Giving Compass' Take:

• Getting Smart examines how we're teaching our students to respond to a globally diverse world, differentiating between global and cultural competency (the former is more valuable).

• As we look at how our young people need to compete in the future workforce and in a culturally-diverse society, which programs might be most effective in heightening competency?

• Here's more about how we can measure the skills that are needed.

The term cultural competence has been used for decades to try and get business and education to think differently about the changing world. Yet, the term cultural competence is often limited to understanding another person’s culture but not changing anything about our own practices as a result of this understanding. In response to this concern, several researchers began to use the term global competence instead.

Global Competence is the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance. Global competency is the development of understanding the world through disciplinary and interdisciplinary study by performing the following four competencies: Investigate the world, Recognize perspectives and Communicate ideas effectively with diverse audiences, and Take action to improve conditions. The globally competent student is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen. The student demonstrates competency by consistently respecting and valuing diversity, an on-going commitment to social justice, continuously works with others to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place, and takes responsibility for their actions.

Read the full article about defining global and cultural competency by Dr. Margy Jones-Carey at Getting Smart.