The increasingly diverse nature of today's schools and the need to increase the achievement of all students, no matter their background, requires 21st-century teachers to develop critical cultural competence. Looking at data is not enough. We have to know who our students are! This book shows you how to provide professional development that deepens teachers' cultural understanding. "Developing Critical Cultural Competence" helps educators translate new knowledge into action with activities that focus on the three inseparable insights required for developing teachers' critical cultural competency: (1) Understanding themselves; (2) Understanding their students; and (3) Understanding their students' families and communities. In addition to the activities are reflection questions, group discussion questions, online extensions for facilitators, and a sample professional development plan. A companion website provides reproducible resource lists and handouts as well as examples that can serve as models for some of the activities. The Introduction asks the question: What Do We Need to Do to Prepare Teachers for Today's Diverse Classrooms? The following chapters are contained in this book: (1) Common Practices: How Are We Currently Preparing Educators for Diverse Classrooms? (2) Who I Am: How Can We Understand Ourselves as Cultural Beings? (3) Moving From Beliefs and Visions to Action: How Can We Link Our Personal and Professional Identities? (4) How Do We Prepare Educators to Understand and Appreciate Student Diversity? (5) From Critical Awareness to Transformative Action: How Do We Prepare Educators to Become Cultural Brokers for Student Success? (6) Learning About the Community: How Can We Learn More About Parents and Families? (7) Community-Based Learning: How Can We Learn From Parents, Families, and Communities? (8) Bringing It All Together: How Do We Maximize Teaching and Learning Opportunities? A list of references and an index are included. [Foreword by Christine Sleeter.]