Cultural Competency and Social Emotional Learning Task 3
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Feb 20, 2024
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Communication Plan
Dylan Moore
Department of Educational Leadership, Western Governors University
D020 Cultural Competencies and Social-Emotional Learning
Delmon Moore
May 10, 2023
Communication Plan
As a teacher, you are constantly looking for ways to improve your class. Before this course, I
thought that the harder I taught, the more involved the students would be. The more involved the
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students were, the better their test scores. I couldn’t understand why, for 7 years, I struggled with the
same thing in my class. Students would walk in, put their name on their notes, and then fall asleep. As I
read about culture, social and emotional learning, inclusion, I decided that there was more to create a
successful classroom. If I could really dig deep, and understand the culture my students are coming
from, I can create a more meaningful curriculum. As an administrator, I would create a communication
plan and policy that would benefit these students. In this plan, I would first have to find the
demographic I would target, and then I will come up with 4 policies to promote culture awareness,
cultural inclusion, promote student success, and incorporate cultural perspectives of families and
communities. Demographic for the Communication Plan
When I asked the administration about the demographics of our school, something stood out and absolutely shocked me. Mr. Fletcher, a curriculum coach, advised me to look at the TPRS website. This website breaks down every school, by every demographic you could think of, African America, White, Hispanic, Indian, etc. As I scrolled to the bottom, I saw that at our school, 85% of our school is economically disadvantaged (TPRS, 2022). Economically disadvantaged simply means that the student is eligible, by income status, to receive free or reduced lunches (
Texas Education Agency - Accountability Research: Data Search
, 2023). This is a staggering percentage. I thought that it was only fitting that the group of students I would highlight throughout this project would be them. After picking the students that I would communicate to, I would have to start working on my plan. Promoting Cultural Awareness
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Cultural awareness, according to a Mississippi College article, is understanding your own culture,
other’s culture, and the role of culture in education (Sindhu 2022). As I think about this definition, I need
to look back on my culture and how I was raised. I was blessed to not be an economically disadvantaged student. With that blessing, however, comes some challenges. As a teacher with 85% of my students’ economically disadvantaged, I have no way to relate to them. If I am going to be culturally aware, I must go outside of my classroom to find some help with how to get these students connected. With that being said, one policy that I would promote as an administrator is implementing a mentorship program that connects economically disadvantaged kids to a mentorship program we have in the city. This is great for the city that I currently work in, because there are multiple different agencies and churches that would get on board with this practice. The program would involve partnering economically disadvantaged students with mentors who come from similar backgrounds or have overcome similar challenges. The mentors would be a wide variety of professionals across various industries. These volunteers would spend time with these students’ sharing experiences, knowledge, and communicate with multiple students. The communication style will vary depending on availability. This could be emails, phone calls, or supervised visits at the school. These economically disadvantaged students could talk to them about their career aspirations, goals, and personal challenges. By going outside of the classroom, these students can relate to their mentors where I can’t relate to them. I think this is so valuable, because mentors can explain to them how important their education is.
In order to implement this policy, I want there to be other benefits other than cultural awareness. I can see three other benefits to this policy. One of those benefits is career guidance. Being with a mentor who shares a similar culture, these mentors can talk to them about how to strive for a career they’re passionate about. They can share their own journeys and tell the students what they can expect. Another benefit is networking opportunities. Without this mentorship program, who knows if
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they would ever get connected to people in fields they aspire to be in. Lastly, this can increase their self-
confidence. Seeing someone that had a similar upbringing, yet was successful in life, can bring them a sense of confidence that they can do the same thing. To ensure the success of this practice, it is crucial to establish a structured program with clear goals, guidelines and expectations for both mentors and students. I will oversee the entire thing, checking in weekly, and supporting where I can. By promoting cultural awareness through mentorship programs, economically disadvantaged students can gain valuable insight, support, and resources necessary to thrive academically and professionally. None of this would be possible, if I at first do no recognize my own culture and reach out to others for help. This will, in turn, create a desire to learn and grow in my classroom. This is a motivation that I cannot create on my own. Being culturally aware is extremely important in the education system. However, this is not the only thing that needs to be addressed. This is just a cog in the machine of education. After my students get connected with a mentor, there are other steps that need to happen so that these students feel as if they oversee their education. Promoting a Culturally Inclusive Environment
In “Creating an Inclusive School”, I read about how to make a school culturally inclusive. This highlights the fact that there are multiple backgrounds, ethnicities, economic status, etc. in our schools. For our students to get excited about learning, they need to have material that is catered towards them.
The book goes on to say, “Teachers use students’ culture to promote their academic achievement by investigating and promoting what issues students find meaningful, teachers empower their learners to choose academic excellence” (Villa and Thousand, 1995). I found myself very challenged by this thought.
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As a teacher, I expect my students to pay attention, and try their best. However, looking at the way that I personally learn, I’m not going to learn about something that doesn’t pertain to me. We must get passed the fact that this can be seen as a selfish motivator, if we truly want our students to learn. We need to “get on their level” to create meaningful lessons. That is why a school needs to be culturally inclusive. One of the policies that I would promote as an administrator would be a policy of culturally responsive curriculum, especially aiming at serving economically disadvantaged students. Culturally responsive curriculum incorporates the diverse cultural backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives of students into the learning materials, activities, and assessments. As a teacher, I would look at the students that I have and try to find materials that would help them out in the real world. For example, I just did a project where the students figure out what their dream job is. Then they researched how long it would take to get a degree in that field, the amount of student loans, and then, based on the average salary, they could really see what their quality of life would be. This was encouraging because I saw many students change what they wanted to be because they saw it was not financially smart. It, however, can’t be one project at the end of the year. As an administrator there are a couple of ways that I would incorporate this throughout the school. First off, I would collaborate with students and families. In order to develop a culturally responsive curriculum, it is important to involve students and families in the decision-making process. This could be accomplished by meetings, surveys, and open forums where parents feel free to talk to me, give me feedback and suggest things that I can implement in the curriculum. Economically disadvantaged students come from many different ethnicities, so finding
common ground can be easier if I involve the parents. Based off their feedback, I can create lessons that address the issues that the parents want me to address. Secondly, there must be inclusive representation in the lessons. As an administrator, I would encourage my teachers to find influential figures in their subject and talk about them. This could be someone that started off poor, that went on to change the world. With 85% of the students being economically disadvantaged, this could really hit
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home to them. They can see that other people made it out, and they can too. Third, I would make sure that the teachers are sensitive to these students. They need to avoid stereotypes, derogatory terms, or any language that would marginalize or exclude these students. They need to be trained on how to communicate with them. Which brings me to my last point. I would make sure that there are professional development classes for all teachers that deal with economically disadvantaged students. They can learn how to talk to them, how to create meaningful lessons, or how to avoid stereotypes. By implementing a culturally responsive curriculum and integrating effective communication practices, an educational environment that embraces cultural diversity can be fostered. This approach not only enhances the learning experience of economically disadvantaged students but also prepares them for a globalized society where cultural competence and understanding are highly valued. Promoting Student Success
A communication practice that I would promote for economically disadvantaged students is a accessible student support system. This would consist of teachers, counselors, administrators, community organizations, to help support economically disadvantaged students. Each one would have a role to play in their success. From personal experience, most of the students I have that are economically disadvantaged have multiple siblings. They also have parents that work 2 to 3 jobs, so after
school tutoring can be out of the question. They are responsible for taking care of their siblings when they get out of school. So, teachers can give up their lunch once a week to help tutor students during their lunch time or talk with a SPED coordinator to get them the accommodations that they need. Counselors will be a listening ear for them, and they can cultivate a relationship with them so they can talk about their struggles at school or at home. I see this as one of the most important positions because
a student can’t learn if they are stressed about what is going on at home, if they have enough to eat, if they have clean clothes that fit, or if their siblings are well taken care of. We have a fantastic counselor
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at my school, and the students have created a bond with her, and I can see a major difference in some of these students. Administrators can help them be successful by checking in on them at home. I know in Texas administrators do a lot of home visits. They go to the students’ homes, meet with the parents, and then relay the message that they are a support system. Even though the students won’t have them every day, or even see them every day, they can feel supported because they know they went through the effort to come to their house and meet their family. Also, sadly administration are the ones that can call CPS. This is a terrible thing, but sometimes these students need to be removed from their parents and go to a loving home. Some students I’ve had have been extremely grateful that an administrator has
called CPS. This got them out of abusive houses and into loving homes where they were cared for. Lastly, community organizations. In Waco we have the “Big Brother” program, as well as mentorships through local churches. I can make sure that these students are paired with someone from these organizations. I see benefits to this program because they can talk to people that have gone through the
same challenges. These organizations also help with food, clothing, job applications, etc. Students can feel successful when they know that they have someone on the outside that will help them achieve their
goals. Overall, giving them a system where they feel supported at multiple different levels is extremely important. The communication practice involved in this policy includes open and consistent communication
channels with every stakeholder involved in student success. This ensures that relevant information can get to where it needs to go so needs can be met. Every stakeholder will be in touch with each other. They can talk about the needs of these economically disadvantaged students and get the information to the right place so that these needs can be met. One article I found that supports the importance of a comprehensive student support network, which is why I chose to implement this in my communication plan, is the article “Supporting Student
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Success: The Role of School-Based Mental Health Services and Supporting Students from Economically Disadvantaged Backgrounds” by Melissa A. Mariana and Michelle M. Bovaird. This article was published in the Journal of Applied School Psychology in 2019, the article highlights the significance of comprehensive systems in promoting the academic and socio-emotional well being of economically disadvantaged students. The article emphasizes that effective communication and collaboration among school staff, community partners, and families are essential components of a successful support network. It talks about the importance of clear and consistent communication between all stakeholders.
That way they can meet needs and coordinate ideas to help the economically disadvantaged population in public school settings. By implementing a comprehensive student support network with effective communication practices, schools can provide targeted interventions, resources, and support systems that cater to the needs of economically disadvantaged students, ultimately promoting their academic achievement, socio-emotional well-being, and long-term success.
Incorporating Families and Communities
Every educator knows that for something to be successful at the school, you must have parent and teacher involvement. As mentioned earlier, one of the policies that I would incorporate would be home visits, especially with the economically disadvantaged students. This strategy involves educators visiting the homes of students to establish connections with families, gain insight into the students’ cultural backgrounds, and collaboratively support student success. A home visit would have to use multiple different types of communication to ensure that these visits are successful. First, I would send a
survey out to parents and guardians to get permission to go to their home. There is always a compromise, so if a parent wouldn’t want us at their house, we could have a virtual meeting through one of the many video chat websites. After we get permission, there will be an email sent out to
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perspective families to set up a time and a date. Hopefully, we can develop trust and have a meaningful conversation that would help the student be successful in the classroom. While doing research for this, I came across an article from the Journal of School Leadership. In this article, titled “Culturally Responsive Home Visits: Promoting School-Community Partnerships with Diverse Families”, the article explores the benefits of home visits and building strong partnerships between schools and families. The article talks about the 4 benefits of home visits. The first is building relationships. Home visits are a great opportunity for educators to establish relationships with families and foster trust and mutual respect. By engaging in open dialogue, educators can learn about the cultural perspectives, values, and aspirations of economically disadvantaged students’ families. Secondly, this is a great opportunity to share information. Home visits allow two-way communication, enabling educators to share important information about the curriculum, school policies, and other available resources. This would be a great opportunity to talk about the mentorship program I would implement and talk about how we can create a successful learning environment for their student. The next benefit would be tailoring instruction based off the information I learned during the home visit. This way, the students can see that the teacher has acknowledged the values of diverse strengths and assets that economically disadvantaged students bring to the classroom. Lastly, the article talked about how home visits are great for collaborating for student success. Home visits provide an opportunity for families and educators to collaborate in supporting student success. By understanding the unique challenges and circumstances faced by economically disadvantaged students, educators can work together with families to identify strategies and resources that can promote academic achievement. By implementing culturally responsive home visits, schools can establish stronger home-school-
community partnerships, enhance the understanding of culture, and support the academic development
of economically disadvantaged students.
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Communication Strategies
Communication is key to implementing any plan or policy, especially in a school setting. I have seen great plans fall apart because of the lack of communication. I have also seen questionable policies succeed because there was an opportunity to communicate about the policy and make it better. As an administrator, you must be strong in communicating to your staff, students, and parent. I believe there are 3 key communication strategies when it comes to planning my new policies at the school to address culture and inclusion. 3 Communication Strategies
When it comes to parents of economically disadvantaged students, by my own experience, I see
3 main ways that communication can be successful. If you are strong in these 3 strategies, you can
implement any policy in the school, and get positive feedback from the parents about the policy. Even
though these 3 policies are geared towards economically disadvantaged students, you can implement
these policies in any setting. The first communication strategy is to have clear and accessible communication channels. This
provides clear and easily accessible communication channels that is essential for economically
disadvantaged students and their families. This includes utilizing multiple modes of communication such
as emails, phone calls, text messages, and physical notes, to ensure that important information reaches
families effectively. At my school, we use a program called Class Dojo, that is also effective because all
you have to have is an app on your phone. When the teacher posts something, every parent that is
signed up will get a notification. Additionally, when writing these emails, text messages, or calling on the
phone, you must use plain language and avoid jargon to make sure that you are easily understood by all
recipients. I know for me, I can write out a beautifully worded email, and get the response “k”. This has
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taught me that I don’t have to worry about making an email seem professional. All I need to do is make
sure that the information is in the email and hit send. Parents are more responsive to short, concise,
emails, than long drawn-out ones. Something else that is very important is to make sure that I provide
language support and translation services for my Spanish speaking families. Secondly, regular and timely communication is key. Regular communication with parents help
them because it keeps them in the loop of what they are doing all year. It is crucial that the families stay
informed about school events, activities and important updates. Establishing a communication schedule,
such as weekly or monthly newsletters, can help ensure consistent communication It is also important to
provide timely information regarding academic progress, attendance, and any interventions or support
services that may be available for economically disadvantaged students. Regular communication helps
families stay engaged and informed, promoting their involvement in their child’s education. Lastly, communication must be culturally sensitive and inclusive. This is vital in promoting a
supportive environment for economically disadvantaged students. This strategy involves using language
and examples that are respectful to diverse cultural backgrounds, avoiding stereotypes, and recognizing
and valuing the cultural perspectives and contributions of economically disadvantaged students and
their families. It is essential to provide information in a way that is culturally relevant and relatable,
ensuring that families feel included and connected to the school community.
If these communication strategies are implemented, schools can bridge the communication gap
and ensure that economically disadvantaged students and their families receive the necessary
information, support and resources to thrive in their educational journey. Conclusion
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85% of my student population is economically disadvantaged. That personally breaks my heart. I
know there are so many bright kids in my classes that need a teacher that cares to help them break through that cycle. I believe that communication is key to making changes you want to see in the school system. I believe that the policies and the communication plan I’ve spelled out will help economically disadvantaged students succeed. Mentorship programs, home visits, or student support networks, cannot succeed if you first do not have parent by in. I believe that the 3 communication strategies mentioned above will help create a successful student culture that not only helps students succeed, but also creates a campus of culturally aware and inclusive staff, students, and families. Artifacts
The two artifacts are attached to the submission.
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Resources
Mariana, M., & Bovaird, M. (2019). Supporting Student Success: The Role of School-Based Mental Health Services in Supporting Students from Economically Disadvantaged Backgrounds. Journal of Applied School Psychology
.
Ross, L., & Swick, K. (2019). Culturally Responsive Home Visits: Promoting Home-School-
Community Partnerships with Diverse Familie
.
Sindhu. (2022). Importance of Cultural Awareness for Educators. Mississippi College Online
. https://online.mc.edu/degrees/education/cultural-awareness-for-educators
Texas Education Agency - Accountability Research: Data Search
. (n.d.). https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/acctres/gloss0708.html
TPRS
. (n.d.). https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/cgi/sas/broker?
_service=marykay&_program=perfrept.perfmast.sas&_debug=0&lev=C&id=161807014
&prgopt=reports/tapr/student.sas
Villa, R. A., & Thousand, J. S. (1995). Creating an inclusive school. Creating an Inclusive School
. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED396505
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