Developing Critical Cultural Competence: A Guide for 21st-Century Educators

Associate Professor Jewel Cooper, Assistant Professor Ye He, and Professor and Assistant Department Chair Barbara B. Levin, each a faculty member of the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education at UNCG, wrote the book Developing Critical Cultural Competence.  Denise Carlson, Curriculum Consultant Heartland Area Education Agency, Johnston, IA said “As I read this book, it became clear that my long-held belief about the meaning of cultural competence needed a makeover. I am now convinced that my personal definition of diversity should embrace a much deeper appreciation of differences and transformative action.”

The publisher's website provides information about the content of the book:

"Cultural competence is key to improved student achievement
The increasingly diverse nature of today’s schools and the need to increase the achievement of all students, no matter their background, requires 21^st-century teachers to develop critical cultural competence. Looking at data is not enough. We have to know who our students are! This book shows you how to provide professional development that deepens teachers' cultural understanding. Developing Critical Cultural Competence helps educators translate new knowledge into action with activities that focus on the three inseparable insights required for developing teachers’ critical cultural competency:

• Understanding themselves
• Understanding their students
• Understanding their students’ families and communities

In addition to the activities are reflection questions, group discussion questions, online extensions for facilitators, and a sample professional development plan. A companion website provides reproducible resource lists and handouts as well as examples that can serve as models for some of the activities."