EMBRACE

R- Respect

The core or central belief of cultural competence seems to be a cooperative respect for all ethnic groups of all people. Thus “cultural competency is understanding oneself as cultural being, having an appreciation for, and an understanding of, diverse populations and interacting with other cultural groups in ways that recognize and value their differences” (Cross, 2008; Gallavan, 2005; Miller & Mikulec, 2014; as cited by Kondor, 2015, p.2). In the classroom, we often hear the cliches ‘to get respect you must give respect’ or ‘you will need to earn my respect.’ Instead, how about reframing our thought process as educators and training our students to ‘give respect no matter what.’

A- Appreciation

E- Environment

The school environment often aligns with PBIS expectations. The Center on PBIS (2021) gives a number of suggestions when considering cultural responsiveness for establishing a positive learning environment: two-way communication, diverse team composition, and ensuring expectations are reflective of cultural values in the community.

M- Model

School Counselors have an obligation to model to the ASCA Ethical Standards which include providing culturally responsive instruction, advisement, and support diverse referrals for outside counseling agencies; along with advocating for evidence-based, culturally sustainable interventions. (ASCA, 2022)

B- Bias

Recognizing not only your personal bias, but also bias at the systemic level. The implicit bias needs to be acknowledged and counteracted in order to create a safe learning environment. (O'Mallley et al., 2018)

Appreciation of differences can be implemented with cultural and/or field immersion with service-learning projects, volunteerism and community involvement. These experiences can also help students learn employability skills (or soft skills) for college and career readiness. Szucs et.al. (2019) gave an example of pre-service teachers going into an urban school setting to teach health education and awareness in riding public transportation was an eyeopening experience for them.

C- Cultivate acceptance

Participating in cultural immersion activities helps counselors and educators gain a global perspective and increase self-efficacy as they prepare to meet the needs of diverse populations in their school. (Szucs et.al., 2019)

E- Evaluate (on-going professional development)

Evaluation is two-fold. First, evaluating the school’s data and being reflective in decisions; for example, having discussions of systemic change vs. student intervention (Leverson et.al., 2021). And second, as a professional school counselor, it is imperative to seek out professional development opportunities to continue to grow in cultural competence.

Finally, as we reflect on Szucs et. al.’s (2019) definition of cultural competence as “the ability of an individual to understand and respect values, attitudes, beliefs, and morals that differ across cultures” (p.70); it reminds us to have unconditional positive regard for all individuals. As the lyrics from a song by Mandisa say:

We all bleed the same

We're more beautiful when we come together

We all bleed the same

So, tell me why, tell me why We're divided

In considering the advice from the healthcare professionals regarding cultural competency, hopefully we can help stop the metaphorical bleeding and come together in an EMBRACE to create a positive learning environment for all.

References

American School Counseling Association. (2022). 2022 ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors.

Dayer-Berenson, L. (2014). Cultural competencies for nurses: Impact on health and illness (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Gupta, S. R. (2007). A quick guide to cultural competency: Practical tools for leading in today's multicultural business environment (1st ed.). Gupta Consulting Group.

Guidelines and Strategies for Cultural Competency. (n.d.). Guidelines and Strategies for Cultural Competency. Document retrieved from https://www.healthnetworksolutions.net/index.php/guidelines-and-strategies-forcultural-competency

Kondor, C.A.H. (2014). The fortuitous impact of a cross-cultural tutoring experience on prospective teachers’ development toward cultural competency (UMI 10254239). [Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University].

Leverson, et.al. (2021). PBIS Cultural Responsiveness Field Guide: Resources for Trainers and Coaches. Document retrieved from https://www.pbis.org/resource/pbis-cultural-responsiveness-field-guideresources-for-trainers-and-coaches

O'Malley, M. D., Wolf‐Prusan, L., Lima Rodriguez, C., Xiong, R., & Swarts, M. R. (2019). Cultural-competence considerations for contemporary school-based threat assessment. Psychology in the Schools, 56(2), 255–275. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22197

Szucs, L.E.; Shipley, M., McNeill, E.B.,Housman, J., & Vinal, C. (2019). Developing preservice teachers’ cultural competency through urban immersion. American Journal of Health Studies, 34 (2), p. 69-79.