Blazing New Trails - Connexions

Preparing Future School Leaders to Foster Site Level Cultural Proficiency 307
CONCLUSIONS
Using a research topic as the underlying thread for an initial research methods course
was very helpful. Students were better able to visualize the research process because it was tied
to a real theme that was developed over time. As they learned about crafting research
questions, conducting a literature review, and shaping a research design, they explored each
step using the theme of cultural proficiency as an anchor. Upon finishing the course, they had
created a draft of a research proposal, which naturally set the stage for the investigation they
would do in the 2010–2011 academic year.
Having students focus on a pre-designed research project had many benefits.
Everyone was reading, talking about, and exploring the same topic in different settings. They
experienced a well-planned, supervised process that allowed them to see a positive example of
research and to focus their energy on data collection and analysis rather than on
conceptualizing a study, designing it and carrying it out alone. Their research experience was
scaffolded and modeled continuously, and the team approach provided additional support.
Researching the topic of cultural proficiency in the schools challenged students to meet
identified needs. As the students gathered data, they began to see that schools do not always
have a very clear idea of how to address diversity. Sometimes, they do have a good level of
cultural proficiency, but they do not know how to verbalize what they do and why.
Gathering data on additional cases, as lead investigator, while students were also
gathering data, was an interesting process. Students saw that their professor was working
alongside them gathering data on her own case schools. She was transcribing, analyzing,
writing and presenting, just like them. It allowed the professor to be more in touch with what
the students were experiencing and to give them helpful recommendations along the way.
As students delved into the issue of cultural proficiency in the schools, they realized
many things. The context within which the school operated influenced stakeholders’ thoughts
and actions. School staffs struggled with the dilemma of whether they should treat all students
the same or whether they should differentiate. Standardized testing contributed to this debate.
Many times educators worried about being “fair” and not providing special circumstances for
one and not all. The researchers discovered that leaders definitely set the tone for academic
success at the site. All school members are responsible for leveling the playing field, but the
principal is ultimately responsible for establishing the conditions for student success.
This project offered students a hands-on experience that challenged them to read and
discuss research, conduct a team-based investigation that was well-designed, analyze data,
present findings and make recommendations in oral and written form, learn about cultural
proficiency and leadership, and consider investigation as a practical tool for informing decision
making. In order to enhance and improve the process, this author would recommend making
sure that districts and schools are selected in advance; carefully screening and selecting schools
with a high level of cultural proficiency (perhaps doing a quick selection interview with the
principal and/or applying the Bustamante et al. scale as part of the selection process);
considering a face to face or online meeting with each team each semester in addition to total
group sessions; involving guest speakers and other materials, such as video clips and additional
readings in order to continue adding to the students’ background in cultural proficiency; and
including a text on the case study method in the research methods course.
Making sure that graduates leave fully prepared to lead the effort to provide a quality
education and a positive experience for all students, families and staffs is a responsibility that
must be taken seriously. Talking, reading and hearing about diversity and the role it plays in
students’ lives are first steps. Going into the field and investigating sites where diverse