Sociocultural competence, one of the three pillars of Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) and encompassed in the 5 C’s of World Language, is more than creating a Cinco-de-Mayo style afternoon of activities. It is more than an International Day where there are various activities from different countries with no real discussions about the practices. And it goes beyond the multicultural “Christmas Around the World.” This is not to say that celebrations cannot be a part of sociocultural competence. In fact, I always encourage learning to be fun and hands-on. But for celebrations to help students become more socioculturally competent, they must encourage a deep understanding of cultures other than one’s own and/or serve as a defense of one’s right to engage with one’s own culture.

So what’s wrong with Cinco-de-Mayo style afternoons or International Days with various activities?  For students to develop sociocultural competence, students must have the opportunity to not only engage with activities from cultures other than their own but to truly understand them.  Learning a folkloric dance without understanding the unique mix of indigenous and Spanish cultures in Mexico or without understanding the role that religious and secular festivals play in towns like Milpa Alta creates a false sense of being “cultured.” On the other hand, an actual understanding of the cultural implications develops a sense of appreciation and connection and builds bridges among students from various backgrounds.

The same applies to International Days when all cultures are lumped together and there are random activities representing each culture.  Students get a taste of all sorts of cultures but never develop a true understanding of any. Students who identify with other countries are often asked to represent their backgrounds, turning them into, as one student told me, “monkeys performing for…. [the students who identify solely with mainstream culture].” I have even seen schools who encourage dressing up in cultural clothing where students who identify with the mainstream culture dress in 4th of July clothing, inadvertently suggesting that students who identify with other cultures are less American. 

A better twist to an International Day would be for students to research various cultures and then to present to one another. To help students identify with their heritage, they can even research their own backgrounds. Unless Native American, all students should have at least one culture outside of the United States that they can research. Native American students of course can research their own backgrounds and cultures. This will challenge some students’ idea that “I don’t have a culture” and emphasize that we are all unique.

Another route in building sociocultural competence is hosting celebrations that focus on a singular practice. This allows students to really understand the why behind that activity. For example, this past week, I had the opportunity to see a great example of an elementary school honoring their students’ cultures.  Pacific Drive Elementary in Fullerton, California decided to celebrate Día de los Muertos and instead of a perfunctory display of skulls and papel picado, the entire cafetorium was decorated with students’ intricate ofrendas for loved ones, papel picado, and explanations about the very Mexican-Catholic holiday.  Such a deep representation of the holiday not only defends students’ rights to celebrate their holidays but also creates an understanding for teachers and students who do not celebrate that allows them to connect better with those who do.

Finally, among your celebrations, make sure that you are honoring cultures that are not predominantly represented at your school. It is important that both those who are majoritized and those who are minoritized learn to appreciate cultures and practices that are not their own. Especially at schools where there are not a large variety of ethnic groups, you may have to reach out for help to bring this level of sociocultural competence to your school, but remember that once your students leave your four walls, they will likely meet and work with others from backgrounds with which they are not familiar. We want all of our students to be able to defend the rights of everyone to engage with their respective cultures.

So keep celebrating cultural holidays, but ensure that students are developing an appreciation for those who are different from themselves and a feeling that they can defend everyone’s right to their respective cultural practices. You can do this by building a sense of understanding of cultural practices around the world.

Check out more about the goals of our different multilingual programs in my new book, Puzzle Pieces: A Systems Approach to Multilingual Education (2025).