ability to address achievement gaps. It was clear that as we answered questions about our early years, our years as teachers, our early years as administrators, and ultimately our leadership roles as superintendents, we became bonded in our shared passion and commitment to provide equitable learning opportunities for all children. Carmella Franco’s journey began in


Pueblo, Colo., where she was raised in a large extended family that lived within a three-block area where English, Spanish and Italian were the daily languages. When eco- nomic necessity caused the family to move to Los Angeles to join her paternal grand- parents, she found herself adapting to a new environment. Throughout her childhood, education was emphasized, and the arts were an important component of the experiences her family provided. Franco remembers her early years as having a magical quality. Maria Ott’s journey started in Germany,


where she was born Maria Miranda Gutier- rez. She was born to a father serving in the U.S. military whose family had immigrated to California from Mexico and a German mother from a farm in a small town in Ba- varia. At five years of age, she traveled from Germany to join her father’s large extended family in East Los Angeles. Because English was not Ott’s first language, she experienced the English learner journey as a child and became a life-long advocate for providing equitable opportunities for children learn- ing English as a second language.


Being raised in diverse environments Darline Robles started kindergarten as a


4-year-old who experienced several moves during her early school experiences. The moves taught Robles how to adapt and be flexible in new environments. She was raised in diverse settings in which she learned about and came to appreciate many cul- tures, but also where she experienced and observed cultural biases and insensitivities. For most of her childhood, Robles lived in a single-parent home with a working mother. This situation produced a high level of inde- pendence, supported by a loving family that insisted on education as a top priority. As co-authors, we developed a deep un-


derstanding and appreciation of our shared experiences and those unique to each one of us. We found that many painful situations that ref lected our culture, language or fe- male identity were hidden under the exterior of our professional successes. The conversa- tions with Randy Lindsey and Stephanie Graham helped bring the memories to the surface, shaping an important new tool for educational leaders.


A bridge for personal reflection and growth The Cultural Proficiency Leadership Ru-


bric in our book adds to prior work by Lind- sey and Graham and provides a concrete way for educators to reflect on personal beliefs and practices that place an individual or organiza- tion along the six-point continuum of cultural proficiency. Beginning with de-


scriptions of beliefs or practices that might be labeled culturally destructive, the con- tinuum proceeds to describe behaviors that might be considered as cultural incapacity, cultural blindness, cultural pre-compe- tence, cultural competence, and finally, cul- tural proficiency, where transformation for equity occurs. The new Cultural Proficiency Leader-


cultural proficiency to view his/her own leadership behaviors. The rubric is impor- tant to leaders looking at the policies and practices of organizations by providing language to describe unhealthy and healthy conditions. Each element of the rubric is described


across the continuum and serves as an ex- cellent tool for personal growth for the in- dividual leader, as well as a professional development tool for leaders committed to transforming their organizations. Transfor- mation for equity requires a commitment to a dramatic shift from tolerating diversity to


As co-authors, we developed an understanding and appreciation of our shared experiences


and those unique to each one of us. We found that many painful situations that reflected our culture, language or female identity were hidden under the exterior of our professional successes.


institutionalizing equity as the worldview for the organization. Stephanie Graham asked us to describe


ship Rubric, like rubrics published in other books in the Cultural Proficiency series, is organized around five essential elements: assessing culture, valuing diversity, man- aging the dynamics of difference, adapting to diversity, and institutionalizing cultural knowledge. Each element is defined along the con-


tinuum, and the rubric serves as a bridge for personal reflection and growth for educators seeking to transform classrooms, schools and school districts to ensure equity for all students. The connection between trans- forming schools for equity and transforming society for equity is a theme that is reflected both in the rubric and the book. The Cultural Proficiency Leadership


Rubric is a central element of the book, challenging the reader to put on the lens of


some of the challenges that we experienced as women of color administrators. Carmella Franco describes having to work twice as hard and being in constant pursuit of ex- cellence. She also discusses her experience with professional jealousy and with unsup- portive supervisors. Franco writes that she “observed that the increase in the number of women in administration has been threat- ening in and of itself; adding color to it is an additional complexity.”


Viewed as a leader who succeeds on merit Maria Ott responds to the question by de-


scribing how others wanted to define her as a Latina rather than a qualified administrator. She writes, “I was proud to be Latina, but I wanted to be viewed as a leader who had suc- ceeded based on merit. … It has always sur- prised me when comments are made about increased numbers of people of color at the leadership level. There were few complaints when district leaders were predominately represented by white individuals; however,


November/December 2011 13


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