Nick is a high school teacher in a large city in the Southeast. Although he is white, he works well with the diverse students in his school, as well as with the parents in the community. One of the things students and parents appreciate about Nick is that he is comfortable in the community and he has taken the time to learn about his students and "where they come from." In terms of multicultural education, Nick emphasizes _________.

Cultural competence is elucidated as the tendency to communicate or interact constructively with people belonging to distinct cultural backgrounds in order to promote understanding and recognition of each other's culture.

In the given example, Nick aims to emphasize 'cultural competence' as he considers and recognizes the cultural differences of the students and their parents who are coming from diverse backgrounds of the community despite being a white. He understands, accepts and admires these differences('where they come from') which encourages a collectivist approach to the society where cultural differences like values, customs, beliefs, etc, of people belonging to different race, ethnicity, religion etc. are recognized, accepted, and considered. Thus, 'cultural competence' is the correct answer.