ABSTRACT
This chapter expands on the notion of individual cultural competence to include how school counselors can take leadership roles in assessing the organizational cultural competence of their school environments and create action plans for systemic change. We provide an assessment tool, the School-wide Cultural Competence Observation Checklist (SCCOC), which can be used by a team of school personnel to assess how the policies, programs, and practices in a school enhance or deter the inclusion of all students in academic, social/emotional, and career success. In addition to the SCCOC, readers will find the step-by-step process of assessing the cultural competence of their schools as well as examples of action plans that school counselors can use as a part of their Comprehensive School Counseling Program. Continuous improvement in education is necessary for teachers and administrators to work effectively with all students, and the SCCOC is one tool in the assessment process to help students realize success in a rapidly changing world.
