Gazette Times

PORTLAND — A quiet effort by state officials to require that all newly certified Oregon teachers be "culturally competent'' looks to be dead-on-arrival in the Republican-controlled House, despite firm support from education advocates.

In its broadest sense, "cultural competence'' in the classroom means the ability to successfully teach children from all different backgrounds, regardless of ethnicity, socio-economic level or disability.

For example, it can mean not assigning homework that requires a computer to a homeless student, or understanding that in some Hispanic cultures, it's considered rude to look an authority figure in the eye. The idea is that understanding a student's background will eventually help them to perform better in class and on tests.

A bill requested by Gov. Ted Kulongoski on behalf of the state Teacher Standards and Practices Commission, which regulates teaching licenses, sailed through the Senate Education Commission, easily passed the full Senate by a vote of 25-3, and went to the House Education Committee.

There, though, it has run into trouble.

The problem, House Republicans say, is the state's working definition of what it means to be culturally competent in Oregon, which was devised during a by-invitation summit sponsored by the Oregon Department of Education last year.

According to the working definition, cultural competence is based on "a commitment to social justice and equity,'' and individuals should, "have a defined set of values and principles ... that enable them to work effectively in a cross-cultural manner.''

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