Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

What is Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CCDEI):

CCDEI creates a sense of belonging for every student to feel valued and honored in the learning space. When educators are intentional about facilitating culturally proficient practices, then noticing and actions are identified to address opportunity gaps and build systems of support for all students. 

The Cultural Competency, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (CCDEI) standards underscore educators' critical role in advancing equity within educational systems by emphasizing cultural responsiveness and prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). These standards apply to all educators and serve as foundational in both the initial preparation of future educators and the continuous professional development of current practitioners, with the overarching goal of fostering inclusive and supportive learning environments for all students.  

Washington values cultural competency, diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools and classrooms. This value was reinforced by the Legislature in April 2021 with the passage of ESSB 5044. This bill required the Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to review and revise Washington’s educator standards and ensure the alignment of those standards with cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion (CCDEI) practices. The CCDEI Standards for Educators were adopted in March 2022 and are now included in teacher preparation programs and on-going professional development.

  • “Cultural competency” includes knowledge of student cultural histories and contexts, as well as family norms and values in diverse cultures; knowledge and skills in accessing community resources and community and parent outreach; and skills in adapting instruction to students’ experiences and identifying cultural contexts for individual students.
  •  "Diversity" describes the presence of similarities and differences within a given setting, collective, or group based on multiple factors including race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, age, educational status, religion, geography, primary language, culture, and other characteristics and experiences.
  • "Equity" includes developing, strengthening, and supporting procedural and outcome fairness in systems, procedures, and resource distribution mechanisms to create equitable opportunities for all individuals. The term also includes eliminating barriers that prevent the full participation of individuals and groups.
  •  "Inclusion" describes intentional efforts and consistent sets of actions to create and sustain a sense of respect, belonging, safety, and attention to individual needs and backgrounds that ensure the full access to engagement and participation in available activities and opportunities. Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 28A.415.443
  • “Culturally responsive teaching” teaching that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning. Characteristics of culturally responsive teaching include positive perspectives on parents and families, communication of high expectations, learning within the context of culture, student-centered instruction, culturally mediated instruction, reshaping the curriculum, and teacher as facilitator. 
  • “Cultural Proficiency” is about educating all students to high levels through knowing, valuing, and using as assets their cultural backgrounds, languages, and learning styles within the context of our teaching. A central tenet of Cultural Proficiency holds that change is an inside-out process in which a person is, first, a student of his own assumptions. Initially, educators must have the capability to recognize our own assumptions to retain those that facilitate culturally proficient actions and to change those assumptions that impede such actions. Similarly, educators as a community apply this inside-out process to examine school policies and practices that either impede or facilitate culturally proficient practices. This ability to examine oneself and organization is fundamental to interdependent thinking needed when addressing achievement gap issues. Cultural Proficiency is about being effective thinkers and educators in cross-cultural situations. What Is Cultural Proficiency | CCPEP.ORG

CCDEI is for all students and educators. As educators examine their own thinking and processes, we can make space for all our students by creating opportunities to value their cultures, knowledge, languages and assets and the impacts on learning.

Planning with CCDEI in mind:

The CCDEI Standards for Educators include definitions, components and observable indicators to help educators in their skills and understanding of the CCDEI standards. Teachers must demonstrate these standards in ways that support their students.

Examples of how CCDEI standards interact with the grade level learning standards:  

  • When planning instructional opportunities with students utilizing grade level standards, educators can incorporate CCDEI through some of the following examples:Provide opportunities to learn about the people, history, and the human diversities present in your classroom, school, district, and broader community. For example, incorporate local ways of knowing and teaching from your local tribe.
  • Provide time, space and opportunity for students, families, and communities to share their experiences and assets. For example, include guest speakers, presentations, or other methods/formats of sharing to provide opportunities to represent many voices.
  • Provide opportunities for students to speak and read in their native language.
  • Co-design learning spaces with your students that reflect their interests and assets. For example, include books, materials, and resources from your local environment and community for students to refer to in the classroom space. Elevate and make student thinking visible, through tools including student discourse.

The following questions may also exemplify effective practices of CCDEI to transform K–12 education to a system that is centered on closing opportunity gaps and is characterized by high expectations for all students and educators.

  • What opportunities exist for culturally and linguistically diverse students to leverage their cultural and linguistic backgrounds to achieve academic success and social-emotional well-being?
  • What kind of classroom management techniques and instructional skill sets work best to build on and bridge the lived experiences of historically underserved students?
  • How do school climates authentically model cultural relevancy, cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion with staffing, professional development, policies and practice, and family and community engagement?

Resources to Learn More:

  • Tribal Sovereignty and Tribal Consultation
  • Funds of Knowledge Toolkit
  • Questions that Begin Culturally Responsive Formative Assessment Inquiries
  • Planning with Equity in Mind from Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom: An Equity Framework for Pedagogy by Dr. Adeyemi Stembridge
  • SEL Implementation Culturally Sustaining Practices
  • RCW 28A.410.265 (2021) PESB Cultural Competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practice.  RCW 28A.410.265: Washington professional educator standards board—Certification—Cultural competency, diversity, equity, and inclusion standards of practice.