Culturally Proficient Education

An Asset-Based Response to Conditions of Poverty
Randall B. Lindsey - California State University Los Angeles, USA
Michelle S. Karns - Consultant
Keith T. Myatt - California State University, Dominguez Hills, USA
Culturally Proficient Education
April 2010 | 176 pages | Corwin
Create Flyer

Purchase

eBook
ISBN: 9781452271453
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781412970860
Available from January 0001

Description

"This new application for cultural proficiency is a testament to the educator-student relationship based on respect, understanding, and a common purpose, no matter what the background or culture of the student happens to be. We can't afford for more students to disengage from education. Thankfully, the authors provide a framework that builds on where we are and that moves us toward a positive, asset-building environment rather than a destructive deficit mind-set."
—Kathleen Gavin, Coordinator of Professional Development
Great Prairie Area Education Agency, Burlington, IA

Develop culturally proficient policies and practices that create opportunities for students of poverty!

Written to counter the perspective that students from low-income backgrounds come to school with certain deficits that prevent them from learning, this timely resource provides educators with the knowledge and skills to maximize educational opportunities for all students, independent of students' socioeconomic status.

The authors examine equity and social issues through the lens of cultural proficiency, an approach that emphasizes how educators can break down self-imposed barriers to student success through self-reflection, personal change, and organizational reform. Focusing on students' strengths, this guide provides:

  • An examination of how poverty intersects with other groupings, such as race, ethnicity, language acquisition, and gender
  • Effective teaching and leadership strategies grounded in the latest research
  • Vignettes and case studies showing the faces of poverty and the barriers they face
  • Reflective activities and self-check protocols that guide readers toward effective practices

Culturally Proficient Education helps teachers and school leaders clear the path to success for students of all social and economic backgrounds.

Contents

Foreword by Dennis Parker

Foreword by Dennis Parker

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

Part I. Why Poverty and Cultural Proficiency?

Part I. Why Poverty and Cultural Proficiency?

Introduction

  • 1. Asset-Based Approaches to Students From Low Income or Impoverished Communities
  • 2. The Middle Class School in Communities of Poverty
  • 3. The Cultural Proficiency Tools Build on Assets

Part II. Pro-social School Applications

  • 4. Culturally Proficient Pedagogy
  • 5. Culturally Proficient Leadership Support for Instruction
  • 6. Policy Development to Ensure and Support Teaching and Learning

Part III. A Call to Action

  • 7. A Call to Action: The Time Is Now
  • Appendix A: Cultural Proficiency Conceptual Framework
  • Appendix B: State Teachers’ Association Retreat Script
  • Appendix C: Taniko’s Poem
  • Appendix D: How to Use Cultural Proficiency Books
  • References
  • Index

Description

"This new application for cultural proficiency is a testament to the educator-student relationship based on respect, understanding, and a common purpose, no matter what the background or culture of the student happens to be. We can't afford for more students to disengage from education. Thankfully, the authors provide a framework that builds on where we are and that moves us toward a positive, asset-building environment rather than a destructive deficit mind-set."
—Kathleen Gavin, Coordinator of Professional Development
Great Prairie Area Education Agency, Burlington, IA

Develop culturally proficient policies and practices that create opportunities for students of poverty!

Written to counter the perspective that students from low-income backgrounds come to school with certain deficits that prevent them from learning, this timely resource provides educators with the knowledge and skills to maximize educational opportunities for all students, independent of students' socioeconomic status.

The authors examine equity and social issues through the lens of cultural proficiency, an approach that emphasizes how educators can break down self-imposed barriers to student success through self-reflection, personal change, and organizational reform. Focusing on students' strengths, this guide provides:

  • An examination of how poverty intersects with other groupings, such as race, ethnicity, language acquisition, and gender
  • Effective teaching and leadership strategies grounded in the latest research
  • Vignettes and case studies showing the faces of poverty and the barriers they face
  • Reflective activities and self-check protocols that guide readers toward effective practices

Culturally Proficient Education helps teachers and school leaders clear the path to success for students of all social and economic backgrounds.

Contents

Foreword by Dennis Parker

Foreword by Dennis Parker

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

About the Authors

About the Authors

Part I. Why Poverty and Cultural Proficiency?

Part I. Why Poverty and Cultural Proficiency?

Introduction

  • 1. Asset-Based Approaches to Students From Low Income or Impoverished Communities
  • 2. The Middle Class School in Communities of Poverty
  • 3. The Cultural Proficiency Tools Build on Assets

Part II. Pro-social School Applications

  • 4. Culturally Proficient Pedagogy
  • 5. Culturally Proficient Leadership Support for Instruction
  • 6. Policy Development to Ensure and Support Teaching and Learning

Part III. A Call to Action

  • 7. A Call to Action: The Time Is Now
  • Appendix A: Cultural Proficiency Conceptual Framework
  • Appendix B: State Teachers’ Association Retreat Script
  • Appendix C: Taniko’s Poem
  • Appendix D: How to Use Cultural Proficiency Books
  • References
  • Index
SAGE Publishing Logo

Culturally Proficient Education

An Asset-Based Response to Conditions of Poverty

Randall B. Lindsey , Michelle S. Karns , Keith T. Myatt
Cancel Print

April 2010 | 176 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781412970860 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781452271453 $35.00

"This new application for cultural proficiency is a testament to the educator-student relationship based on respect, understanding, and a common purpose, no matter what the background or culture of the student happens to be. We can't afford for more students to disengage from education. Thankfully, the authors provide a framework that builds on where we are and that moves us toward a positive, asset-building environment rather than a destructive deficit mind-set."
—Kathleen Gavin, Coordinator of Professional Development
Great Prairie Area Education Agency, Burlington, IA

Develop culturally proficient policies and practices that create opportunities for students of poverty!

Written to counter the perspective that students from low-income backgrounds come to school with certain deficits that prevent them from learning, this timely resource provides educators with the knowledge and skills to maximize educational opportunities for all students, independent of students' socioeconomic status.

The authors examine equity and social issues through the lens of cultural proficiency, an approach that emphasizes how educators can break down self-imposed barriers to student success through self-reflection, personal change, and organizational reform. Focusing on students' strengths, this guide provides:

  • An examination of how poverty intersects with other groupings, such as race, ethnicity, language acquisition, and gender
  • Effective teaching and leadership strategies grounded in the latest research
  • Vignettes and case studies showing the faces of poverty and the barriers they face
  • Reflective activities and self-check protocols that guide readers toward effective practices

Culturally Proficient Education helps teachers and school leaders clear the path to success for students of all social and economic backgrounds.


Table Of Contents:

  • Foreword by Dennis Parker
  • Acknowledgments
  • About the Authors
  • Part I. Why Poverty and Cultural Proficiency?
  • Introduction
  • 1. Asset-Based Approaches to Students From Low Income or Impoverished Communities
  • 2. The Middle Class School in Communities of Poverty
  • 3. The Cultural Proficiency Tools Build on Assets
  • Part II. Pro-social School Applications
  • 4. Culturally Proficient Pedagogy
  • 5. Culturally Proficient Leadership Support for Instruction
  • 6. Policy Development to Ensure and Support Teaching and Learning
  • Part III. A Call to Action
  • 7. A Call to Action: The Time Is Now
  • Appendix A: Cultural Proficiency Conceptual Framework
  • Appendix B: State Teachers’ Association Retreat Script
  • Appendix C: Taniko’s Poem
  • Appendix D: How to Use Cultural Proficiency Books
  • References
  • Index

Recent Product Reviews:

I am developing an early childhood inclusive education program for Georgian Court University and I want my students to be sensitive to the unique status of children who are living in poverty. This book has been extremely beneficial in helping my students become more self-reflective about working with young children and families who live in poverty.
Dr Cathrine Beaunae, Education , Georgian Court University
"Before we can look at our students in a way that emphasizes what strengths and skills they bring to the classroom, we need to look at ourselves, our biases, and preconceptions. This book is an interactive model that uses the tools of cultural proficiency as a lens to look not only at our students, but also ourselves. This self-reflection enables us to be more effective for all our students."
Rick Mooradian, Teacher, Tahoe Elementary School, Sacramento, CA
"Students in poverty circumstances need us more than ever. This book provides tools, resources, and thought-provoking vignettes to illustrate what can transform our educational practice to meet the needs of all kids. After reading this book, I am astounded by how we have compartmentalized educational programming to reduce achievement gaps and yet, after decades of research, found this to be ineffective. This new application for cultural proficiency is a testament to the educator-student relationship based on respect, understanding, and a common purpose, no matter what the background or culture of the student happens to be. We can't afford for more students to disengage from education. Thankfully, the authors frame that for us in a way that builds on where we are in our learning and moves us forward toward a positive, asset-building environment rather than a destructive deficit mind-set."
Kathleen Gavin, Coordinator of Professional Development, Great Prairie Area Education Agency, Burlington, IA

Recommendations