Leadership magazine Jan/Feb 2016 V45 No 3 | Page 19

not necessarily be empathetic to cultures that are not of their own, he or she must at a bare minimum be cognizant, sympathetic and display compassion toward student populations in cultures that have historically not been affirmed. These are non-recipients of attribution for their contributions to society, disenfranchised and have been subjected to disparities, both implicit and explicit. The personnel at the school site and the curriculum must have this mindset embedded in daily practice while engaging all who are being served. Means of supporting the cultural shift In the state of California, there has been recognition of the cultural shift. In 2014, legislation enacted the new Local Control Funding Formula for school districts, charter schools and county offices of education. The LCFF replaced the previous model of categorical funding in support of base grants, supplemental grants and concentration grants. A component of the LCFF is the Local Control and Accountability Plan, which includes a template provided by the state that requires a district or county office of education to identify annual goals, action plans and instruments that will be used to measure student progress within eight priorities. The LCAP addresses the needs of student populations that will be the macro culture in the very near future. It is important to note that it is within the LCAP and specifically three of the eight priorities, Student Engagement, School Climate and Parental Involvement, where the state of California is theoretically mandating that schools and school administrators be responsive to the needs of the diverse population. The accountability aspect is a piece that affords guidance to assist in supporting not only the students and families, but also their cultures. Although the LCFF and the LCAP are in their infancy stages, these mechanisms of resources and support are greatly appreciated by school administrators who envision the benefit of the intent and the spirit of the new funding formula to assure equity. The culturally proficient school administrator views the LCFF and LCAP as a means to assist what he or she has already proposed You’ll have to ask yourself, “Am I having these events because they’re in celebration of culture and diversity? Or am I fulfilling mandates and checking off lists?” and campaigned for, including: • Parental involvement so parent/family populations can feel appreciated as collaborators in the process of educating their children. • Parents having the ability to monitor the school climate by determining alternative means of disciplining students. • Assisting in the creation of appropriate intervention methods prior to reaching exclusionary actions. • Fully researching and addressing the background and history of the student to determine if any social emotional issues may be the causation of unwanted school behaviors. • Devising and implementing strategies that support students that have challenges with chronic absenteeism leading to dropping out of school. Educators must be reflective about cultural biases Understanding the term cultural proficiency incudes realizing the components that make up a culture. Culture is primarily composed of a belief system, agreed upon values, traditions, behaviors, religion, symbols and ethnicities that distinguish the members of one group people from another. Due to the large swath of elements that construct a culture, in order for a school administrator to be genuinely accepting of a culture, one must display the ability to be reflective, introspective and assess an honest accounting of their possible biases toward varying cultures. For some administrators, this can certainly be a challenge. However, the cultural proficiency level of an administrator will not be elevated until that challenge is met, and the benefits will definitely be transformative. In cases where the challenge is difficult to overcome, it has to do with the implicit biases that are present within them and cause the lack of cultural proficiency. The overt and explicit biases are quite simple to recognize and root out. However, it is the covert and unidentifiable implicit biases that are most demanding for the school administrator. The very definition of implicit biases means that a person essentially isn’t consciously aware of their biases, but subconsciously they are in existence. At this point is where courageous and oftentimes, necessary conversations must be held with members of the varying cultures in order to gain true progress of supporting the representatives of the cultures that are being served. Diverse populations have unique needs that must be acknowledged and serviced in unique styles, but with the ultimate goal of simply wanting to do what is best and most appropriate to extend support. As long as this is in the forefront for the school administrator, he or she will be on a path to develop the relationships and rapport that are needed to arrive at a culturally proficient level that is accepting, appreciative and embracing of cultures. Resources • State Priority Related Resources, California Department of Education: http:// www.cde.ca.gov/fg/aa/lc/statepriorityresources.asp. • Banks, J.A. (1999). An Introduction to Multicultural Education (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. • U.S. Census Bureau (March, 2015). New Census Bureau Report Analyzes US Population Projections: www.census.gov/ newsroom/press-releases/2015/cb15tps16.html. LaDay Smith is an administrator in the Orange County Department of Education Alternative Education Division. January | February 2016 19