Opening Doors

An Implementation Template for Cultural Proficiency
Trudy Tuttle Arriaga
Randall B. Lindsey - California State University Los Angeles, USA
Opening Doors
December 2015 | 152 pages | Corwin
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eBook
ISBN: 9781506301440
Available from January 0001
Paperback
ISBN: 9781483388793
Available from January 0001

Description

See how one school district made Cultural Proficiency real—and how you can too!

In spite of Brown vs. Board of Education, true integration and corresponding equality of educational opportunity is still far from reality in American schools.  

Opening Doors tells the story of Ventura Unified School District's successful implementation of cultural proficiency, which opened long-closed doors for marginalized students and returned gains on every key success metric. Most importantly, it will empower you to do the same for your school or district. Resources include:

  • A method for evaluating the impact of educational decisions on students' access to learning
  • A clear three-year implementation plan for making your school culturally proficient
  • A content-rich companion website that includes templates and forms for implementing the book’s suggestions

It is long past time to make cultural proficiency real by ensuring universally equal access to educational resources for all students. This book removes the remaining barriers to the achievement of this ideal. 

 
“This powerfully insightful and thought provoking book, takes us on a journey to culturally proficient actions.”
—Rosemary Papa, Professor
Northern Arizona University

“The book is full of compassion, conviction and hope—pure heart, pure corazón—in the quest to tackle inequality and the opportunity gap head on.”
—Gilberto Q. Conchas, Professor of Educational Policy and Social Context
University of California, Irvine

Contents

Dedication

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment

Publisher's Acknowledgments

Publisher's Acknowledgments

Foreword

Foreword

About the Authors

About the Authors

Prologue

  • Chapter 1 – What Frames Us, Defines Us
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Chapter 2 - Culturally Proficient Leadership Fosters Transformative Change
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Chapter 3 – Change Begins with Core Value and Belief Statements
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 3.1 – Can You Believe?
  • Activity 3.2 – Walking Forward Part I
  • Chapter 4 – Yes, We Actually Live Our Values
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 4.1 – Walking Forward Part II
  • Activity 4.2 – I Am Activity
  • Chapter 5 – Continuous Learning Involves Deconstructing our Learning
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 5.1 - The Power of Us
  • Activity 5.2 – Opening Doors for Students – Do Our Actions Reflect Our Values? Part 1
  • Activity 5.3 – Opening Doors for Students – To What Extent are We Escorting Students Through the Doors? Part 2
  • Activity 5.4 – Data that Demonstrates Areas of Need
  • Activity 5.5 – Book Club

Epilogue

Epilogue

Resources

  • Resource A – Book Study Guide
  • Resource B - Cultural Proficiency Books’ Essential Questions
  • Resource C – 3-Year Implementation Journey
  • Resource D – A Cultural Proficiency Implementation Model

References

References

Description

See how one school district made Cultural Proficiency real—and how you can too!

In spite of Brown vs. Board of Education, true integration and corresponding equality of educational opportunity is still far from reality in American schools.  

Opening Doors tells the story of Ventura Unified School District's successful implementation of cultural proficiency, which opened long-closed doors for marginalized students and returned gains on every key success metric. Most importantly, it will empower you to do the same for your school or district. Resources include:

  • A method for evaluating the impact of educational decisions on students' access to learning
  • A clear three-year implementation plan for making your school culturally proficient
  • A content-rich companion website that includes templates and forms for implementing the book’s suggestions

It is long past time to make cultural proficiency real by ensuring universally equal access to educational resources for all students. This book removes the remaining barriers to the achievement of this ideal. 

 
“This powerfully insightful and thought provoking book, takes us on a journey to culturally proficient actions.”
—Rosemary Papa, Professor
Northern Arizona University

“The book is full of compassion, conviction and hope—pure heart, pure corazón—in the quest to tackle inequality and the opportunity gap head on.”
—Gilberto Q. Conchas, Professor of Educational Policy and Social Context
University of California, Irvine

Contents

Dedication

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Acknowledgment

Publisher's Acknowledgments

Publisher's Acknowledgments

Foreword

Foreword

About the Authors

About the Authors

Prologue

  • Chapter 1 – What Frames Us, Defines Us
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Chapter 2 - Culturally Proficient Leadership Fosters Transformative Change
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Chapter 3 – Change Begins with Core Value and Belief Statements
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 3.1 – Can You Believe?
  • Activity 3.2 – Walking Forward Part I
  • Chapter 4 – Yes, We Actually Live Our Values
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 4.1 – Walking Forward Part II
  • Activity 4.2 – I Am Activity
  • Chapter 5 – Continuous Learning Involves Deconstructing our Learning
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 5.1 - The Power of Us
  • Activity 5.2 – Opening Doors for Students – Do Our Actions Reflect Our Values? Part 1
  • Activity 5.3 – Opening Doors for Students – To What Extent are We Escorting Students Through the Doors? Part 2
  • Activity 5.4 – Data that Demonstrates Areas of Need
  • Activity 5.5 – Book Club

Epilogue

Epilogue

Resources

  • Resource A – Book Study Guide
  • Resource B - Cultural Proficiency Books’ Essential Questions
  • Resource C – 3-Year Implementation Journey
  • Resource D – A Cultural Proficiency Implementation Model

References

References

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Opening Doors

An Implementation Template for Cultural Proficiency

Trudy Tuttle Arriaga , Randall B. Lindsey
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December 2015 | 152 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781483388793 $37.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781506301440 $35.00

See how one school district made Cultural Proficiency real—and how you can too!

In spite of Brown vs. Board of Education, true integration and corresponding equality of educational opportunity is still far from reality in American schools.  

Opening Doors tells the story of Ventura Unified School District's successful implementation of cultural proficiency, which opened long-closed doors for marginalized students and returned gains on every key success metric. Most importantly, it will empower you to do the same for your school or district. Resources include:

  • A method for evaluating the impact of educational decisions on students' access to learning
  • A clear three-year implementation plan for making your school culturally proficient
  • A content-rich companion website that includes templates and forms for implementing the book’s suggestions

It is long past time to make cultural proficiency real by ensuring universally equal access to educational resources for all students. This book removes the remaining barriers to the achievement of this ideal. 

 
“This powerfully insightful and thought provoking book, takes us on a journey to culturally proficient actions.”
—Rosemary Papa, Professor
Northern Arizona University

“The book is full of compassion, conviction and hope—pure heart, pure corazón—in the quest to tackle inequality and the opportunity gap head on.”
—Gilberto Q. Conchas, Professor of Educational Policy and Social Context
University of California, Irvine


Table Of Contents:

  • Dedication
  • Acknowledgment
  • Publisher's Acknowledgments
  • Foreword
  • About the Authors
  • Prologue
  • Chapter 1 – What Frames Us, Defines Us
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Chapter 2 - Culturally Proficient Leadership Fosters Transformative Change
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Chapter 3 – Change Begins with Core Value and Belief Statements
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 3.1 – Can You Believe?
  • Activity 3.2 – Walking Forward Part I
  • Chapter 4 – Yes, We Actually Live Our Values
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 4.1 – Walking Forward Part II
  • Activity 4.2 – I Am Activity
  • Chapter 5 – Continuous Learning Involves Deconstructing our Learning
  • Getting Centered
  • Going Deeper
  • Activity 5.1 - The Power of Us
  • Activity 5.2 – Opening Doors for Students – Do Our Actions Reflect Our Values? Part 1
  • Activity 5.3 – Opening Doors for Students – To What Extent are We Escorting Students Through the Doors? Part 2
  • Activity 5.4 – Data that Demonstrates Areas of Need
  • Activity 5.5 – Book Club
  • Epilogue
  • Resources
  • Resource A – Book Study Guide
  • Resource B - Cultural Proficiency Books’ Essential Questions
  • Resource C – 3-Year Implementation Journey
  • Resource D – A Cultural Proficiency Implementation Model
  • References

Recent Product Reviews:

This powerfully insightful and thought provoking book, takes us on a journey to culturally proficient actions.
Rosemary Papa, Professor, Northern Arizona University
The authors challenge districts to examine practices that create inequity.
Lorie Henderson, Superintendent of Educational Services and Programming, School District of Mystery Lake
Endeavors toward culturally proficient values are critical in a time where we struggle to answer ‘Why can’t we close the educational gap?
Miriam Ezzani, Clinical Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, Department of Teacher Education and Administration, University of North Texas
This book provides inspiration for those institutions that are examining and asking the difficult question of, “Where do we even begin?”
Lori Piowlski, Assistant Professor, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN
“The authors’ have provided the most comprehensive blueprint for starting or revamping an institution’s program for cultural proficiency by allowing one to start with self-understanding before addressing others. Emphasizing that changes happen when leaders use cultural proficiency to do their work!”
Thomas Christie, Multicultural/Community Administrator, Lincoln Public Schools

Recommendations