Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders (1-Off) [Paperback]

Randall B. Lindsey (Author), Kikanza J. Nuri Robins (Author), Raymond D. (Dewey) Terrell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0803967632 | ISBN-13: 978-0803967632

Addressing cultural diversity in schools through the application of cultural proficiency theory to educational settings, this book will be an excellent resource for principals, staff administrators and developers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A first-rate guide for making the changes in schools that ensure education for each and every student. Provides the concepts, history, theories, strategies, and activities to build cultural proficiency." (Ken Kearney )

"An asset for any participant in a learning community. However, it is critically important for it to be read and used by principals and other educational leaders in our K-12 schools. The activities and processes are excellent."

(Kieran Vaughan, Coordinator )

"Helps us understand why educational equity is everyone’s responsibility. I recommend this book to all educators in the public school system." (Phyllis J. Hart, Executive Director )

"Breaks new ground in the effort to provide contextually appropriate environments for all students. The authors have issued a challenge to the educational community to make quality education available to all students."  (Allen A. Mori, Dean )

"A sensitive, thoughtful, provocative exploration of perhaps the most significant issue facing today’s urban educator."

(Carmella S. Franco, Superintendent )

About the Author

Kikanza J. Nuri-Robins is an organizational development consultant. She has spent her career working with schools, churches, hospitals and not-for-profit organizations helping them to become healthy, productive, diverse and inclusive. She began her career teaching elementary school and secondary reading. She has taught social foundations for schools of education and has provided professional development in schools and districts throughout the United States.

Raymond D. Terrell, EdD, served as special assistant to the dean for diversity initiatives in the School of Education and Allied Professions at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A former secondary English teacher, elementary school principal, professor of educational administration, and dean of the School of Education at California State University, Los Angeles, he has more than 40 years of professional experience with diversity and equity issues.

Randall B. Lindsey is emeritus professor at California State University, Los Angeles and has a practice centered on educational consulting and issues related to equity and access. Prior to higher education faculty roles, he served as a junior and senior high school history teacher, a district office administrator for school desegregation, and executive director of a non-profit corporation. All of his experiences have been in working with diverse populations and his area of study is the behavior of white people in multicultural settings. It is his belief and experience that too often white people are observers of multicultural issues rather than personally involved with them. He works with colleagues to design and implement programs for and with schools, law enforcement agencies, and community-based organizations to provide access and achievement. He and his wife and frequent co-author, Delores, are enjoying this phase of life as grandparents, as educators, and in support of just causes that extend the promises of democracy throughout society in authentic ways.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Corwin Press (February 10, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803967632
• ISBN-13: 978-0803967632
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,711,310 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars and now.....Supercharged Political Correctness!, September 11, 2007

By 

HomeBuilding (Wichita, KS USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders Second Edition (Paperback)

Very early, we are given the author's new rules: references to homosexuality must subsequently capitalize Gay and Lesbian; Native Americans are known as First Nation's Peoples; (there's no comment regarding appropriate contemporary nomenclature for Australian aboriginals or Canadian eskimoes up there beyond the Northwest Territories) and while it may be assumed that African-American references remain appropriate, no dictates are offered regarding African visitors to North America. Spanish speakers and Latin students may wish to continue the use of "neg" prefixed words for black on their own, but don't expect these authors to grant such permission.

The book seems to be aimed at white (U.S.) southern males emerging from Jim Crow Alabama in the 1950s---and gives no credit to today's hard-working educational professionals, throughout the world, of all faiths, colors, and origins who diligently seek to simultaneously socialize and educate youths of all kinds, types, abilities and persuasions.

The book seems strangely unique to North America---vacuous, narrow and not at all what one seeks or expects in an educationally-aimed text. The absence of observation, research and discussion of how to educationally address diversity concerns outside of North America.....that is, the reporting of the exemplary approaches and the worst ones from the rest of the world, is an egregious oversight.

A book on cultural concerns, at this time, might best be aimed at helping us to weigh the responsibilities of schools to teach various social values against those responsibilities for teaching educational basics. This is a complex and daunting task, worthy of true academic research. Instead, we're merely given pontifications that "handouts" are banned, forevermore to be known as resource sheets.

This book is educational junk science at the zenith.

Readers are far better served by studying the works of E.D. Hirsch, Jr. His Cultural Literacy is exactly what EVERY American student needs to know, and I'd make no additions regarding my specific culture's religion, race or social habits to his work.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars OMG! Not ANOTHER cultural proficiency book for educators!, July 12, 2011

By 

Melvin P Spittle (Corona, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders (Paperback)

OMG! Not ANOTHER cultural proficiency book for educators! This is the junk science of the week! Tell me Randall, I have been gone from the country on business for over a month and need to know the new politically correct labels for other cultures. Is it still African-American this week or did it change? How about Native American? I recommend not reading this book as the pages are glued shut from all the intellectual masturbation.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, November 5, 2009

By 

C. Loop - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders (Paperback)

This book is an interesting and easy read. Contains review section at the end of each chapter and activities that can be used during professional development activities with staff.