SLLA Climate & Cultural Leadership

Front

The principal has planned a back-to-school festival that includes sponsored booths with information and activities that reflect the cultural and ethnic demographics of the school's population and the local community. What does this action demonstrate?

Back

The principal's affirmation of the school's diversity and its contribution to the school's success.

Answer explanation

Students' academic success increases in an environment where they feel valued and honored.

Front

A high school athlete invites their teachers to follow their social media accounts regarding sports. The school leader becomes aware of one teacher liking, commenting, and sharing many of the student's posts. Some comments appear inappropriate. How should the school leader respond?

Back

The school leader should meet with the teacher privately and review local board policies and state laws regarding inappropriate communication with a student or minor.

Answer explanation

The school leader uses this opportunity to coach the educator to refrain from inappropriate communication with a student or minor, including, but not limited to, electronic communication such as cell phone, text messaging, email, instant messaging, blogging, or other social network communication.

Front

Mr. Leon is working with counselors to recruit underrepresented students into the Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit programs. What is he promoting?

Back

equity

Answer explanation

Targeting students for participation in advanced placement is a method to close the academic gaps between student groups. Ensuring that students from low-socioeconomic or diverse cultural backgrounds have access to high quality, challenging education is equitable.

Front

A secondary school principal notices students leaving campus midday and thinks they may be skipping classes. What is the initial step this principal should take?

Back

collecting current data and past reports on student attendance

Answer explanation

Action cannot be taken until the principal first identifies whether a problem exists. Data must be reviewed to understand the scope of the issue and how to address it.

Front

What is the most effective step a leader can take to model equity and respect for diversity? Options: organizing activities that celebrate student cultural diversity, creating opportunities to discuss equity and diversity, hiring teachers who come from diverse backgrounds, promoting professional development that emphasizes diversity and equity

Back

hiring teachers who come from diverse backgrounds

Answer explanation

A diverse teaching staff can bring in a variety of talents and life experiences to support the multicultural makeup of the student body. A faculty who can easily build relationships and connections due to similar backgrounds with students will have the greatest impact on an educational environment and student success.

Front

Mr. Keyes makes an effort to learn about the heritage and cultural background of each student at the beginning of each year. Which of the following describes the most likely benefit of this practice?

Back

Mr. Keyes can better adapt instruction to be relevant to the unique experiences of each student.

Answer explanation

If Mr. Keyes is aware of the culture and heritage of each student, then he can adapt lessons and instruction to appeal to their culture and heritage.

Front

Which of the following approaches is least effective in meeting the district goal of supporting family cultural needs and remaining sensitive to the many different cultures represented in the schools? Options: increasing family night engagement nights at all of the schools in the district, providing interpreters and school communication for non-native-English-speaking households, celebrating diversity of language through instructional reading materials, training teachers to incorporate different cultures into curriculum and course activities

Back

increasing family night engagement nights at all of the schools in the district

Answer explanation

Family engagement nights may be somewhat helpful in meeting the cultural needs of diverse families and learners, but since these nights only reach those in attendance and those who understand the language, other actions will have a stronger effect.

Front

The site-based team is working with building leadership to finalize the school improvement plan. They are articulating the focus as developing culturally responsive classrooms through the practice of making learning contextual and relevant to all students. What is a best practice to support this goal in the classroom with every teacher?

Back

encouraging students to share their culture and integrating materials that connect with students' cultures

Answer explanation

A culturally responsive classroom uses materials and instructional practices that connect to and support the varied cultures present in the classroom; therefore, these practices would be reflective of the building goal.

Front

A school has experienced significant changes in the diversity of the student population over the last five years. Teachers have expressed concerns that the increased diversity has contributed to the decline in overall student performance. Which of the following actions can the school leader take to best address the teacher's concerns related to student diversity and performance? encouraging teachers to participate in cultural activities in the surrounding community, reviewing the student demographic data from the previous five years to identify the major shifts in student population, distributing a questionnaire about the changes in student diversity that teachers may answer anonymously, providing teachers with safe and respectful opportunities to discuss their assumptions and reframe their thinking about student diversity

Back

providing teachers with safe and respectful opportunities to discuss their assumptions and reframe their thinking about student diversity

Answer explanation

Guiding teachers through identifying their assumptions and biases then working toward acceptance will help teachers to recommit to the academic success of all students. Creating an environment where teachers feel safe to express their concerns is imperative to solving the issue.