Developing Cultural Intelligence in Education: A Necessity for School Leaders

Cultural intelligence (CQ) is the capability to relate and work effectively across different cultures, backgrounds, and situations:

• Understanding cultural norms: Understanding how cultures influence values, beliefs, and behaviors
• Adapting to different cultures: Being able to work and relate with people from different cultures
• Making informed judgments: Using observations and evidence to make judgments in new environments

The concept of Cultural Intelligence was introduced in 2003 by London Business School professor P. Christopher Earley and Nanyang Business School professor Soon Ang.

In today’s increasingly diverse educational landscape, it is imperative for educators and school leaders to understand and cultivate CQ. This ensures not only the inclusion and success of all students whilst fostering a rich, diverse learning environment, but it is of equal importance to our staff to feel part of an inclusive workplace which prioritises belonging for all stakeholders.

Why Cultural Intelligence Matters

• CQ Enhances Inclusivity and Equity: CQ allows educators to recognise and value the diverse cultural backgrounds of their students and staff. This leads to more equitable teaching practices and policies that support all students and staff, irrespective of their identity.
• CQ Supports Recruitment and Retention: CQ promotes a commitment to belonging. Culturally intelligent employers, workplaces, leaders and teams will support the recruitment and more importantly the retention of people with diverse identities. CQ enables everyone to flourish and thrive.
• CQ Improves Student Engagement and Achievement: Students are more engaged and perform better when they feel understood and respected. Culturally intelligent educators can tailor their teaching methods to meet the diverse needs of their students, thereby enhancing learning outcomes.
• CQ Strengthens School Community: A culturally intelligent school promotes a sense of belonging among students, staff, and parents/carers. This strengthens the school community and encourages collaboration and mutual respect.
• CQ Prepares Students for a Globalised World: By fostering CQ, schools prepare students to thrive in a globalised world where cross-cultural interactions are the norm. This is essential for their future personal and professional success.

How to Apply the CQ Model

I use the CQ framework when I am working with school, college and trust leaders to shape their DEIB strategy: 

• Stage 1: CQ Motivation – what is ‘our why’ for developing Cultural Intelligence and how are we communicating it to all stakeholders?
• Stage 2: CQ Knowledge – what data do we have/ need and how are we using it to inform our journey?
• Stage 3: CQ Strategy – what resources do we need, what milestones will we set and how will we evaluate our impact?
• Stage 4: CQ Action – what training is needed, what actions do we need to take and what behaviours do we want to change?

It is a simple but effective approach and helps leaders who are new to DEIB to get their heads around the cyclical process of shaping a strategy to improve the culture for everybody to flourish and thrive. It is also a core them in our Leading DEIB in Schools programme. 

Developing Cultural Intelligence

CQ for School Leaders

• Self-Assessment and Reflection: Reflection to understand our own cultural biases and areas for growth. Tools like the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) can be useful.
• Professional Development: Engaging in ongoing professional development focused on cultural competence and CQ is crucial. Training can provide valuable insights and strategies, as can curated reading. Check out the resources in our CQ toolkit. 
• Leading by Example: Demonstrating CQ in interactions and decision-making sets a precedent for the entire school. Leaders should model behaviours that reflect cultural understanding and sensitivity. Leaders should also consider methods of communication and how inclusive language choices are.  

CQ for Educators

• Ongoing Professional Development: Organising regular training sessions on cultural competence and CQ can help staff develop the necessary skills. Sessions should be interactive and challenging, an ongoing conversation instead of one-off training events. We can facilitate a space to explore a range of different themes. 
• Inclusive Curriculum Development: Encouraging teachers to incorporate diverse perspectives and materials into their curriculum expands our knowledge of others. This not only broadens students’ horizons but also shows respect and develops awareness of different cultures. Find out more from our Diversifying the Curriculum toolkit. 
• Mentorship and Collaboration: Fostering a culture of mentorship and collaboration where educators can share best practices and learn from each other’s experiences with diverse communities. Reverse mentoring can be a helpful tool to create a knowledge exchange, find out more in our webinar with RVP.

CQ for Whole School

• Inclusive Policies and Practices: Developing and implementing school policies that promote inclusivity and equity. This includes everything from admission policies to behaviour consequences, from interview processes to appraisals, ensuring they are fair and culturally sensitive.
• Student and Parent/ Carer Engagement: Creating platforms for meaningful engagement with students and parents/ carers from diverse backgrounds. This could include cultural events, forums, and regular communication channels for feedback such as surveys and focus groups.
• Diverse Representation: Striving for diverse representation among staff and leadership. This not only brings varied perspectives but also demonstrates a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Conclusion

Cultural Intelligence is no longer optional in the realm of education—it is a fundamental competency:

• We need culturally intelligent schools and workplaces.
• We need culturally intelligent policies and processes.
• We need culturally intelligent leaders and educators.
• We need culturally intelligent classrooms and staffrooms.

At Diverse Educators we frame all of our training through the 3 Cs of Consciousness, Confidence and Competence. By becoming more conscious of who we are, of our own lived experience and how it shapes our world view, we can become more confident in how we interact with others, in our inclusive behaviours and our inclusive language. We can then become more culturally competent and develop cultural intelligence. School leaders and educators who develop and promote CQ contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and dynamic learning environment for students and staff alike. By prioritising Cultural Intelligence, schools can better serve their diverse populations, better prepare students to succeed in a globalised society and better support staff in their career progression and leadership development.

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If this theme resonates and is of interest, we have a training opportunity in January 2025. Join us for the CQ (Cultural Intelligence) Certification. There are limited places available so they will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.