Developing Critical Cultural Competence

A Guide for 21st-Century Educators

This book is designed for professional development staff, teacher educators, lead teachers, administrators, and other school leaders who want to engage teachers in developing their critical cultural competence. Due to the increasingly diverse nature of todayÆs schools, and imperative to increase the achievement of all students, no matter their background, there is great need for 21st century teachers to develop critical cultural competence. This is done best through on-going professional development for both new and experienced teachers because it requires much more than just knowing about the diverse nature of todayÆs students. While culturally competent teachers can reflect on their own practices, and seek knowledge about their students, families and communities, teachers with critical cultural competence have to become more self-analytical in their reflections, innovative in their actions, and collaborative in helping to transform their schoolsÆ culture. Therefore, this book offers numerous activities to engage teachers in the exploration of themselves as a cultural beings and innovative ways to learn more about the diversity of todayÆs students from their families and communities. The book is organized around professional development activities that focus on the three inseparable aspects required for developing teachersÆ critical cultural competency: understanding of self; understanding of students; and understanding of families and communities. The book concludes with recommendations for how to plan and fund professional development for building teachersÆ critical cultural competence in order to reach the ultimate goal of increasing student achievement.