Running Head: THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 

1
 

The Importance of Cultural Competence 

in an Increasingly Diverse Society 

Cegan Hinson 

Tallwood High School’s Global Studies and World Languages Academy 

 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 2 
Abstract 

This paper will examine cultural competence in the United States in three ways. First, it 

will discuss reasons why the need for cultural competence is growing. Second, it will describe 

the effects of cultural competence in the classroom, and how educators can use multicultural 

sources and culturally responsive teaching methods to educate their students. This section also 

describes the positive impacts cultural competence has in a classroom setting. Finally, this paper 

will provide examples of occupational fields where cultural competence can a positive impact.   
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 3 
Table of Contents 

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………....2 

Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………….3 

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………..4 

Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………….....5 

Discussion………………………………………………………………………………………....8 

Why Cultural Competence is Needed in United States Education………………………..8 

Cultural Competence in the Classroom…………………………………………...……....9 

Real-World Impacts of Being Culturally 

Competent…………………………………….12 

Limitations…………………………………………………………………………………….....14 

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….15 

References………………………………………………………………………………………..16 

   
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 4 
The Importance of Cultural Competence 

in an Increasingly Diverse Society 

Former President John F. Kennedy once said, “If we cannot now end our differences, at 

least we can help make the world safe for diversity.” As our world becomes more 

interconnected, and more people come into conflict as cultures clash, the time comes to ask what 

can be done to “make the world safe for diversity”? The answer lies in multicultural education: 

teaching future generations to be more culturally competent and have a better understanding of 

the diverse world around them. Cultural competence helps students to understand themselves and 

others, while also preparing them for a role in an increasingly diverse community. 

Multicultural education has existed for a long time. Whenever two or more culturally or 

ethnically different groups interact, each group learns something from the other. Whether it be 

voluntary trade along the Silk Road or the involuntary transposition of African slaves to the 

Americas, cultures have always been mixing and clashing, learning from each other in the 

process. Up until the past century, however, most multicultural education was the efforts of an 

oppressed minority to fit in with an intolerant majority. In the United States specifically, 

multicultural education began when “African-American enslaved people began to educate 

themselves about their history in Africa and the United States, their role and participation in 

these histories, and how their racial identity dictated their treatment in US society” (Grant & 

Ladson-Billings, 1997, p. xxii). This type of multicultural education emphasized homogeneity; 

people educated themselves so they could fit in, rather than to make others more included. This 

pattern continued in the United States and elsewhere throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 5 
Within the past few decades, however, multicultural education has taken on a more 

progressive form. Often referred to now as cultural competence, this type of education helps to 

include the cultural and ethnic backgrounds of students into their education. Rather than the 

minority changing to fit with the majority, the majority becomes more culturally aware to better 

integrate the minority. Therefore, as Banks (1999) claims, culturally competent individuals 

create a more inclusive, democratic society that allows for multiple perspectives to be heard and 

understood. This paper serves to prove that claim, showing that cultural competence in the 

classroom will benefit both students and the world as a whole. 

Literature Review 

Grant and Ladson-Billings (1997) provide a font of information on many facets of 

multicultural education. The introduction alone describes the history of multicultural education 

in the United States and informs the reader about the importance of multicultural education. This 

book does not operate like a typical dictionary, either; each entry provides a detailed and 

insightful definition, even including the history of the term’s usage. The dictionary is unbiased, 

even on terms with a political color to them, like affirmative action. 

Cameron McCarthy (1997) describes the importance of multicultural textbooks in 

education, especially in history classes. McCarthy argues that such curricula are necessary in a 

free, democratic society. He also states that textbooks need to take the way minorities are 

portrayed in history under special consideration, namely because of the increasing diversity of 

our world. 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 6 
James A. Banks (1999) describes the benefits of multicultural education as a whole. He 

claims that multicultural education is necessary because it reflects the world around us. The 

current standard of eurocentric history, as Banks claims, creates a strange dissonance when 

students leave the education system to find the real world is more diverse than what they were 

taught. 

Georgetown University (2004) shows the importance cultural competence in the 

healthcare field. This study shows that minority groups are disproportionately affected by 

chronic health conditions which require consistent contact with a healthcare professional. 

Therefore, these healthcare professionals need to be prepared to interact with a diverse patient 

populace. 

Johnson, Lenartowicz, and Apud (2006) discuss the impacts of cultural competence in 

international trade. As they claim, many international business deals fail because of a lack of 

understanding between the two cultures. Johnson, Lenartowicz, and Apud then discuss the 

efficacy of cultural competency programs in businesses, and the effects such programs can have 

on international trade. 

Yvonne Pratt-Johnson (2006) shows an interesting method for being a culturally 

competent educator. Rather than understanding each student’s culture, teachers should know 

how different cultures communicate, based on six methods: ways cultures store and record 

information, ways cultures solve problems, ways cultures communicate non-verbally, ways 

cultures learn, ways cultures deal with conflict, and ways cultures use symbols.   

De Guzman, Durden, Taylor, Guzman, and Potthoff (2016) help other educators 

understand cultural competence and apply it to their classroom. Their essay starts by explaining 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 7 
what real-world issues can be impacted by culturally competent individuals. It then continues to 

explain methods by which people can become more culturally competent, and how these skills 

can be taught to students. 

“The Importance of Cultural Competence” (2017) from the National Association of 

School Psychologists (NASP) provides a brief explanation of the increasing importance of 

cultural competence and a few steps educators can take to become more culturally competent. It 

also discusses the role of school psychologists in creating culturally competent students. 

Barnes and McCallops (2018) take a more advisory approach to cultural competence in 

their online article about cultural competence in teaching social and emotional skills. First, they 

discuss the importance of social and emotional skills for children, stating that students with 

social and emotional skills are less likely to engage in illicit drugs, alcoholism, and criminal 

activities. Barnes and McCallops then discuss that while the social and emotional skills are 

important, the content is more impactful if it is taught in a culturally responsive way. Barnes and 

McCallops end the article by listing some tips to help teachers be more culturally responsive. 

Gross and Terra (2018) are writers for the magazine ​Phi Delta Kappan.​ In their article, 

they discuss the parts of history that are hard for educators to teach, usually because of the 

sensitivity of the subjects they cover. These educators discuss multicultural perspectives as a 

means of relaying this difficult history to students without reinforcing the prejudices and stigmas 

that made those periods of history possible. 

 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 8 
 

Discussion 

Why Cultural Competence is Needed in United States Education 

As our world becomes more interconnected, Americans have more interactions with the 

many cultures that populate our planet. The United States has always been diverse, but that 

diversity has increased since the country’s founding, and will continue to do so. It has been 

predicted that by 2060, 64% of children under 18 in the United States will be of one or more 

racial and/or ethnic minorities, a significant increase from 48% in 2014 (Colby & Ortman, 2014; 

as cited in the National Association for School Psychologists, 2017). Teachers need to be 

prepared to educate students from multicultural backgrounds, and to understand that education 

strategies that work for the majority, such as lecture-style teaching, may not work for the 

minority. 

Drastic changes in the diversity of our nation also call for a society of cultural pluralism. 

While this term is typically used as a synonym for diversity, Gollnick understands that “[cultural 

pluralism] refers to a theory and an ideology that explain how diverse groups function and are 

treated in society” (as cited in Grant & Ladson-Billings, 1997, pp. 64). The United States 

specifically has always been diverse, but not always culturally pluralist. Cultural pluralism, as 

Gollnick states, “requires that the diversity of students and communities be understood, valued, 

and integrated in all aspects of the educational process.” (as cited in Grant & Ladson-Billings, 

1997, pp. 65). Cultural pluralism can only come from a society of culturally competent 

individuals, and the behavior of a society is rooted in that society’s education.  

 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 9 
 

Cultural Competence in the Classroom 

To foster cultural competence in their classroom, teachers need to use multicultural 

sources and teaching methods to educate their students. McCarthy (1997) states that for most of 

American history, “art, architecture, music, and science, and democracy, are portrayed as the 

fertile products of Europeans and their Caucasian counterparts in the United States.” This 

perspective originates from the textbooks and other curricula teachers use to educate their 

students, and creates a cognitive dissonance between the eurocentric world described in these 

sources and the ethnically and culturally diverse world we live in today (McCarthy, 1997). To 

properly prepare students for a role in this diverse world, teachers need use teaching sources that 

inform students about the diversity all around them. 

Multicultural sources and teaching strategies can also help history teachers educate their 

students about difficult history, or “periods that reverberate in the present and surface 

fundamental disagreements over who we are and what values we hold” (M. H. Gross & L. Terra, 

2018, pp. 52). The primary period of difficult history for the United States is the Civil War and 

the subjugation of African-Americans that led to this event. In recent years, much of the 

Southern United States went through a complicated discussion of deciding what to do with the 

various statues scattered throughout the South of Confederate leaders and American historical 

figures that owned slaves. The struggle with events like these, as Gross and Terra (2018) explain 

it, is teaching difficult history in a way that sufficiently explains the complexity and content of 

the event without justifying or demonizing a particular side. Jessica Windish, Academy 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 
10 
Coordinator for the Global Studies and World Languages Academy at Tallwood High School, 

presents an interesting perspective on this issue, explaining that multicultural perspectives allow 

teachers to present their students with more information than what is traditionally available 

through school board-issued textbooks and curricula. These perspectives can help students to 

understand that every culture experiences and interprets their situations differently (J. Windish, 

interview, November 30, 2018).  

Culturally competent teachers can communicate to a diverse classroom by understanding 

the ways different cultures experience and interact with the world around them. According to 

Pratt-Johnson (2006), there are six key methods of how cultures interact with the world that 

educators should understand to teach in a culturally competent way. First, teachers should 

understand how different cultures acquire information, and how those methods can be applied to 

the classroom. Second, educators should know how different cultures solve problems. Take the 

following example from Texin (2002): 

Suppose you are on a boat with your mother, your spouse and your child. 

Suddenly, the boat begins to sink. You determine that you can only save one of the other 

passengers. Whom do you save?  

According to survey results, 60% of Americans save their spouse, 40% save their 

children. The reasons typically offered run along these lines: 

● Save Spouse: "My spouse is my partner for life and I can have more children."; 

● Save Child: "Children represent the future, so it is vital to protect them first. 

Probably, my spouse would support this decision." 

 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 
11 
However, among Asian cultures, or Americans of recent Asian descent, nearly 100% of 

respondents state that they would save the mother. The rationale I have heard offered is 

this: 

● Save Mother: "My mother gave me life; I owe her my life. I can marry again; I 

can have more children, but I cannot replace my mother or otherwise repay the 

debt I owe her" (as cited in Pratt-Johnson, 2006). 

Understanding how different cultures solve complicated issues can give teachers insight into 

their students’ thought processes. Third, teachers should understand the various methods of 

non-verbal communication different cultures use. This mostly refers to body language, and is 

important for making students feel safe and respected in the classroom. Fourth, teachers should 

know how different cultures pass on information within their communities. Western European 

culture, for example, has emphasized the use of lecture-style teaching, where an educator 

communicates knowledge to a large audience. While this has been adopted in the United States 

because the our education system was created by people of European descent, this method may 

not work for students with other ethnic or cultural backgrounds. Therefore, teachers must 

understand these varying learning styles to find the best way to communicate information to their 

diverse class. Fifth, educators must know the ways different cultures handle conflict. 

Understanding these methods allows teachers to resolve disputes between their students quickly 

and efficiently, and helps to ensure the students feel represented. Finally, teachers should know 

what symbols different cultures use. Some symbols have different meanings in different cultures, 

and understanding the complex and differentiated meanings of these symbols can help a teacher 

avoid accidentally offending or misrepresenting a student (Pratt-Johnson, 2006). 

 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 
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A culturally competent classroom also creates a safer, more comfortable environment for 

students to learn. Windish discusses how culturally competent education strategies can connect 

with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: 

“We have these layers we have to meet as humans before we can start thinking… 

and start doing those amazing, important human things and bettering ourselves; We have 

to feel physically satisfied first… we have to feel a part of a group. I think that 

multicultural education or cultural competence among teachers allows them to create an 

environment that is more conducive to students feeling a part of a group… for a teacher 

to take the time to bring a student into that environment, to be respectful and interested of 

where that student came from, and to allow the student to opportunities to share their own 

experiences with their classmates… that creates that group feeling so real learning can 

occur” (J. Windish, interview, November 30, 2018).  

Culturally competent teachers can help their students reach that “group feeling,” as 

Windish describes it, that allows students to better accept and retain information. In an education 

system like that of the United States, where one teacher educates groups of students, such a 

“group feeling” is immensely important to create a safe and successful learning environment.  

Real-World Impacts of Being Culturally Competent 

Culturally responsive educational practices have major positive impacts in the classroom 

setting, and culturally competent teachers can better educate an increasingly diverse population 

of students. Not all students become teachers, however, and the culturally responsive skills 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 
13 
students acquire through education with multicultural curricula can help them in all walks of life. 

Georgetown University asserts that cultural competence can have impacts in healthcare fields:  

“The increasing diversity of the nation brings opportunities and challenges for health care 

providers, health care systems, and policy makers to create and deliver culturally 

competent services… A culturally competent health care system can help improve health 

outcomes and quality of care, and can contribute to the elimination of racial and ethnic 

health disparities” (Georgetown University, 2004). 

Culturally competent individuals also provide benefits to American businesses that 

engage with other businesses around the world. Johnson, Lenartowicz, and Apud (2006) state 

that the reason most international business ventures fail is because one side (the United States, in 

the case of the examples used by Johnson, Lenartowicz, and Apud) does not understand the 

culture of the other. The conclusion that Johnson, Lenartowicz, and Apud then came to is that 

because our world is becoming more interconnected, international business is becoming more 

prominent; therefore, those going into business fields need to be culturally competent.  

In recent years, conflicts between racial minorities and law enforcement departments 

have increased as multiple cases have surfaced of racial bias in the practices of some law 

enforcement officers. As these tensions grow, more pressure is placed on law enforcement 

departments to take steps to ensure all people are treated equally under the law, regardless of 

race, sexual identity, gender, or socioeconomic standing. In her own research paper, Michelle 

Fletcher (2014) writes that “law enforcement professionals that possess cultural awareness better 

understand the needs of citizens and exhibit actions that take into account the cultural context of 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 
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their interactions with citizens.” The skills that cultural competence provides are needed in this 

country now more than they ever have been. 

Limitations of These Studies 

Limitations of this paper may result from inaccuracies found in the materials referenced, 

as well as shortcomings in the author’s own experiences. These issues result from the author’s 

personal experience, difficulty of finding statistics related to this subject, and geographic 

restrictions to the scope of this paper. 

Personal Limitations. ​The author of this paper is a student at Tallwood High School’s 

Global Studies and World Languages Academy, a school focused on educating students through 

a multicultural lens. Therefore, the author is somewhat biased in his interpretations of cultural 

competence and multicultural education.  

Statistical Limitations. ​Because of the nature of cultural competence and multicultural 

education, it is difficult to see the full impact of a multicultural education on a student or group 

of students without studying their intellectual growth for most, if not all, of their educational 

career. Therefore, the impacts of multicultural education on students is difficult to measure in a 

quantitative way.  

Geographical Limitations. ​To ensure this paper is concise and focused, the author has 

decided to focus the scope of his research on multicultural education in the United States. All 

materials used in the formation of this paper focus on cultural competence in American 

education. 

 
 
THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCE 
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Conclusions and Further Study 

A democratic society must be culturally pluralist, and cultural pluralism only forms in 

societies of culturally competent individuals. As the United States becomes even more connected 

to the rest of the world, it becomes increasingly more necessary for our society to become 

culturally pluralist. The various education systems of the United States must provide teachers 

with multicultural sources and curricula so they can properly prepare their students for the 

diverse world they will enter when they complete their education. Future studies and inquiries 

into multicultural education in the United States will likely prove the impact that the rest of the 

world has had on the United States, and truly show how successful culturally competent 

individuals are in more fields than just international relations.   

 
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