2008-2009 Diversity Professional Development
The Institute for Cultural Competence, Sept. 25 and 26
The Institute for Cultural Competence will be held on Thursday and Friday, September 25 & 26, 2008. The Institute will be conducted at Gheens Academy, Flex Room A. It will focus on Kentucky Standards and Indicators (SISI) #1, #2, #3 and #4. Particular emphasis will be placed on how to improve school and classroom climate and culture to maximize classroom instruction and student achievement. It is recommended that school teams be comprised of members from the Instructional Leadership Team, or the CHAMPS/Foundations Team, Counselors or any similar configuration. All school teams will be required to review their 2008 CATS data, 2008 Comprehensive Survey data, and conduct a school-wide climate/culture audit prior to attending the Institute.
The format of the Institute will consist of two-day sessions. The first day will begin with a message from JCPS Superintendent, Dr. Sheldon Berman. Following Dr. Berman’s message a workshop entitled, Cultural Competence and Courageous Practice: Creating A Climate of Authentic Engagement, conducted by Gary Howard, founder and president of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education. In the afternoon, Mr. Howard will assist school teams to analyze their data, and assess their school culture/climate audits. The objective will be to help school teams to develop culturally relevant and culturally responsive strategies for their school that will focus on the students’ cultures and strengths (“cultural capital”) that will build a bridge for student achievement and empowerment. Based on their data, school teams will develop their new Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) for the next biannual period. On the second day of the Institute, Dr. Shelley Thomas, Assistant Professor at U of L College of Education, will give a presentation entitled, Developing Cross Cultural Competence: Context, Content, and Strategies to Foster Culturally Responsive Learning Communities. In the afternoon, Dr. Thomas, along with JCPS support staff, will continue assisting school teams as they finalize their strategies. The Institute will culminate with a presentation by each team outlining the strategies to be implemented. JCPS staff will follow-up with the participating teams throughout the school year as they implement these strategies and finalize their CSIP.
District professional development and EILA credit are available by registering on pdCentral.
Click here to see the Cultural Competence page
