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Cultural (In)Competence

Jennifer Kabbany, a columnist for the North County Times, caustically observes that ?cultural competency training? is coming to Chaparal High School in Temecula (Calif.).

Last week, the Temecula school board approved a $15,000 contract for a consultant to come to the campus for five days next semester and teach educators how to better understand where their students are coming from ---- on a cultural level ---- in an attempt to improve their grades.

Chaparral officials said the campus is becoming increasingly diverse, and has more than 1,800 students who have not passed either section of the exit exam, scored below proficient on standardized tests, or are still learning English.

The training is expected to examine why these students "are not being educated to their full potential" and to "promote educational equity for all students," according to district documents.

We?ve encountered ?cultural competence? before (see here and here), but Ms. Kabbany skewers it better than anything I?ve written.

?This is not the best way to improve academic performances,? she writes,

but cultural competency is the latest craze in education, and many tout its benefits, including California?s Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O?Connell.

?Students are more likely to do well in school if they feel supported and understood by their teachers ... and teachers are more likely to be effective if they understand and can relate to the diverse cultures of students in their classroom,? O?Connell said last week in a written statement.

If this is true, Ms. Kabbany notes,

all teachers must have minored in Asian studies during college, because clearly they are adept at getting most Asian students to perform well academically.

By now it should come as no surprise that Calif. Supt. of Education Jack O?Connell peddles such tripe. See The Supe Is Nuts: Just When You Thought California Schools Couldn?t Get Any Worse...

Full post as published by Discriminations on December 16, 2008 (boomark / email).