Blazing New Trails - Connexions

300 CRITICAL ISSUES IN EDUCATION LEADERSHIP PREPARATION
that students who come from poverty, whether it be generational (on-going) or situational
(sudden, due to circumstances), have a variety of issues to deal with. Students of poverty have
assets that may often be untapped by the schools as well as areas that need additional
scaffolding in order for them to experience success. Cultural competence also means
recognizing and serving the needs of students and families in poverty.
Cultural competence also entails working with diversity in the staff as well. Madsen and
Obakeng Mabokela (2005) described a study that analyzed workplace relationships between
African American and European Americans in schools. Their goal in examining these
relationships was to determine how well these schools provided safe spaces for teachers to
work and avoid intergroup conflict. These authors stated that not only the student body suffers
when the dominant culture has little or no regard for others and stressed the need for leaders to
facilitate interpersonal relationships and create integrated networks among the staff.
In order to provide a positive, culturally in tune, environment for students, staff and
families, school leaders need preparation. Recognizing policies and practices that are
inequitable and deeply embedded in an organization’s culture is not an easy task. Leaders, like
any human being, are products of their own bias and societal expectations, and they may
overlook factors that unfairly influence who is successful and who is not (Bustamante et al.,
2009). Bustamante and colleagues (2009) invited researchers to continue their exploration of
the phenomenon of culturally competent leadership. They claimed, “Few researchers have
empirically examined the construct of school-wide cultural competence and proficiency to
determine ways to assess it and determine the impact of school-wide cultural competence on
inclusion, equity, and student achievement” (p. 799).
Leaders need to hear and respond to others’ voices. Delpit (2006) stressed that the answer
to reducing the achievement gap lies in understanding who we are and how we are connected
and disconnected to others. She suggested that the human factor is most important for students’
success, not the adding-on of more and more reform programs. She further stated:
It is time to look closely at elements of our educational system, particularly
those elements we consider progressive; time to see whether there is
minority involvement and support, and if not, ask why; time to reassess what
we are doing in public schools and universities to include other voices, other
experiences; time to seek the diversity in our educational movements that we
talk about seeking in our classrooms. (p. 20)
In order to better serve all students, researchers emphasized the need to mesh school and
community cultures (Banks, 2008; Bazron, Osher & Fleishman, 2005). Bazron, Osher and
Fleischman (2005) described the cultural disconnect that occurs for many students which may
lead to negative results personally, socially and academically. They recommended that schools
consider programs that support students of color through high expectations and scaffolding
rather than tracking. They also suggested that educators provide environments that allow for
greater personal contact. In addition, Banks (2008) reminded educators that schools must
prepare all students to interact in a positive way with people who are culturally different.
Cultural responsiveness is not just for students of color and their families, but instead is for all
students and families. Lindsey, Nuri Robins, Lindsey, and Terrell (2009) emphasized that
culture plays an important role in people’s lives, the dominant culture serves some better than
others, we each have an individual and a group identity, and cultures have diversity within
them and specific needs tied to those differences. Consequently, schools cannot ignore culture