Becoming culturally proficient is no longer a job requirement only for teachers in inner-city schools. Rural, urban, and suburban communities once predominantly populated by white middle-class families are becoming increasingly diverse. At the same time, teaching faculty at these schools remains largely white. As a result, many teachers, even those with years of experience, find themselves working in an unfamiliar classroom environment, and many schools with long histories of academic success have come under the watchful eye of their states for failing to adequately educate students from culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse backgrounds. Understandably, school leaders are looking to district staff developers to help create culturally proficient teachers who can successfully educate all  children, not just some. What is Cultural Proficiency? Cultural proficiency is defined as “the policies and practices of an organization or the values and behaviors of an individual