceptance An orientation that recognizes and
  appreciates patterns of cultural difference and
  commonality in ones own and other cultures.
• Adaptation An orientation that is capable of
  shifting cultural perspective and changing
  behavior in culturally appropriate and authentic
  ways.

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What Now?

• Things you can do to help keep this project
  moving

• Talk with coworkers about your experience
  today---what you noticed, what it made you think
  about, what stuck with you, what questions you
  have.
• Review your materials. Get familiar with the
  vocabulary---youll be using it
• in upcoming workshops!
• Review your groups IDI Profile---you can get a
  copy from your Principal or
• Supervisor.
• Apply todays insights to your situation---do
  you see examples of DMIS orientation-related
  behavior going on around you? Coming from you?
• What effect does this awareness have on how you
  approach situations, or
• how you interpret the behavior of others?

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Cultural Proficiency Toolkit
http//culturalproficiency.spps.org
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Credits

• Coordination of this effort is being provided by
  the SPPS Office of Educational Equity.
• Yusef Mgeni is heading up a Cultural Proficiency
  Leadership Team, consisting of
• Barbara DeMaster, Executive Director of
  Elementary Education
• Brenda Hammer, Secretary, Office of Educational
  Equity
• Dan Rodriguez, Director of Community Relations
• Teresa Rogers, Executive Director of Human
  Resources
• Kate Wilcox-Harris, Executive Director of the
  Center for Professional Development
• Your supervisors and/or principals are already
  involved in setting up your remaining training
• sessions for this year.
• Q If I have questions, whom should I call?
• A Brenda Hammer or Yusef Mgeni
• (651) 7678338 Yusef.Mgeni_at_spps.org or
  Brenda.Hammer_at_spps.org

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Thank You!
For all that you do for the children in your care
and the communities in which you live and work!

• Please be sure to fill out your evaluations!