Culturally Proficient Instruction: A Guide for People Who Teach

′The second edition of Culturally Proficient Instruction helps educators understand that profound and productive engagement with all learners is fundamental to successful teaching and learning. Authentic stories guide teachers through a professional journey into reflective practice while practical ideas suggest possible learning futures. Thoughtfully, readers are invited to replace well intentioned but culturally naïve practice with strategies that demonstrate skill and increase proficiency′ - from the foreword by Rob Larson

′Culturally Proficient Instruction enables educators to act on the proposition that all children can learn and suggests knowable ways by which to achieve that goal. This book gives a context and voice to the notion that culturally proficient instructors add value and dignity to children′s lives and a dimension of professionalism to their artistry as teachers and leaders′ - from the foreword to the first edition by Rudolph F. Crew

Social justice, equity, closing the achievement gap, reaching all learners - these are the goals of today′s educators, but how does one go about making these values a reality in classrooms? Thousands of educators have found the answer in the framework of cultural proficiency. Cultural proficiency provides educators with the tools to work effectively with those who differ from them. It doesn′t mean that you know everything there is to know about others-rather, it is the self-awareness to know how you-because of your ethnicity, culture, and life experiences-may offend or otherwise affect others.

In this thoroughly updated edition of the best-selling book, the authors provide opportunities for teachers to reflect on who they are as teachers, who their learners are, and what they each bring to the classroom. Each chapter of this interactive resource contains reflective questions, reflective activities, and group work to take readers deeper into the process of cultural proficiency. The book can be used individually, in pairs, or in groups. A case study based on the the authors′ extensive work in a variety of settings provides an opportunity for readers to see, hear, and feel what cultural proficiency looks like in practice.

Kikanza Nuri-Robins helps people to close the gap between what they say they are and what they actually do.  Whether she is in a corporate boardroom, the fireside room of a retreat center, or a convention center auditorium, Kikanza uses her skills and insights to help people and organizations that are in transition – or ought to be.  She shares her observations and recommendations with clarity and candor, while gently encouraging them to face the difficult situations that challenge their skill sets and their values.  She leads people to this growing edge with unswerving focus, an understanding heart, and laughter that rises from the seat of her soul.

 

Since 1978, Kikanza has worked as an organizational development consultant in a variety of settings includ­ing education, health care, criminal justice, and religion, focusing on leadership development, change management, and cultural proficiency. Her clients range from school districts, to university faculty, to government offices and non-profit organizations.  The connecting thread is her passion for working with people who want to making a difference for others.

 

Kikanza studied at Occidental College, the University of Southern California, and the San Francisco Theological Seminary.  She is the author of many articles and five books, including: Cultural Proficiency and Culturally Proficient Responses to the LGBT Communities. Kikanza lives in Los Angeles where she spends her discretionary time as a textile artist.

Randall B. Lindsey is Emeritus Professor at California State University, Los Angeles. He has served as a teacher, an administrator, executive director of a non-profit corporation, as Interim Dean at California Lutheran University, as Distinguished Educator in Residence at Pepperdine University, and as Chair of the Education Department at the University of Redlands. All of Randy’s experiences have been in working with diverse populations and his area of study is the behavior of white people in multicultural settings. His Ph.D. is in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University, his Master of Arts in Teaching is in History Education from the University of Illinois, and his B.S. in Social Science Education is from Western Illinois University. He has served as a junior high school and high school teacher and as an administrator in charge of school desegregation efforts. At Cal State, L.A. he served as Chair of the Division of Administration and Counseling and as Director of the Regional Assistance Centers for Educational Equity, a regional race desegregation assistance center. With co-authors he has written several books and articles on applying the Cultural Proficiency Framework in various contexts.

Email – randallblindsey@gmail.com
Website - CCPEP.org
Twitter - @RBLindsey41

Dr. Delores B. Lindsey served as assistant principal, principal, and county office administrator. She served as Executive Director of the regional school leadership center. Delores uses her skills as Cognitive Coach and Adaptive Schools trainer blended with her understanding and skills as a cultural proficiency trainer to design and implement the 10-Day Certification Program for Culturally Proficient Educational Practice. She served as assistant professor at California State University San Marcos for more than 10 years. She retired from the institution; however, she has not retired from the education profession. Her primary focus is developing culturally proficient leaders. She helps educational leaders examine their organizations’ policies and practices and their individual beliefs and values about cross-cultural communication. Her favorite reflective questions are, Who are we? and, Are we who we say we are? Delores and her husband, Randall (her favorite SAGE/Corwin author), continue to co-write about the application of the four tools of Cultural Proficiency. Her most recent publications which are on Corwin’s bestseller list are Leading While Female: A Culturally Proficient Response for Gender Equity, and My Leading While Female Journey: A Guided Reflective Journal with Trudy Arriaga and Stacie Stanley.

Raymond Terrell, EdD. retired as Associate Dean for Research and Diversity and member of he department of Educational Leadership at Miami University, Oxford< Ohio. He previously worked at California State University, Los Angeles where he served as Professor of Educational Administration and for five years he was the Dean of the School of Eduction. His journey in education began in a public school district where he taught English to junior and senior high students;. He also was a principal and an assistant superintend in the same district. Dr. Terrell is co-author on a number of books including , Cultural Proficiency: and a A Manual for School Leaders, Cultural Proficient Leadership. His books and numerous articles and life’s work have all focused  on issues of equity and inclusion