Culturally Proficient Inquiry: A Lens for Identifying and Examining Educational Gaps

"What is best about this remarkable book is its constant reminder that the courage to do what is just and right for the ′underserved′ comes to those who face the ′brutal facts,′ listen to the difficult questions, and seek support and guidance from educators in the field. This book is an inspiring companion needed now more than ever."
―Sidney Morrison, Principal
Howard Wood Elementary School, Torrance, CA

"Provides the information and tools needed to create powerful learning communities in which the academic and co-curricular needs and the well-being of all students are addressed through purposeful inquiry and culturally proficient practices. This text is a must-read for educational leader preparation programs and for all educational leaders who want to make a difference."
―Linda Purrington, Director, Educational Leadership Academy
Pepperdine University

Use inquiry to promote equity and transform your school′s educational environment!

Imagine improving student and teacher performance and enriching the culture in your school while implementing deeper goals for educational equity and long-term success. Using the lens of cultural proficiency, the authors lead practitioners through the process of gathering and analyzing data to meet the needs of historically underserved students.

This book provides educators with a critical evaluation process and rubrics to examine why some students are not being educated to their full potential. The chapters carefully guide readers through the steps of analyzing and using data to:

• Encourage discussions about promoting educational equity for all students
• Create a realistic picture of the cultural and economic diversity of your school
• Initiate authentic systemic change
• Effectively respond to NCLB legislative mandates

With a CD-ROM of tables and spreadsheets for data entry, Culturally Proficient Inquiry provides a model for framing professional conversations and making data-based decisions to ensure that all children receive the education they deserve.

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

Cynthia L. Jew, Ph.D. is a professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA. Dr. Jew teaches in the Counselor Education program focusing on Field Experiences and School Systems as she prepares School Counselors.  She is co-author of Culturally Proficient Inquiry: A Lens for Identifying and Examining Education Gaps (Corwin, 2008) and Culturally Proficient schools: All means All. (Corwin 2017) She also serves as a consultant to the Santa Clarita Valley International Charter schools focusing on the areas of Student Support and Inclusiveness.  She is a Licensed Psychologist and Certified School Psychologist.  She has two daughters, Kiera and Jordyn, who is Deaf and wears Cochlear Implants.