44238
. (a) The Commission on Teacher Credentialing, in consultation
with the State Department of Education, shall contract with an
independent evaluator with proven expertise in design and research to
conduct a study of the availability and effectiveness of cultural
competency training for teachers and administrators.
(b) The study shall focus on 10 culturally diverse schools that
reflect the diverse demography and geography of California. The
schools shall be selected for the study based on appropriate research
methods. The criteria for school selection shall include, but not be
limited to, all of the following:
(1) The cultural demographics of the pupil population within the
school including, but not limited to, linguistic demographics and the
number of English learners.
(2) The Academic Performance Index scores for each school. The
study shall include schools that were previously low-performing
schools that have shown significant progress in their Academic
Performance Index scores and include schools that were low-performing
schools that have not shown significant progress in their Academic
Performance Index scores.
(3) The experience of teachers, including, but not limited to, the
number of teachers with emergency credentials.
(c) The study shall entail all of the following:
(1) Evaluating cultural competency training programs by doing all
of the following:
(A) Assessing the availability and effectiveness of cultural
competency training in teacher credentialing programs and
professional development programs in which the teachers and
administrators of each school have participated, including, but not
limited to, university teacher preparation programs, university and
district intern programs, distance learning schools, programs
implemented pursuant to the California Beginning Teacher Support and
Assessment System (Art. 4.5 (commencing with Sec. 44279.1), Ch. 2,
Part 25), preinternship programs, and professional development
institutes.
(i) The study shall consider pupil performance as one of many
measures to determine the effectiveness of cultural competency
training programs.
(ii) The study shall also consider the Academic Performance Index
score of each school and their correlation to cultural competency
training.
(B) Describing the cultural competency component of the training
programs in which the teachers and administrators of each school have
participated.
(C) Reporting on identifiable differences in cultural competency
training in schools with a higher score on the Academic Performance
Index compared to schools with a lower score on the Academic
Performance Index.
(D) Determining whether cultural competency training programs at
each school are correlated to higher pupil performance.
(E) Summarizing the participation rate of the teachers and
administrators of each school in teacher credentialing programs,
professional development programs, and other training programs.
(2) Evaluating teacher demographics at each school by doing both
of the following:
(A) Summarizing the training, experience, cultural demographics,
and other background characteristics of the teacher and
administrative population at each school.
(B) Summarizing the patterns, criteria, and attributes that are
priorities for staff hiring, compensation, and training at each
school.
(3) Evaluating the cultural demographics of the pupil population
at each school.
(4) Evaluating the commitment of each school to cultural
competency by doing both of the following:
(A) Determining whether each school and its school district have a
plan or timeline for achieving cultural competency in the classroom.
(B) Discussing the responsiveness of each school and its school
district to their communities with regard to developing cultural
competency training programs.
(5) Evaluating parent interactions at each school by doing all of
the following:
(A) Describing the interaction between parents, parent
organizations, teachers, administrators, and pupils at each school.
(B) Describing the procedures and policies that influence the
interactions between each school and its administrators, teachers,
parents, parent organizations, and pupils.
(C) Determining whether cultural competency training is effective
in building connections between teachers, administrators, pupils, and
their families.
(D) Reporting on identifiable differences in community and
parental involvement in schools with higher scores on the Academic
Performance Index compared to schools with lower scores on the
Academic Performance Index.
(d) Upon the conclusion of the study, and on or before May 1,
2005, the independent evaluator shall submit to the appropriate
policy committees of the Legislature a report that includes
recommendations of all of the following, based on the results of the
study:
(1) Ways to improve access to cultural competency training
programs for teachers and administrators who attend teacher
credentialing programs and professional development programs.
(2) Criteria for cultural competency training programs.
(3) Further studies that are necessary to provide information
about types of cultural competency training programs that correlate
to higher pupil performance.
(4) A model program related to the results of the study that may
be implemented as a pilot program in other schools.
(e) For purposes of this section, the following phrases are
defined as follows:
(1) "Cultural competency" includes, but is not limited to,
adequate knowledge of diverse cultures, including languages, that may
be encountered by a teacher in the classroom and the appropriate
skills to work with pupils and their families.
(2) "Cultural demographics" includes, but is not limited to,
familial country of origin and language, cultural traditions, and
beliefs.
(3) "Low-performing schools" means schools that are ranked in the
lowest two deciles on the Academic Performance Index.
(4) "Pupil performance" includes, but is not limited to, test
scores, attendance rates, and graduation rates.