2. Road Map
EDUC 6234 Agenda for Week 6
» Urban School Leadership Video
» UHHC Video Reflection Activity
» Teacher cultural competence; urban culture
and the role of principals—presentation by
Dr. Ward
3. The Urban Culture
In the fields of social work and healthcare,
practitioners, universities, and researchers
deem cultural competence a necessary part of
effectively serving the urban culture.
The urban culture is often seen as one of deficit
by society and the teachers that serve in urban
schools.
Low-income minority urban students have
adopted a tough street culture that is difficult
for practitioners to cross culture barriers.
Culturally relevant pedagogy will improve
student achievement in urban schools.
4. Cultural Competence
• The cultural competent practitioner is one who
acknowledges and incorporates at all levels the
importance of building cultural knowledge, valuing
difference, assessing one’s self and applying
adapted practice (Cross 1988; Ross, 2002).
• The term cultural competence is in most cases
synonymous with the terms
• cross-cultural
• culturally relevant
• culturally congruent
• culturally responsive
• culturally competent
• culturally compatible
• culturally proficient
• intercultural competence
5. The Urban Hip-Hop Culture is Distinct
Ogbu, Kozol, Delpit, Connell, Haberman
UHHC
Description of the distinct
Urban Hip Hop Culture
UHHCC
Selecting Teachers with
Urban Hip Hop Cultural
Competence
There are various characteristics that
describe the UHHC
Ogbar, Gause, Kitwana, Elliot, Chang
Specific attributes principals look for during the
teacher selection process that indicate UHHCC
Ladson-Billings-Darling-Hammond ,Ingersoll, Sachs
O’Bannon
Various methods used to assess the UHHCC
during the teacher selection process.
Haberman, Frey, Chelsey, Basking & Ross, Kivell
URBAN TEACHER
QUALITY
Cultural competence and
teacher selection have a
direct impact on student
achievement
6. When teachers come to the classroom with
little to no experience or knowledge of
students of diversity and poverty, or little
appreciation of the backgrounds and
experiences of urban students, it is difficult
to positively impact student achievement
- Delpit, 1995;, Ogbu, 1995; Ross, 2002
• The relationship that exists
between teacher and student
based on differences in
culture, socio-economic
background, and race is
referred to as cultural
mismatch.
-Haley, 2001
• Teacher Quality is essential to
improving academic
achievement in urban schools.
-Ladson-Billings & Darling-
Hammond, 2000
7. When teachers come to the classroom with
little to no experience or knowledge of
students of diversity and poverty, or little
appreciation of the backgrounds and
experiences of urban students, it is difficult
to positively impact student achievement
- Delpit, 1995;, Ogbu, 1995; Ross, 2002
• The relationship that exists
between teacher and student
based on differences in
culture, socio-economic
background, and race is
referred to as cultural
mismatch.
-Haley, 2001
• Teacher Quality is essential to
improving academic
achievement in urban schools.
-Ladson-Billings & Darling-
Hammond, 2000
8. This generation of youth opted out of past generations’
attempt to assimilate and seek approval from
mainstream White America and created a music and
culture that opposed acceptance of the mainstream
American culture -Chang, 2005
The hip hop culture was born
out of a cycle of poverty,
hopelessness, and
opposition, therefore urban
youth in poverty are viewed
as not only deficient, but often
hopeless
-Connell, 1994
9. Highlights : Description of the Culture
» Technology is a major part of the
culture (hand held devices give them
access).
» Legal concerns and issues are prevalent
in this culture
» Students’ behaviors often demonstrate
their distrust for American social
systems
» The use of profanity and in
inappropriate language in schools is
common.
» The culture is significantly impacted by
violence and poverty
10. Highlights : Selecting Teachers with UHHCC
» Urban principals describe the culture as
being significantly impacted by violence
and poverty.
» Teachers who are flexible, tolerate some
degree of inappropriate language, and
love their job, are demonstrating Urban
Hip-Hop cultural competence.
» Principals often use informal methods to
select and screen teachers with UHHCC
» High expectations, exposure to the urban
hip-hop culture, and an understanding of
their world are UHHCC attributes.
12. GSEHD Pre-Doctoral Candidate
Maranda C. Ward, MPH
Hip Hip Pedagogy
-Cultural studies (Giroux, 1994) legitimize urban
youth as storytellers, authors, thought leaders,
change agents, and producers of truths on their
varied lived experiences
-A social justice approach to positive youth
development draws on Paulo Friere's (1970)
reflexive principle of praxis
13. GSEHD Pre-Doctoral Candidate
Maranda C. Ward, MPH
Food for Thought
-Alim (2009) notes that hip hop is a site for cultural
production
-Hip hop allows youth to develop a sense of agency
-Notions of social capital are re-appropriated as
symbolic capital (Bourdeiu, 1985; Clay, 2003)
-Curriculum may fall flat of positive youth development
outcomes if they remain isolated from larger
sociopolitical forces
14. Please describe what the
teacher in the video clips do
wrong, what you would do
differently, and the feelings
that come up for you …
The Wire
Season 4
Episode 3- “Home Rooms”
First day video clip- 30:13
The fight video clip- 37:14
UHHC Video Activity
16. Speaking Point I
• Grew out of culturally different theory
• Educational disadvantage: result from
discontinuities between home and school
culture
• Acknowledges existing student language and
knowledge to understand and build on
students’ perspectives
• Does not entail that the teacher should be
racial minority
18. Attributes of a culturally
competent teacher
• Display publicly and enthusiastically the belief
that each student can achieve high standards
• Displays a "we’re all in this together" affect
• Knows very well and loves the subject matter,
and conveys that to students (not cynical about it)
• Legitimates students’ real life experiences by
building those experiences into the curriculum
19. Attributes of a culturally
competent teacher
• Makes every effort to welcome and celebrate students’
culture (urban youth culture, African American culture,
Latino culture, etc.) as an integral part of the learning
environment and process
• Help students code switch, know why
• Understand and tolerate behavior that may not conform to
school codes( for example profanity)
• Tolerates “uneven” behavior
21. Cultural
Competence
• Multifaceted knowledge of students: academic, social,
emotional (the teacher succeeds when students
succeed).
• Builds relationships with students as competent
individuals (strips away)
• Cultivates relationship beyond the classroom
• Demonstrates a visible connectedness with each
student (how?)
• Immersed into the students’ culture
22. Cultural
Competence
• Provides a supportive classroom structure for
academic, social, and emotional success
• Encourages a community of learners who are
responsible for each other inside and outside the
classroom
• Promotes psychological safety in the classroom
• Has high academic standards and expectations for all
students
23. Speaking Point IV
Why should aspiring administrators consider
leading urban schools? What advice do you offer?
24. Benefits of leading
urban schools
Exposure can help you develop cultural competencies:
– Volunteer work (in or servicing urban communities)
– Media (websites, magazines, journals, movies, novels, music, and
theater focusing on the urban and/or African-American culture)
– Do residency, internship, or shadowing in urban schools
– Learn from your students or youth from the culture
– Keep an open mind, and remember the culture isn’t deficient . . .
Its distinct.
25. Hip-Hop Education Literacy Program
H.E.L.P. is in over 50 school districts, over 100 schools, in the US, Canada and Africa.
28. Discussion Questions
1. What Hip Hop artists do you find to be the most useful
when relating to and motivating your students?
2. Do you ever feel like you are promoting (allowing)
derogatory or grammatically incorrect language?
3. How did you use this program to advance your career?
29. In small groups (4-5) respond and reflect to the following
questions
How do you define and conceptualize “cultural competence in teaching”. Identify major
attributes of culturally competent teachers
Generate examples of your own to describe how competent/incompetent you are in
practicing those competencies
Describe what supervisors should do in order to help teachers implement cultural
competencies on routine basis
In urban settings( such as the Metropolitan, D.C.) what unique cultural competences do
teachers need to be effective in their roles?
As current and future educational leaders what criteria do you employ in order to recruit
and hire culturally competent teachers?
Editor's Notes
Background knowledge that contributed to my conceptual framework . . . Finally we know because it has been well researched that (final bullet)
Background knowledge that contributed to my conceptual framework . . . Finally we know because it has been well researched that (final bullet)
Paradigm shift between post civil rights
Qualitative study Interviewed 12 urban high school principals The research questions that framed this study are: How do urban principals describe the Urban Hip-Hop Culture of their students? What contributes to the distinctiveness of this culture? What characterizes students from this culture? What teacher selection methods do principals utilize to select teachers that are effective with students from the Urban Hip-Hop Culture? What attributes do urban principals look for during the teacher selection process that indicates a candidate has Urban Hip-Hop Cultural Competence? (including education) and cynicism regarding the equity with which the American Dream can be achieved through traditional methods such as education
Qualitative study Interviewed 12 urban high school principals The research questions that framed this study are: How do urban principals describe the Urban Hip-Hop Culture of their students? What contributes to the distinctiveness of this culture? What characterizes students from this culture? What teacher selection methods do principals utilize to select teachers that are effective with students from the Urban Hip-Hop Culture? What attributes do urban principals look for during the teacher selection process that indicates a candidate has Urban Hip-Hop Cultural Competence?
