Cultural Proficiency Continuum
The cultural proficiency continuum provides a perspective for examining policies, practices, and procedures in an organization or community.
• Cultural Destructiveness – the elimination of other people’s cultures.
This level is represented by attitudes, policies, and practices destructive to cultures, and consequently, to the individuals within a culture.
http://www.corkfpc.com/shedd.html http://www.irwinator.com/126/wdoc211.htm
• Cultural Incapacity – belief in the superiority of one’s culture and behavior
that disempowers another’s culture. This is represented by organizations or individuals that show extreme bias. Believe in the superiority of the dominant group, and assume a paternal posture toward so-called lesser groups. Unrealistic fear, ignorance, dislike of people who different are from them are common characteristics.
http://www.displaysforschools.com/history.html http://www.cah.utexas.edu/ssspot/lesson_plans/lesson_10.php
• Cultural Blindness – acting as if the cultural differences one sees do not matter or not recognizing that there are differences among and between cultures, all people are the same. This is represented by the individual or organizations intent to not discriminate, avoiding making an issue of the differences manifested among the students.
http://amynearyolson.com/resources.aspx http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/sexual-harassment-at-school/?apage=2
• Cultural Pre-Competence – awareness of the limitations of one’s skills or an organization’s practices when interacting with other cultural groups.
http://www.joe.org/joe/2001december/ent.html http://www.ethicseducationforchildren.org/en/learningtolivetogether.html
• Cultural Competence – interacting with other cultural groups using the following as guidelines for individual behavior and school practices:
• acceptance and respect for differences,
• ongoing assessment of one’s own and the organization’s culture,
• attention to the dynamics of differences,
• continuous expansion of cultural knowledge and resources, and
• adaptation of one’s value and behaviors and the organization’s
policies and practices.
http://jewishbreakingnews.blogspot.com/2008_02_03_archive.html
http://picasaweb.google.com/jslaff/20089#5220013646306987250
• Cultural Proficiency – in daily living people/organizations:
• esteem culture,
• know how to learn about individual and organizational culture,
• interact effectively in a variety of cultural environments,
• take every opportunity to increase, formally and informally, their awareness level and
knowledge base of other cultures and the dynamics of cultural differences