Cultural proficiency in educational settings as the standard of student connection in a global world

Our high school students are worthy of a global education embedded with a commitment to bringing them learning experiences, which readily provide opportunities for building their own human capital potential through cultural proficiency. These students will need to cross cultural boundaries as they attempt to interface in a globalized world. They will need academic skills, as well as a high level of cultural proficiency to define their role as employees and students in a globalized world. A qualitative study was conducted to determine if high school students and their teachers identify cultural proficiency as a necessary component of skills needed to find success in the twenty-first century. It examined the evidence as to the existence of specific measures, policies, and practices within a high school and its district in order to determine if this was a priority in educating students within this segment of skill formation. So while identifying the value that students and their educators place on these critical competencies and the level of measurement currently in place, this study intends to serve as a guide for future organizational and programming structure development for schools nationwide as they work toward providing students the opportunities they need to be ready to transition into a progressive global society.