1. Moneer Moukaddem

3. Tims & PISA

6. Cultural Competency

7. Emirati Students: Minoritized & Marginalized
of private school students are Emirati
34.7%
Statistics Center Abu Dhabi, 2014

8. Emirati Students: Minoritized & Marginalized
of private school teachers are Emirati
0.4%
Pennington, 2014
Statistics Center Abu Dhabi, 2016

9. Emirati Students: Minoritized & Marginalized
Education ranks 28
out of a list of 28 career aspirations for Emiratis
Pennington, 2014

10. Emirati Students: Minoritized & Marginalized
UAE ranks
out of 37 countries for expats ‘speaking the local language’
31st
Expat Explorer Survey (HSBC, 2014)

11. Emirati Students: Minoritized & Marginalized
UAE ranks
out of 37 countries for expats ‘integrating in the local community’
34th
Expat Explorer Survey (HSBC, 2014)

12. Emirati Students: Minoritized & Marginalized
Risk-averse
Inferior perceptions
Zero-Immigration
Emirati Students: Minoritized & Marginalized
Zero-Immigration
Low teacher commitment
Powerless/ Risk-averse
Perceived inferior
Madden, 2014; Ridge, 2014; Dave and Ridge, 2013; Ridge, 2009

13. Cultural Competency Framework
Teacher/classroom
School
Ethnic learning styles. Ethnic communication styles. Cultural Dimensions of Learning Framework

14. Cultural Competency Framework
Teacher/classroom
Self-assessment
Cultural knowledge-base
Culturally responsive pedagogy
School
Ethnic learning styles. Ethnic communication styles. Cultural Dimensions of Learning Framework

15. Cultural Competency Framework
Teacher/classroom
Self-assessment
Cultural knowledge-base
Culturally responsive pedagogy
School
School culture
School policy
Family/home involvement
Ethnic learning styles. Ethnic communication styles. Cultural Dimensions of Learning Framework

16. Teacher/Classroom School Self-assessment Cultural knowledge base
Level of Analysis
Area of Focus
Description
Teacher/Classroom
Self-assessment
Teachers’ evaluation of their own bias and cultural frames of references. (Shade, 1989; Hilliard, 1992; McCallister and Irvine, 2000; Dee, 2005; Parrish et al., 2010; Lopez, 2011; Hanover Research, 2014)
Cultural knowledge base
Explicit knowledge of students’ culture beyond stereotypes and the Five5 F’s. (Powell, 1997; Gay, 2002; Parrish et al., 2010; Lopez, 2011; Hanover Research, 2014)
Culturally responsive pedagogy
Curriculum content and teaching styles are related to students’ experiences, points of references, and cultural behavioral norms. (Shade, 1989; Powell, 1997; Gay, 2002; Lopez, 2011; Hanover Research, 2014)
School
School culture
School leaders monitor nourish/respect for cultural diversity in theory and practice across various levels of school. (Nelson et al ; Ladson-Billings, 1995; Bustamante et al., 2009; Hanover Research, 2014).
School policy
School leaders design policies to respect and support cultural diversity. (Bazron, Osher, and Fleischman, 2005; Chamberlain, 2005; Parrish et al., 2010; Hanover Research, 2014)
Family/home involvement
School leaders recognize and attempt to bridge home-school culture divides. (Bazron et al., 2005; Klotz, 2006)

17. Research Questions & Design
Triangulated, mixed methods research.

18. Main Finding #1
Teachers generally hold a static, behavior-based understanding of students’ Emirati culture.

19. “Yes, there’s a mentality to the Emirati.”
“Everywhere I found this thing about Emiratis.”
“…Emiratis as a group have common traits.”
“Yes, there’s a mentality to the Emirati.”
“It’s fair to categorize Emiratis because they all have a lot of money, free opportunities, ...”

20. Main Finding #2
Teachers perceive school-level factors to be more important in affecting Emirati student attainment than classroom-level factors.
Challenges notion of pre-eminence of teaching

21. “There’s a huge fear of parents
“There’s a huge fear of parents. Parents have too much power and influence.”
“I try. I try not to be generous with grades but I am bound by the system.”
Challenges notion of pre-eminence of teaching
“The teachers who give the highest grades are most liked by students, parents, and admin.”

22. Cultural Competency Framework
Teacher/classroom
Self-assessment
Cultural knowledge-base
Culturally responsive pedagogy
School
School culture
School policy
Family/home involvement
Ethnic learning styles. Ethnic communication styles. Cultural Dimensions of Learning Framework

23. Standardization/ Accreditations
Main Finding #3
Standardization/ Accreditations
Rentier Mentality
Ministry
3. Teachers consider macro-level factors to be important in affecting Emirati student attainment.

24. Standardized Accreditations
“Because of the benefits they get, they have become highly de-motivated and education has become a minor interest in their life.”
“The pass policy is damaging. Students know that no matter how badly they do, they will move on. We lose our authority as teachers.”
“The ministry hasn’t given us [teachers] real value as partners in the educational process”
Standardized Accreditations
Ministry
Rentier System

25. Implications
#1. Re-think role of culture & develop culture knowledge-base
#2. Re-think role of school leaders
#3. Critically examine macro-level effects on educational outcomes
critically examine and understand the effects of certain policies and practices on the educational landscape and educational outcomes. Accordingly, ignoring the under-attainment of Emirati students by private and public actors at the macro-level may have detrimental and far-reaching impacts on Emirati society at large.(returns on education)

29. DRY CLEANING QOUTE.