Shaping Inclusion, Excellence and Equity in 21 st Century Schools: Hiring for Knowledge and Skills in Cultural Competence Presenters: Cris Clifford Cullinan, Founder, ALiVE: Actual Leadership in Vital Equity, and Chair, National Advisory Council, NCORE, and Caroline G. Blackwell, Vice President, Equity and Justice, NAIS
Demographics Present and Future For some time, Americans have been aware that new minorities particularly Hispanics and Asians are becoming a more important part of the social fabric of the United States. Census projections show the white child population continuing to decline for several decades to come. However, the percentage of the child population composed of minorities, especially new minorities will continue to rise without regard to future immigration scenarios. William H. Frey (2015). Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics are Remaking America. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. (pp. 22-23)
Equity, Retention, and the Environment NAIS welcomes and celebrates the diversity of our member schools; we expect member schools to create and sustain diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just communities that are safe and welcoming for all. We recognize to do so requires commitment, reflection, deliberate planning and action, and ongoing accountability. NAIS Principles of Good Practice for Equity and Justice Approved by the NAIS board of trustees in November 2012.
Teachers of Color: 2006 vs 2016 Regions % Teachers of Color Difference % Change 2006 2016 Overall 11% 13% 2% East: (NJ, NY) 9% 12% 3% Mid Atlantic: (DE,DC,MD,PA,VA) 10% 13% 2% Midwest: (IL,IN,IO,KT,MI,MN,MO,NE,ND,OH,SD,WV,WI) 7% 10% 3% New England: (CT,ME,MA,NH,RI,VT) 8% 11% 3% Southeast: (AL,FL,GA,MS,NC,SC,TN) 8% 9% 1% Southwest: (AZ,AR,CO,KA,LA,NM,OK,TX) 9% 13% 4% West: (AK,CA,HA,ID,MT,NV,OR,UT,WA,WY) 22% 21% 0% Source: DASL
Teachers by Gender: 2006 vs 2016 2006 2016 Male 34% Male 32% Female 66% Female 68% Source: DASL
Heads of Color: 2006 vs 2016 3.5% 3.0% 2.5% 2.0% 1.5% 1.0% 0.5% 0.0% 2006 2016 Heads by Race/Ethnicity Caucasian- Non- Hispanic 2006 2016 Percent Change 95.1% 90.7% -4.4% African American 1.4% 3.2% 1.8% Latino/Hispanic American 0.6% 1.2% 0.6% Multiracial American 0.1% 0.9% 0.8% Asian American 0.8% 0.8% 0% International 0.6% 1% 0.4% Middle East American Pacific Island American 0.4% 0.4% 0% 0% 0.2% 0.2% Native American 0.2% 0.2% 0%
Heads of School by Gender: 2006 vs 2016 100% 90% 80% 70% 68% 66% 60% 50% 40% 30% 32% 34% 20% 10% 0% 2005 2015 Male Female
Equity, Retention, and the Environment Creating the conditions that allow diverse human beings to reach their full potential (a staple mantra of schools and businesses) requires inclusive practice in all facets of school and organizational life. Authentic inclusivity is characterized by flexibility, power sharing and restraint by the dominant culture, and by freedom and confidence among the people of color, women, and other minority group members to show up whole, embrace their power, and act in service to their felt needs and interests. Caroline Blackwell, Social Psychology, Action Research, and Other Essential Field Work Skills, in Diversity Work in Independent Schools: The Practice and the Practitioner. 2013. Washington, DC: National Association of Independent Schools. (pp. 108-114.)
Equity, Retention, and the Environment Why Cultural Competence and Why Now? It no longer makes sense to hire faculty, administrators or other staff who are unable to effectively, respectfully and inclusively work with, teach and/or lead diverse groups of people. In other words, in order to establish and maintain an educational environment where every administrator and staff member can do his or her best work, and every student can reach his or her full potential, those crafting that environment must be culturally competent. Not including assessment of cultural competence in hiring has consequences
Consequences When we don t use the hiring process to add to the needed knowledge and skills in this vital area, we do damage. Ignoring this set of competencies is not a neutral act. It demonstrates to those seeking employment in our schools that we do not consider the development and maintenance of equity as a shared responsibility, but rather one that rests on the shoulders of a few. It underlines, for those culturally competent individuals already working in our schools, that their efforts are marginal, rather then central to our mission.
Consequences By undervaluing cultural competence, and not including it in any substantial way in the hiring process, we are likely to miss opportunities to hire those who have worked hard to develop needed skills in this area. They are unlikely to apply for a position in a school that doesn t support its mission with its hiring process. STOP HIRING YOURSELF
Consequences When we don t attract culturally competent individuals during our hiring process, we cannot hire them. We tend to hire, in this case, more of the same, and we miss the opportunity to learn from and problem-solve with others who have different and valuable insights that are needed if educational policies and practices are to evolve.
Consequences We wear out, discourage and ultimately lose faculty, administrators, and staff who have continued to cultivate knowledge and skills in areas related to cultural competence. It is often the case that they have tried and failed to get schools, and their teachers, administrators and staff, to move forward in these areas. Culturally competent members may leave physically, adding to our retention problems; or they may leave psychologically, retreating from a whole-hearted investment in our school.
Consequences We betray our mission of education in general. We break trust with those who could help. We betray the rhetoric we have incorporated into our strategic goals and plans in the last decade about providing a welcoming, respectful and inclusive environment for all members of our school community.
Cultural Competency is Relevant for Every Position When we seek cultural competence in hiring, we begin by identifying the knowledge and skills needed by a person in a given position that relate to the qualified candidate working with, teaching, and/or leading groups. Each member of our school community plays a unique role in creating and maintaining an inclusive and welcoming environment in our school. Skills and knowledge are related to our school and its community, its current and future members, the responsibilities and levels of authority of the person in the position, and the challenges our school is facing, both in the short and long term.
Cultural Competency is Relevant for Every Position Pedagogy Curriculum Design Interactions with students Knowledge and skills related to cultural competence are integral to building inclusive and equitable teaching and learning environments, and are therefore critical skill sets for every member of the faculty.
Cultural Competency is Relevant for Every Position Knowledge and skills related to cultural competence are critical for every school leader, in particular for: overseeing the development and review of policies, practices and procedures affecting members of the school community; recognizing when traditional practices have become outdated and are unintentionally supporting inequities; identifying and working effectively with a wide range of stakeholders; and crafting new policies, practices, and procedures to build an inclusive learning environment for all.
Cultural Competency is Relevant for Every Position Knowledge and skills related to cultural competence are critical for every administrator and/or supervisor to ensure that the workplace and space they create: values and utilizes the talents and contributions of each member; encourages the development of respect among staff; holds members accountable for actions that work against these goals; and meaningfully recognizes staff contributions to an inclusive multicultural environment.
Cultural Competency is Relevant for Every Position Knowledge and skills related to cultural competence are critical for all members of the staff, because: they interact on a regular basis with our increasingly diverse students, their parents, and members of their communities; they are often the face of our school to members of these constituencies; and they often act as gatekeepers, defining the reality of who is truly seen, acknowledged, and treated as one of us.
The First Question: Have our current hiring practices improved our ability to serve all members of our school community well? Are they bringing voices, knowledge, and skills into the school that have increased our ability to critically examine policies, pedagogy, and practices? Have they increased our ability to create equitable and truly inclusive learning and working spaces? Or, have they made no discernable difference in equity and inclusion in our school?
Indicators that Hiring Practices are not Including Cultural Competence Despite the fact that our school has a history of having student bodies who are predominately white and upper class, almost all of our teaching faculty are graduates of our school. We have trouble attracting qualified candidates that bring specific experience in working inclusively with diverse populations, and/or in diverse communities.
Indicators that Hiring Practices are not Including Cultural Competence We do little or no research before hiring to consider what skill sets the person might need to work effectively with diverse school community members. We have one person on staff who is primarily responsible for dealing with issues of diversity. When we do hire teachers, staff, or administrators that bring needed experience and skills, we do not retain them.
The Emphasis on Knowledge and Skills Rather Than Attitudes and Beliefs We would be unlikely to hire a teacher just because the person believes that teaching is important, in the absence of other data that tell us this person can develop curriculum, design pedagogy, and interact with students in ways that help all students reach their full potential. We would not hire a head of school simply because he or she likes to work in leadership positions, in the absence of other information that he or she has the skills and experience needed to handle the complex tasks of this position.
The Emphasis on Knowledge and Skills Rather Than Attitudes and Beliefs We would likely not be persuaded to hire a supervisor simply because that person can define supervision and explain the roles of a supervisor. We would want to know what experience this person has developed to supervise wisely and well. We would not hire a front office staff member who is really looking forward to meeting all the members of the school community, in the absence of evidence that he or she has specific experience and skills in providing effective customer service in a school office setting.
The Emphasis on Knowledge and Skills Rather Than Attitudes and Beliefs In areas related to cultural competence, if we assess the area at all, we often use questions that will tell us little or nothing about a candidate s knowledge, skills, or experience, but focus instead on his or her attitudes and beliefs. Do you think considering diversity in the classroom is important? Why or why not? What attracts you to the idea of working as a supervisor in a diverse setting? As a candidate for head of school, please define diversity, and identify four ways diversity affects the mission of an independent school? In thinking about working in this front office position, how would you describe your attitude toward interacting with a wide variety of diverse people?
Damaging Effects Questions like these are likely to have at least three undesirable and potentially damaging effects on our hiring process. 1. They send a message to culturally competent candidates that our school is not serious in assessing cultural competence, and that it is unlikely that the leadership in our school understands what it means. 2. Since these questions cannot help you distinguish culturally competent candidates from others who may have interest and intent, but little or no knowledge and skills, these vague questions are likely to help you hire the wrong candidate. 3. Since these questions give you no concrete information about knowledge and skills, you are left to assume that certain answers about attitudes and beliefs translate into knowledge and skills. This is a dangerous practice which supports the idea that we should hire, not based on data, but on individual impressions of candidates. It opens the door to using stereotypes, prejudice, and implicit bias when choosing the preferred candidate.
Seeking Information About Knowledge, Skills, and Experience How might questions designed to examine knowledge and skills in cultural competence sound? How can we craft and ask a question likely to tell us what we need to know? How do we provide the candidate with the best opportunity to tell us what they are well-prepared to do in our position?
Things to Consider When Crafting Questions We want to find out whether our candidates have the knowledge, skills, and experience needed to create and maintain a working and learning environment where every person can reach his or her full potential. We want to assess, for each candidate, if he or she can recognize situations when issues regarding cultural identities are in play and relevant to the needed response to the situation at hand.
Things to Consider When Crafting Questions We want to assess if the candidate can use effective critical judgment in considering situations where cultural identities (including issues related to race, ethnicity, skin color, gender, social class, etc.) are in play. We also want to assess if he or she knows what questions to ask themselves, and others, before responding to these situations.
Things to Consider When Crafting Questions We want the candidate to discuss how he or she might handle a situation where issues of race, ethnicity, skin color, gender, socioeconomic class, disabilities, or related issues are in play. Has the candidate faced these kinds of situations, and if so, how did he or she respond? What did the candidate learn and how might he or she apply that knowledge at our school?
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills For hiring a new teacher/faculty member: NOT: Do you think considering diversity in the classroom is important? Why or why not? INSTEAD, consider the following: Please describe a time when issues of race, ethnicity, skin color, gender, and/or socioeconomics have come up in a class you were teaching. What was the context for the issue? Was it raised by a student, and/or as the result of a class discussion, or by yourself as the teacher? How did you handle the issue at the time? From your point of view, what were the learning outcomes from this situation? What did you learn from this, and how would you expect to apply it to your work as a teacher in our school?
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills AND/OR: A question that asks the candidate to speak to how he or she would handle a possible future scenario: You are in the first week of teaching an American history class, and starting a unit on citizenship, when you realize that the readings chosen for this class do not speak to issues that are currently trending in social media about what it means to be a U.S. citizen. You are also aware that your class includes students who are first, second, or third generation citizens; students of color; and a wide socioeconomic divide among the students in your class. We want to know what the candidate would do, so we ask.
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills What questions might you want to ask yourself about the readings for your class? What pedagogical options might you consider for including all view points on citizenship in class discussion? What might be your first steps in addressing this situation?
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills For hiring a new supervisor: NOT: What attracts you to the idea of working as a supervisor in a diverse setting? INSTEAD, consider the following: A question that explores the candidate s past experience: Describe at least three situations when issues of race, ethnicity, skin color, gender, socioeconomics, nationality, and/or disability played a role in a personnel issue for which you were responsible as a supervisor. We also want to ask the candidate to provide specific details about each situation
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills In each case, please describe: how you became aware of the situation; what issues were involved; what initial steps you took for dealing with each situation; what further steps you took; the outcome of each situation, and whether it was the outcome you intended; how you might handle a similar situation now; and, what you learned from this situation that you believe would be useful in this position at our school.
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills AND/OR: A question that allows the candidate to speak to how he or she would handle a possible future scenario. You are a supervisor with three staff members. You receive a call from a parent who tells you that one of your staff members insulted my daughter, and told her that she didn t really belong at the school. This parent explains that her family is new to the school; she realizes that there may be some misunderstandings, but that if what her daughter said was accurate, this staff member shouldn t be working with children. You apologize to the parent for the impression that the staff member gave her daughter, and you tell her you will look into the situation. Then you add more detail
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills You talk to the staff member in question, and report what the parent said. The staff member responds, The girl was acting like a little hooligan, and needed to be talked to. I was the only adult around. I am not surprised that the parent complained. It s a broken home, and the girl gets no proper supervision. The staff member also adds, I have worked in this school for more than a decade, and we didn t have problems like this before we decided to be diverse. You have heard this staff member make remarks before that the school is losing its focus, but you have not discussed these comments with the staff member. And then you ask the candidate some specific questions about his or her reactions to the situation.
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills Critical thinking and response questions: What do you see as the primary issues in this situation? How may your actions have contributed to it? What would be your first steps in responding? What would you ask the staff member at this point? What would you tell your supervisor, the head of school? What other actions would you take?
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills For hiring a new Head of School: NOT: As a candidate for head of school, please define diversity, and identify four ways diversity affects the mission of an independent school? INSTEAD, consider the following: A question that explores the candidate s past experience: Please give us two examples of when you were in leadership positions, and you were involved with reviewing and revising policies, procedures and practices in order to improve equity and inclusion in the classroom in particular and/or in the school in general. We also want to ask the candidate to provide specific details about each situation
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills In each case, please describe the following: the role you played in this assessment process; what stakeholders were involved in the process, and how those stakeholders were chosen; how impacts and effects of the policies, procedures, and/or practices in question were determined; what changes were made as a result of this determination; what, in your opinion, were the impacts of the changes. What did you learn from each experience? How would you expect to use these experiences as head of our school?
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills AND/OR: A question that allows the candidate to speak to how he or she would handle a possible future scenario As the new head of school, you want to improve the climate for diverse students. There have been complaints from some parents and community members that the school is not a welcoming environment for their children. You have had one board member tell you that the school needs to do a better job hiring folks with some competence in dealing with issues of race, social class, and nationality. You start by examining the results of hiring for the last five years, assuming that hiring culturally aware teachers and administrators could help improve the climate. Then you add more detail
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills You have noted that, although at least 15 people have been hired every year, your staff remains overwhelmingly white. In looking more carefully into the situation, you see that the hiring pools for teachers and administrators seldom include candidates of color. In the last administrative search, you did have one candidate of color, but the person was not clearly qualified for the position as posted. When asked how the person was included, you were told by the chair that the search committee felt they needed some diversity in the pool. And then you ask the candidate some specific questions about his or her reactions to the situation
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills Critical thinking and response questions: What issues do you see that will need to be addressed in this situation? How would you prioritize these issues? What stakeholders would you involve in addressing them? What first steps would you take?
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills For hiring a new front office person NOT: This position will put you in contact with a wide variety of our school s stakeholders. How would you describe your attitude toward working with a wide variety of diverse people? INSTEAD, consider a question that explores the candidate s past experience: Our school s mission is to serve each member of our community in ways that allow each student to reach his or her full potential. You will be working with stakeholders who differ from you and from one another in many ways: race, ethnicity, skin color, social class, nationality, etc. Please provide at least two examples of when you have been a representative of an organization and have been an important first contact with members of diverse groups.
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills We also want to ask the candidate to provide specific details about each situation One example should highlight a situation that you believe you handled well. Please tell us about the situation, what you did, and how you would describe the outcome. The other situation should be one you believe you could have done a better job responding to or handling. Please tell us about that situation, what you did, and how you would describe the outcome. What did you learn from both situations, and how would you apply what you learned to working in this position at our school?
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills AND/OR: A question that allows the candidate to speak to how he or she would handle a possible future scenario: As the person in the front office, it will be your job to respond to parents who come to the school and the head s office. Consider this situation: You have just arrived at the school to find a parent waiting to see the head. The parent does not have an appointment, and you are aware that the head is out of town today. This parent is very angry about how his son was treated at a school event the night before. Then you add more detail and ask the candidate what he or she would do in this situation
Examples of Questions that Help Assess Knowledge and Skills The parent tells you that his son was being harassed for his accent by several older students, and when his son finally went to a teacher to complain about the situation, he was told to calm down and just ignore them. The teacher was not seen to approach the students who were harassing his son. The parent wants to know what the head will do about this. The parent also asks you what training the teachers have for intervening when discrimination and harassment occur, and whether this teacher will be disciplined for taking no action. How would you respond to this parent?
Hiring for Cultural Competency: Defeating Our Purpose If we are serious about believing that all members of our working school community need to be culturally competent, it only makes sense that we would use cultural competence as a requirement in hiring, and not a preference that might be a useful extra. As was demonstrated in the last section, it is possible to craft detailed and appropriate questions for candidates which ask them to explain how they have responded, or how they would respond, to specific situations where knowledge and skills in dealing with issues involving cultural identities, equity, and inclusion are needed.
Hiring for Cultural Competency: Defeating Our Purpose Crafting detailed questions means including issues of race and ethnicity, skin color, gender, social class, nationality, language, and more in the scenarios to be explored. This requires us to think deeply about how these issues impact members of our school community. That said, it is possible to minimize or eliminate the impact of this work by falling into familiar patterns and ignoring the importance of this assessment.
Hiring for Cultural Competency: Defeating Our Purpose Here are seven ways we can defeat the purpose of including cultural competence as a hiring requirement. 1. Continue to use vague questions about diversity rather than craft clear questions that seek to evaluate the knowledge, skills, and experience of applicants. 2. Denote knowledge, skills, and experience related to cultural competence as a preference rather than a requirement. 3. Craft effective questions, but fail to discuss and decide what would constitute a good answer to each question. In other words, we can remain vague about what we are seeking, opening the door to building ladders of inference and assumptions into search committee deliberations.
Hiring for Cultural Competency: Defeating Our Purpose 4. Have clear discussions about what we are looking for in a good answer, but then not hold search committee members accountable for documenting each candidate s responses to questions. 5. Ask each candidate a single interview question about cultural competence, but then not seek information from references. 6. Ignore indicators of a lack of cultural competence on the part of a candidate that emerge from other parts of the search process, including application documentation, teaching or other skill demonstrations, or interactions with school personnel, parents or students. 7. Finally, when we treat cultural competence as a trade-off for excellence instead of treating knowledge, skills, and experience in cultural competence as vital parts of excellence in teaching, leading, and serving our communities, we defeat our purpose.
Thank you!