Cultural proficiency is at the core of good teaching. In this important new book Flores and Welborn show teachers how to develop this critical attribute and demonstrate how it can be deployed to make their work with students more impactful. Filled with both practical and conceptual insights, this book is an invaluable resource for educators who want to make a positive difference for ALL of the students they serve.

Pedro A. Noguera, Distinguished Professor of Education, USC Rossier Dean

This important book will be useful to all educators who believe with the authors that "teachers who love teaching, teach children to love learning." The framework provided for teachers as well as the emphasis on equity, relationships and trust, and the need to transform both mindsets and practice make this comprehensive volume an essential guide for supporting courageous and committed teachers.

Carolyn Shields, Professor Emerita

I recommend this resource for educators who wish to model a growth mindset for their students. As the professional teacher reads through this book alone or with a PLC, she/he can embrace an opportunity to reflect, discuss, and make an action plan. In particular, the continuum of cultural proficiency challenges the teacher to reflect honestly on her/his current teaching habits and worldview. As a teacher with experience in both urban and rural settings, I am aware that I need to continually reflect on my environment for even when I am stationary, my environment may evolve! I will welcome the chance to study this resource on my own and with colleagues to improve our journey toward cultural proficiency.

Nelly Corbit, Spanish Teacher

Having worked directly under Dr. Welborn, I have seen the principles of this book in action long before they were captured on these pages. Navigating Your True North in the Classroom is an essential bridge between the “why” of equity and the “how” of daily instruction. By moving beyond abstract theory, it offers a clear, actionable framework that respects the multifaceted demands of the work we do with students daily. The Compass Framework and the deep dive into instructional alignment in Chapter 4 provides meaningful guidance to any educator who is ready to move past checklists and toward a more intentional, student-centered practice.

Natasha Malone, Elementary Teacher

Dr. Welborn and Dr. Flores boldly explore the the Framework for Cultural Proficiency and its application to classroom practice. A much-needed resource in the profession of education, their work dares to address and center the most challenging and sobering element of the work of educators-diversity. Their intentional focus on embracing differences in cultures, backgrounds, families and communities is a refreshing perspective for both veteran and beginning educators. The focus on the three key elements outlined in the text immediately drew me in and held my attention. A must-have for anyone desiring to deepen the impact of pedagogical practice.

Mike Peoples, Director of Secondary Education/High School Principal

As an educator of 20 years, I strongly agree that we, as teachers, are required to chart courses and navigate barriers in classrooms that are shaped by many shifting currents. This can feel hopeless, daunting and unfortunately push teachers out of education entirely due to the lack of resources, support, awareness and tools desperately needed to navigate. I love this book’s vivid metaphor for direction, purpose and call to action with the Compass Rose for Transformative Change, as it truly is a visual to guide us toward justice, belonging and a high-quality education. I agree that we, as teachers, are genuinely caring and want our students and families from every cultural background to feel valued, understood, safe to be their true selves and encouraged to further develop their social-emotional learning intelligence. Although we regard these to be our top priorities for our classroom (classroom=family), we often feel pressured to push these goals aside to meet the state and district demands that include, but are not limited to, state testing, growth assessments, rigorous curriculum, etc. A very eye-opening chapter for me was Chapter 4 with its deep, reflective questions regarding curriculum used in the classroom. In my several years of reviewing curricula, it’s very easy to heavily focus on the alignment with state standards and lose sight of the importance of noting if it’s culturally responsive and relevant, validates students’ cultural, linguistic and lived experiences and promotes equity. I found these questions to be extremely powerful when assessing the cultural competency of the curriculum. The Guiding Principles and Inventory are great tools to assess cultural competency, but it can feel quite daunting to learn that you’re not utilizing curricula that support this desired environment and outcome. However, the Practical Actions provided, along with the reminder that Cultural Proficiency is a journey, not a destination, gives guidance and ease of mind that awareness is the first step to creating environments that prepares students for the diverse and global world in which we live. This book is a great resource for us, as teachers, to confront our own biases and cultural blind spots. The vignettes in this chapter were very helpful to note my own awareness and/or biases to address areas of growth in my perspective and teaching practices. With this awareness and knowledge, we can redesign our teaching practices to be culturally competent by eliminating behaviors and patterns that negatively impact our students and instead create environments where our students thoroughly thrive. I do believe that we have a powerful impact in the lives of our students, and this book helps to identify and avoid cultural blind spots so we can have healthy, empathetic relationships with our students and their families. I truly believe that there is no higher calling than that of a classroom teacher. I highly recommend this book to educators seeking navigation tools for transformative change toward justice, belonging and a high-quality education for our students (our children).

Jane Ellen Powers, Educator

Navigating Your True North in the Classroom is an incredibly well written text aimed at transforming the culture of every classroom. The Cultural Proficiency Framework is an impactful tool in the assessment of internal bias that makes cultural competence not only understandable but reachable! Understanding the impact of a dominant culture allows for conscious decision making to address all areas where a lack of culturally proficient protocols, policies, and practices exist. This work stands out in the field of Cultural Equity.

Joseph Roaldi, Supervisor, Leadership, Mentoring & Technology Integration