Multicultural Competence Of School Psychologists

I became an educator as a way to share the knowledge and experiences I have formally and informally learned throughout my life. In order for teachers to be successful transmitters of knowledge, it is imperative for them to have excellent communication skills with all the school’s stakeholders. To engage in meaningful multicultural practice, families and schools need to operate as interdependent, mutually respectful partners (Ramsey, 2004, p. 46). How they express themselves, as well as how they treat other

Currently, general education classrooms have increasingly become diverse with both disable students and students from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In order for educators to ensure that they effectively teach these classrooms, meet the needs of each student both successfully and individually, effective research that is based on strategies need to be implemented. The U.S. Department of Education suggest that, the current school-age population is becoming more diverse as time passes, yet, majority of the teachers in these schools are white non-Hispanic women. According to another report by The Condition of Education in 2006, American schools are portraying increased diversity and growth. The report suggested that, forty two percent of students in public schools were ethnic or racial minorities in the year 2003; this increased from twenty two percent since 1972. Owing to these reasons, teachers in these schools are expected to educate a diversified class of students including those that come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Teachers are therefore, required to implement a number of key strategies that will ensure that every student in specific classroom feels that he or she belongs there (Worrell, 2010).

The story provided an excellent discussion of the many issues that surround race in schools, it centered on the topic about whether integrated schools were more beneficial than segregated schools. This book focuses on young children in the early grades, listening to parents and racial integration. The author wanted to find the truth that is surrounding multicultural classrooms from those that are involved in it. This book includes many side stories, which serve to explore the concepts, and displays them in a clear way; it also added depth to the book. This book was well written and shows all sides of multicultural education. It does not take one side in particular and it encourages people to explore multicultural education in a new light.

It is essential for educators, counselors, and school administrators to be multicultural competent to successfully provide services to diverse students and their diverse background (Barden & Greene, 2015). Studies have reported that Hmong students experience challenges in school when their teacher have limited knowledge or lack interest in learning the students’ racial and cultural background (Thao, 2003). For this reason, it is beneficial for educators, counselors, and school administrators to learn about the Hmong history and its influence on ethnic, cultural values and traditions, and linguistic identities to have a better understand of how to assist the needs of Hmong students. Historians has argued that “it is only through

Read the articles “Applications in Social Justice Counselor Training: Classroom Without Walls” and “The Multicultural Workplace: Interactive Acculturation and Intergroup Relations” and review the APA Guidelines for Providers of Psychological Services to Ethnic, Linguistic, and Culturally Diverse Populations prior to considering the following scenario.

Immigrant students are among the fastest growing populations in American public schools. “The lives of secondary level immigrant students are extremely complex because they undergo change in many dimension in their lives at once. Not only are they grappling with obvious cultural and linguistic differences, but they must learn the institutional culture of school in order to be successful” (Pam McCollum, Ph.D. and Juanita García, M.A.) When students immigrate at school age, some of them go through the transitioning process with little to no issues. However, there are many who face issues in regards to cultural adaptations and social interactions. As David B. Tyack states in his text, ‘The One Best System,’ “challenges like Americanization of

America’s schools are challenged to meet the academic and interpersonal needs of all students regardless of culture, race, or ethnic background. Hawley and Nieto (2010) claim that race and ethnicity significantly impacts students’ learning in their article, “Another Inconvenient Truth: Race and Ethnicity” (p. 66). They contended that educators should be “race and ethnicity -responsive” to effectively understand the challenges students from diverse races and cultures face (Hawley & Nieto, 2010, p. 66). Moreover, the article noted that schools should have practices in place that promote an inclusive, supportive, and enriching learning environment for all students including students from different races and ethnicities.

Hays, D. G., & Erford, B. T. (2014). Developing multicultural counseling competence: A systems approach (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

The American population is becoming more and more diverse due to the rapid growth in immigration and the birth rates between diverse groups in the United States. The continued growth in the numbers of individuals and families from diverse backgrounds challenges counselors’ ability to meet the needs of a growing and diverse society. Multicultural competence is a key factor in enabling counselors to be effective with clients from different cultures. Multicultural competence means to approach the counseling process from the context of the personal culture of the client (Sue, Arrendondo & McDavis, 1994; Sue & Sue, 2007). In order to be effective when working with people with diverse cultural backgrounds, the American Counseling Association has

In the article “The relationship between mindfulness and multicultural counseling competence” the authors Ivers, Johnson, Clarke, Newsome, and Berry wanted to examine the implications of the association between Mindfulness and Multicultural Counseling Competence (MCC) on counselor’s education and practice. They describe MCC as the effectiveness of a counselor when providing therapy to a client from a different culture. A counselor who seeks information about other cultures is known to have multicultural knowledge, which will help him/her acquire multicultural awareness at the time of treating a client.

Here we commence deconstructing our tapestry. Analyzing where we sit on the Cultural Proficiency Continuum of destructiveness, incapacity, blindness, pre-competence and competence. (Cultural Proficiency, A Manual for School Leaders, 2nd Ed. Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell, 2003.) We explore our emotional connections to cultural differences; we interpret how our beliefs affect our daily interactions and learning, we describe and classify our judgments. Once each thread is scrutinized, we actualize our new "fabric of community that learning, and living,

Over the course of this spring semester, I have spent 40 hours volunteering at numerous locations. These locations include Lumpkin County, Interactive Neighborhood for Kids (INK!), the 2016 Science Olympiad, the Science Workshop, South Hall middle school parent nights and also field trips on the Gainesville Campus. As I observed at these locations and events, there is a great diversity of students, not only ethnically but learning styles, behaviors, motivation for success. There was also an array of age, gender, exceptionalities, socio-economic status (SES), cultural backgrounds along with many different educational aspects. I also had the privilege in some of these locations to witness parent involvement and reactions, which I think is very important in the education of students. In this class, we learned about educational psychology and how to incorporate it into our teaching, classrooms and even outside of our classrooms. I chose to discuss exceptional learners, student diversity and assessment. There are many factors that make a student care for education and furthering their education. I feel through the locations I was able to observe and the content of the course has helped me to find ways to better engagement for my classroom as a future educator. Hall County is where many of my observation hours were completed and also the county in which the University of North Georgia – Gainesville campus is. Hall county is populated by forty-seven percent of Caucasians. Hispanics

The United States of America is known for being a country filled with people of many different ethnic backgrounds. Likewise, the student population in schools is just as diverse as it continues to grow. Lynch (2015) notes that schools are expected to teach their students “how to synthesize cultural differences into their knowledge base” as this will help “facilitate students’ personal and professional success in a diverse world” (para. 8). Educators must be able to provide for the diverse needs of students and are expected to equip students with skills that can lead to healthy development as it can affect higher levels of student achievement and students have more opportunities of success in their future. Providing students with tools and skills requires an awareness and acceptance of their ethnic identity. Once students have developed self-acceptance about their ethnic identity, they can begin to feel empowered and motivated to do well. Through cultural empowerment, students of color can develop intrinsic motivation and achieve academic success.

During the late 1960’s, America had entered into a period of cultural definition especially with the emergence of the Civil Rights Movement. Although the term “multicultural education” had not come into play yet, the idea that the U.S needed to reexamine their efforts of educating diverse groups was emerging. During this time inequality especially among minority groups in comparison to the white dominant culture became a social issue (Banks 1999). Before the arrival of this reform multicultural education was displayed in the classroom as having minorities adapt to the predominant culture. Teachers during this time felt it would be more beneficial for minorities to adapt. However, many parents of these minorities begin to argue that the

Education is one of the most important factors in every person’s life regardless of where they’re from, their race, or their culture. Becoming educated not only makes life easier for us but also can help people become more successful in all things. However with so many people of various races, ethnicities and backgrounds in the United States it is difficult to create an education system that attends to each student’s individual culture. Ones own culture influences their actions and lifestyle, therefore this can create conflict if it is different from their schools cultural teaching style. Multicultural and multilingual classrooms have become the norm in many educational and professional settings throughout the U.S. because of changing immigration patterns caused by globalization (Institute for Educational Leadership, p. 2). For teachers today, it is essential to understand the role of culture and have the ability to interact interculturally in the classroom to create an effective learning environment. Analyzing cultural issues or differences can help teachers to understand some of the unconscious processes that shape individuals’ actions and interactions, as well as their language use and communication. “Teachers who understand cultural diversity…are more likely to be successful in their multicultural classrooms” (Samovar, Pg.2).