Culturally Proficient Instruction: A Guide for People Who Teach

"The creative use of vignettes throughout this book provides readers with rich descriptions and real-life situations that bring the cultural proficiency continuum to life. This book is a must read for every instructor in our nation′s classrooms and workplaces."
Eliseo Davalos, Director of Pupil Services
Corona-Norco Unified School District
Norco, CA

"Culturally Proficient Instruction is an engaging and informative resource for both beginning and experienced teachers grappling with educational issues in this diverse society. It will inspire you to reach and teach all of your students."
Brenda Lakin, Professor of Teacher Education
California State University
Northridge, CA

"The interactive format and real-life examples are perfect for training and developing culturally sensitive, effective teachers. This book will have a profound effect on not only the participants but also on those who provide the leadership."
Mary H. Lewis, Director
Teacher Certification Unit
Los Angeles Unified School District, CA

 An invitation to reflect and grow for educators of all kinds, from the authors of Cultural Proficiency

Cultural proficiency is the self-awareness to recognize how you―because of your ethnicity, your culture, and your life experiences―may offend others, and yet how you may also offer others something unique and special.

The quartet of authors of Corwin′s best-selling book, Cultural Proficiency, now expand on that theme and turn their attention especially to educators at all levels, offering an invitation to teachers to reflect on the practice and craft of instruction. Case studies and guided reflections help readers find the insights they need to begin the process of healing in themselves, their students, their schools, and their communities. Key concepts include:

• Assessing your culture
• Overcoming barriers to cultural proficiency
• Valuing diversity
• Managing the dynamics of difference
• Adapting to diversity
• Institutionalizing cultural knowledge

 Incorporating a wide range of examples from a multitude of environments, this book addresses the needs of K–12 teachers and administrators, higher education faculty, adult educators, and trainers in business and healthcare. This book is for everyone who teaches, in every type of setting.

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