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What is Cultural Competence?
Cultural competence is characterized by a set of skills and developmental experiences constituting an ongoing awareness of important differences among individuals from communities with different backgrounds related to biological, environmental, historical, political, psychological, religious, and other social aspects of heritage (Piotrowski et al., 2019).
According to Cross et al (1989) "Five essential elements contribute to a system's institution's, or agency's ability to become more culturally competent which include:
- Valuing diversity
- Having the capacity for cultural self-assessment
- Being conscious of the dynamics inherent when cultures interact
- Having institutionalized culture knowledge
- Having developed adaptations to service delivery reflecting an understanding of cultural diversity"
Cultural Competence in Healthcare:
According to Bentancourt et. al. (2002) "Cultural competence in health care describes the ability of systems to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors, including tailoring delivery to meet patients’ social, cultural, and linguistic needs."
Cultural Competence in Education:
"Cultural competence in schools is the ability to effectively deliver educational services that meet the social, emotional and cultural needs of students. Building cultural competency requires studying the traditions and values of a community, seeking to understand through authentic community engagement, intentionally building trust within a community, and considering their contributions and ideas. It can be intrusive and disrespectful to assume who a community is and what they need to succeed without adequate research and input from community members" (King, 2017).
Learn More:
- Cultural competence (Research Starter) - SNHU Login Required This link opens in a new window
- Cultural Competence In Health And Human Services (CDC) This link opens in a new window
- Global and Cultural Competency (U.S. Dept. of Education) This link opens in a new window
- How Leaders Can Improve Their Schools’ Cultural Competence (Edutopia) This link opens in a new window
What is Cultural Responsiveness?
Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) is a research-based approach that makes meaningful connections between what students learn in school and their cultures, languages, and life experiences. These connections help students access rigorous curriculum, develop higher-level academic skills, and see the relevance between what they learn at school and their lives (Educators Team, 2020).
Cultural Responsiveness is extremely important in education, work, and everyday life. It is the ability to understand the different cultural backgrounds of others.
Source: Teacher Competencies that Promote Culturally Responsive Teaching This link opens in a new window
Learn More:
- What Does It Mean to be Culturally Responsive? (The Latino Literacy Project) This link opens in a new window
- Being Culturally Responsive (Teaching Tolerance) This link opens in a new window
- Report: Some states' teaching standards lack details on cultural responsiveness (Education Dive) This link opens in a new window
- Lead with cultural responsiveness during crisis and beyond (Learning Forward) This link opens in a new window
References
>Betancourt, J., Green, A. & Carrillo, E. (2002). Cultural competence in health care: Emerging frameworks and practical approaches. The Commonwealth Fund. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/ This link opens in a new window
Cross, T., Bazron, B., Dennis, K., & Isaacs, M., (1989). Towards a culturally competent system of care. Georgetown University Child Development Center, CASSP Technical Assistance Center. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED330171.pdf This link opens in a new window
Educators Team. (2020). Culturally responsive teaching: What you need to know. Understood. https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/for-educators/universal-design-for-learning/what-is-culturally-responsive-teaching This link opens in a new window
King, I. (2017, November 28). What is a culturally competent school? Kickboard. https://www.kickboardforschools.com/blog/post/diversity-equity/what-is-a-culturally-competent-school/ This link opens in a new window