Dale Ellis, Ed. D Superintendent Montgomery County Schools January 9, 2013

  Cultural Proficiency is a way of being that allows individuals and organizations to interact effectively with people who differ from them. Session 1: An Overview

  What is YOUR education level?  What is YOUR income level?  How does that compare with those that you interact with in the broader school community?  How does your life blueprint (history, etc.) compare to that of your students? A Quick Review

  Culture is much deeper than most people think about or realize.  When we say the term cultural diversity, what generally is that interpreted to mean? Understanding Culture

  Race  Ethnicity  History  Gender  Socio-economic status  What else?  If you can think of a difference, it is probably connected to culture in some way or it is a sub-culture unto itself. Culture is…

  Educate ALL students to the best of their ability and to the best of our ability.  Can we truly differentiate instruction if our educators do not understand and acknowledge difference? Our Task

  …not an excuse.  …not a crutch.  …not something to whisper about.  Difference is to be celebrated! Difference is….

  We want to address and capitalize on our diversity.  We want to reinforce positive values about diversity.  We want to reinforce values and behaviors that produce the best results for children.  We want to leverage previous knowledge in Robert Marzano’s work, Ruby Payne, and PDSA training to get the best out of ALL students. Moving Forward

  January – Overview  February – Chs. 1-3  March – Chs. 4-6  April – Chs. 7-9  May – Resources Schedule