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  • Essay / The importance of cultural diversity in education

    (1989) is the origin of the continuum model of cultural competence in the health sector. It described the attitudes and behaviors of mental health care professionals and organizations. Cross (1989) highlighted three essential elements in this model of cultural competence: 1) self-awareness; 2) culture-specific knowledge; and 3) skills that promote effective sociocultural relationships between an individual. His model has been widely cited and adapted as a conceptual framework for cultural competence. The model of Cross et al. has six stages along the continuum: cultural destructiveness; Cultural incapacity; Cultural blindness; Cultural pre-competence; Cultural competence; and cultural competence. Mason (2005) used the continuum approach used by Cross et al., then modified by Lindsey et al. (2003) to adapt it to educational leadership situations. Cultural destructiveness is the most negative descriptor on the continuum. It defines the competence of the organization or individual as considering cultural difference as a problem. Demonstrate inflexible behavior. The culturally diverse individual or group is also considered genetically and culturally inferior. In the stage of cultural incapacity, belief in the superiority of one's culture and behavior that deprives another's culture of its power. With cultural blindness, individuals act as if the cultural differences they see do not matter or that differences exist between cultures. The pre-cultural competency stage creates awareness of the limitations of one's skills or an organization's practices when interacting with other cultural groups. Last stage, cultural competence, individuals interact with other cultural groups using the five essential elements of cultural competence as a standard for individual behavior and school practices (Cross et al., 1989; Mason, 1993; Lindsey et al ., 2009). . The five necessary foundations that contribute to the ability of an individual, system, institution or agency to