Week 4 Discussion 1 Students of Diverse Backgrounds The Moore-Thomas, Day-Vines article explores cultural competence as it relates to effective collaboration and interactions as well as an understanding of the political structures and socio-cultural realities of African American students, families, and their communities. Describe the specific models, strategies, and recommendations for educators to work effectively with students with diverse social differences (i.e. economic, ethnic, cultural, family, geographic region, ect). What steps can you take to be a culturally competent educator as you plan on working with specific groups, school, family and community members? INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE WEEK FOUR *Special thanks to Dr. Patrice Jones for sharing her original guidance in this document. Did you know there is a National African American Parent Involvement Day (NAAPID) that takes place in schools across the country in the month of February?  Inspired by a speech during the Million Man March in 1995 that challenged all the men in the crowd to give back to their community, Michigan school Principal Joseph Dulin initiated this movement as a day of events encouraging parents to get more involved in their child's school. “It comes during Black History Month,” explains Dulin, “and I thought it was a tremendous time to introduce it as a project for parents to get into our schools to exchange notes, phone numbers, emails, have conversations and get in touch with the teachers” (Cavanaugh, 2016, para. 6). Although the day is geared toward African American parents, the schools encourage every parent to participate for a common goal of promoting parent involvement, eliminating the achievement gap, and creating partnerships among stakeholders. Hugh Price, retired CEO of the National Urban League and founder of Campaign for African-American Achievement, explains that "community norms have traditionally played a particularly central role in the lives of black Americans" (Price, 2008, p. 19).  A variety of students from different cultural backgrounds benefit from the help that school-family-community partnerships can provide.  When schools use the resources at hand, they have the capacity to improve students' achievement and provide strategies that parents can use to develop skills needed in continuing to help their children. What are your thoughts on having a day specifically to get African American parents involved in school?  What types of resources are used to prepare for the day’s events? Continuing along the same lines of meeting the needs of parents, educators who are culturally responsive will take it upon themselves to learn what is needed for students and parents from diverse backgrounds. It has already been established that when parents get involved in their child's education by doing such things as attending school events, children thrive academically; however, the lack of financial resources experienced by some families causes a struggle in pro ...

1. Week 4 Discussion 1 Students of Diverse Backgrounds
The Moore-Thomas, Day-Vines article explores cultural
competence as it relates to effective collaboration and
interactions as well as an understanding of the political
structures and socio-cultural realities of African American
students, families, and their communities. Describe the specific
models, strategies, and recommendations for educators to work
effectively with students with diverse social differences (i.e.
economic, ethnic, cultural, family, geographic region, ect).
What steps can you take to be a culturally competent educator
as you plan on working with specific groups, school, family and
community members?
INSTRUCTOR GUIDANCE
WEEK FOUR
*Special thanks to Dr. Patrice Jones for sharing her original
guidance in this document.
Did you know there is a National African American Parent
Involvement Day (NAAPID) that takes place in schools across
the country in the month of February? Inspired by a speech
during the Million Man March in 1995 that challenged all the
men in the crowd to give back to their community, Michigan
school Principal Joseph Dulin initiated this movement as a day
of events encouraging parents to get more involved in their
child's school. “It comes during Black History Month,” explains
Dulin, “and I thought it was a tremendous time to introduce it as
a project for parents to get into our schools to exchange notes,
phone numbers, emails, have conversations and get in touch
with the teachers” (Cavanaugh, 2016, para. 6).
Although the day is geared toward African American parents,
the schools encourage every parent to participate for a common
goal of promoting parent involvement, eliminating the

2. achievement gap, and creating partnerships among stakeholders.
Hugh Price, retired CEO of the National Urban League and
founder of Campaign for African-American Achievement,
explains that "community norms have traditionally played a
particularly central role in the lives of black Americans" (Price,
2008, p. 19). A variety of students from different cultural
backgrounds benefit from the help that school-family-
community partnerships can provide. When schools use the
resources at hand, they have the capacity to improve students'
achievement and provide strategies that parents can use to
develop skills needed in continuing to help their children. What
are your thoughts on having a day specifically to get African
American parents involved in school? What types of resources
are used to prepare for the day’s events?
Continuing along the same lines of meeting the needs of
parents, educators who are culturally responsive will take it
upon themselves to learn what is needed for students and
parents from diverse backgrounds. It has already been
established that when parents get involved in their child's
education by doing such things as attending school events,
children thrive academically; however, the lack of financial
resources experienced by some families causes a struggle in
promoting parental involvement through the conventional ways.
Roberts (2011) notes that a large number of economically-
disadvantaged students come from diverse backgrounds.
Therefore, as educators, there are times when more prescriptive
strategies for assisting parents to become involved are needed.
Hjalmarson (2011) discusses a variety of different strategies to
help relieve some of the struggles that are experienced by more
economically-disadvantaged parents. The overarching message
is to develop a relationship with the parents based on trust. If
the parents do not trust that the school has their family’s best
interest at heart, this can have a negative impact on the child.
Developing a relationship with the students as well as the
parents is pivotal to getting the involvement needed for student

3. success. While watching the five minute video, Becoming a
Culturally Responsive Teacher (Links to an external site.), think
about some specific strategies that you can employ that will
benefit parents who require prescriptive help?
Week 4 Discussion Guidance
For this first discussion post, Students of Diverse Backgrounds,
read the article by Moore-Thomas and Day-Vines which
discusses the historical and contemporary factors and barriers
that affect African-American students and their families as they
partner with schools and communities. The student’s
background plays a large role in the interaction that parents
have in their efforts to get involved in the educational process.
After reading the article, examine the variety of suggestions
presented that would make a difference in working with
students in school through collaboration, interactions, and
understanding. Describe specific models, strategies, and
recommendations for educators to work effectively with
students from diverse economic, ethnic, cultural, family, and
geographic region backgrounds and experiences. What steps can
you take to be a culturally competent educator as you plan on
working with specific groups, school, family and community
members?
In the previous week you read about The Ideal Parent and their
connection and involvement with the school and community. To
begin the second discussion post, Parent Support, read about
Tier II & III, The Inconsistent Parent, and The Struggling
Parent. Understanding why these parents are less engaged in
their child’s education (compared to Tier 1 parents) is the first
step towards positive change. At Hjalmarson’s (2011) school,
different tiers were created to move parents to action; however,
the principal and other staff members understood that it took
more to get parents engaged who may not have had the
necessary tools to begin. While reading chapters seven and
eight in the text, think about the successes and challenges that

4. the suggestions would bring.
Please review the discussion board rubric prior to your initial
post to ensure you are fully meeting each of the set criteria to
earn full credit. Your initial post should include relevant
professional, personal, or other real-world experiences in a
manner that is rich in thought and provides valuable insight into
the topic. Additionally, all elements of the discussion board
prompt should be thoroughly addressed with strong and precise
connections to previous and/or current course content, or to
real-life situations. When substantively replying to your peers’
post, be sure to provide a thorough and constructive analysis
relating the response to relevant course concepts that
incorporates pertinent follow-up thoughts or questions about the
topic, and demonstrates respect for the diverse opinions of
fellow learners.
Week 4 Assignment Guidance
You have probably heard of the adage, “it takes a village to
raise a child.” Schools are often at the center of community
activity and can be a significant source of pride to a community;
therefore, creating and sustaining this positive relationship is
part of every educator’s work. Part of establishing positive
community relationships is “getting the message out” about the
good things the school is doing in/for the community. To begin
this assignment, think about Joseph Dulin. How did he spread
the idea of National African American Parent Involvement Day
(NAAPID) that is still going strong after 18 years?
For the Week 4 assignment, Developing Relationships, you will
assume the role of a teacher who has been invited to speak for
10-15 minutes to a community group of your choice to discuss
the school, what students are doing in/for the community, and
how the community can best support the school and its
students. Make sure to use the grading rubric as a self-checklist
before submitting the final copy of your assignment to confirm

5. you have met or exceeded each required expectation. The
highest level of achievement on the rubric is “distinguished,”
which is only earned through exceeding posted expectations at
the proficiency level. Please remember you are in a masters-
level program. Therefore, your writing, research, and content
are held to graduate-level expectations.
References and Resources
African-American Registry. (2010, February 10). NAAPID: A
day for family bonding (Links to an external site.). Retrieved
from http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/naapid-
day-family-bonding
Cavanaugh, T. (2016). NAAPID founder, retired AAPS educator
Joe Dulin: ‘It starts with you’. (Links to an external site.)
Retrieved from http://news.a2schools.org/naapid-founder-
retired-aaps-educator-joe-dulin-it-starts-with-you/
Diannehope. (2016). IMG_9379 (Links to an external site.)
[photograph]. Retrieved from
http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/996837
Knowledge Delivery Systems. (2012, December 6). Becoming a
culturally responsive teacher. (Links to an external site.)
Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=u
V36efjBKRU
Hjalmarson, F. (2011). Differentiated parent support: Engaging
parents in unique ways to increase their involvement in school.
San Diego, CA: TurnAround Schools Publishing.
Price, H. B. (2008). Mobilizing the community to help students
succeed. Alexandra, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development.
Roberts, S. O. (2011). Reconsidering parent involvement:
Implications for black parents (Links to an external site.).
Online Publication of Undergraduate Studies. NYU Steinhardt.
Retrieved from:
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/appsych/opus/issues/2011/fall/reconsid
ering.

6. Required Resources
1. Read from your text, Differentiated Parent Support: Engaging
Parents in Unique Ways to Increase Their Involvement in
School:
· Chapter Seven – Tier Two: The Inconsistent Parent
· Chapter Eight – Tier Three: The Struggling Parent
2. Moore-Thomas, C., & Day-Vines, N. L. (2010). Culturally
Competent Collaboration: School Counselor Collaboration with
African American Families and Communities. Professional
School Counseling, 14(1), 53-63. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
· Research indicates positive educational and social outcomes
for students (Koonce & Harper, 2005; Mitchell & Bryan, 2007).
This article discusses the historical and contemporary factors
and barriers that affect African American students and their
families as they partner with schools and communities.
Recommended Resources
1. Adichie, Chimamanda. (2009). The Danger of a Single
Story (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ihs241zeg
1. Chimamanda Adichie talks about the danger of only knowing
or having one story and how stereotypes often form because of
this single-story mindset.
· Davis, C. & Yang, A. (2009). Keeping in Touch with Families
All Year Long. Education Digest, 75(1), 61-64. Retrieved from
EBSCOhost.
1. The article discusses the practice of teachers keeping in
regular touch with students' parents rather than limiting contact
to occasions when problems arise. Reasons for initiating regular
contact include giving families information so they can be
partners in their child's education and forming the trust required
for collaborative problem-solving when needed.