Addressing Cultural Diversity in Education Institution
In the United States, many universities and colleges share a common belief regarding cultural diversity. Culture diversity has become a common factor within the American higher learning institutions because it ensures that there is competition in the America’s Economy, strengthens American communities, creates a healthy society, promotes personal growth, and enriches educational experience (American Council on Education, 2016). Therefore, cultural diversity is transforming the American education system by changing the perspective of many people regardless of their race or ethnicity. Cultural diversity is fostering mutual respect within the education system and creates teamwork, where people are judged according to their quality of education (Ortiz & Santos, 2009). With the understanding of the importance of cultural diversity, the purpose of this paper is to analyze cultural diversity by explaining individuals’ cultural competence, discussing the strategies that can enhance cultural competence, and the importance of educators understanding cultural diversity within the learning institutions.
Assessment of Cultural Competence
Lionetti, Snyder, and Christner (2010) assert that cultural competence has become a core factor in today’s learning institutions. Cultural competence relates to all human services in all fileds that involve society diversity. Carrizales (2010) defines cultural competence as the ability that enables organizations and individuals to work in an efficient manner within an environment that involves cross-cultural or multicultural interaction. For educators or education leaders to get a consistent understanding for cultural competence, it is necessary for them to know that cultural competence is the aspect of having the skills, knowledge, and values that will assist them to work effectively with a diverse population (Cooper, Howard-Hamilton, & Cuyjet, 2011). From this case, it is evident that educators should see cultural competence as the concept that involves adapting institutional policies and working practices to meet the unique needs of people from a diverse background.
Educators in the learning institutions build cultural competence through specific principles that give them an opportunity to lead in its development within the diverse population (Nichols, 2013). Personally, to become competent in terms of culture, I have to conduct my responsibilities ethically. When instructors in the higher learning institutions work ethically, they become culturally competent as they use knowledge of different beliefs and socialization practices with various racial and ethnic groups (Nichols, 2013). Personally, I have become culturally competent through recognizing and understanding the line of people’s socialization based on the ethnic and heritage beliefs. This is helpful to educators as make them create the quality of education and training within a diverse population.
In this essence, it is clear that understanding individual’s line of socialization is a cultural identity model that teachers can use to identify and respect people according to their race and beliefs (Lionetti, Snyder, & Christner, 2010). The model is also essential to educational leaders, as it sheds some light on how learners of diverse background develop their identity and get an idea of ethnic attitudes and experiences of the various cultural group.
Strategies That Enhance Personal Cultural Competence
In the American higher learning institutions, the aspect of cultural difference can either hurt or help educators and education leaders in carrying out their functions. Thus, for teachers and leaders in the universities and colleges to enhance cultural competence, it is important to use appropriate strategies. The strategies that educators use in this case should be in a good position to support change throughout the institutions and the students. One of the strategies that educators can use to enhance cultural diversity is through the implementation of effective leadership within the universities or college. Murphy (2010) argues that principals in high learning institutions understand building trust between them and teachers is an influencing point that makes the teachers work with the beliefs of diversity, and this is a major way of promoting cultural competence in the institutions. Moreover, teachers can enhance cultural competence by acknowledging the immense influence of culture within the workplace. According to Leavitt (2002), it is substantial for one to understand that people are immense in their own culture defined by specific beliefs, attitude, and behaviors. Acknowledging the culture of other people makes teachers interact with people of different cultural background in a professional manner and enhances the creation and development of cultural competence.
Importance of Understanding Cultural Competence
Leavitt (2002) points out that understanding culture is a key factor that influences the understanding of cultural competence. This means that understanding cultural competence is significant to educators as it guides and bounds their life practice. Through cultural competence, teachers share cultural tendencies and pass these tendencies to people with a diverse cultural background.
Impact of Understanding Cultural Competence
When teachers understand cultural competence, this will have an impact on their colleagues and the students. Understanding cultural competence has an impact on students, because what teachers practice and perceive influences the behavior and attitude of the students. When teachers know their cultural competence, they understand how to communicate cross-culturally, which affects the ways of learning for students (Pratty-Johnson, 2006). On the other hand, my understanding of cultural competence will influence the cultural knowledge of my colleagues, I will use my knowledge to expand their cultural knowledge and integrate it into their day-to-day practice. This will make my colleagues work effectively with students from different cultural backgrounds.
Conclusion
In essence, this paper provides an assessment of individuals’ cultural competence, strategies that educators use to enhance cultural competence, and the impact that the understanding of cultural competence have on students and teachers. Cultural competence is an essential element to both instructors working and students studying in the United States. Cultural competence makes the relationship between teachers and students from different cultural backgrounds meaningful and gives the latter a willingness to learn about each other’s culture.
References
American Council on Education (2016). On the importance of diversity in higher institution. Retrieved from: http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Documents/BoardDiversityStatement-June2012.pdf
Carrizales, T. (2010). Exploring cultural competency within the public affairs curriculum. Journal of Public Affairs Education, 16(4), 593-606.
Cooper, D. L., Howard-Hamilton, M. F., & Cuyjet, M. J. (2011). Multiculturalism on campus: Theory, models, and practices for understanding diversity and creating inclusion. Sterling, Va: Stylus Publishing.
Leavitt, R. (2002). Developing cultural competence in a multicultural world: Part 1. Physical Therapy Journal, 1-9.
Lionetti, T. M., Snyder, E. P., & Christner, R. W. (2010). A Practical Guide to Developing Competencies in School Psychology. New York: Springer.
Murphy, J. (2010). The educator’s handbook for understanding and closing achievement gaps. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin.
Nichols, E. J. (2013). Cultural competence in America’s schools: Leadership, engagement and understanding. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.
Ortiz, A. M., & Santos, S. J. (2009). Ethnicity in college: Advancing theory and improving diversity practices on campus. Sterling, Va: Stylus Publishing.
Pratt-Johnson, Y. (2006). Communicating cross-culturally: What teachers should know. New York, the Internet TESL Journal, 12(2).
