Utilizing DEI Practices to Create a More Inclusive Learning Space

The principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion do not necessarily assume that someone is behaving maliciously. They do recognize that many spaces are designed specifically with the concerns and preferences of the majority group in mind.

In other words, learning environments aren’t always optimized to make minority students feel welcome— nor do they always do everything they can to help them thrive. The average educator is passionate about helping every student to the greatest extent that they can. DEI practices can help make that happen.

In this article, we talk about what DEI boards do, how education and team leaders can utilize DEI, and how that has a direct impact on student’s lives.

What is a DEI Board?

DEI boards generally consist of community members or other people who have a personal stake in a given institution. In the case of a school, this could just mean people living within the school district.

DEI boards are typically created by the school itself as a way of getting third-party advice on its practices. The DEI board’s job is to look at things like how the staff is being trained in terms of diversity sensitivity. They may also look at less tangible things.

How inclusive is the wording on the school website? How representative are the publicity photos that the school uses?

The DEI board will flag problem areas and make recommendations for how the school can improve. It sounds good, but what is the benefit to students?

DEI Boards Help Make Every Student Feel Welcome

Imagine that you are a young African American student. You know on a conscious level that your mostly white school is designed to serve you just as surely as it is your Caucasian peers. That’s not what it feels like when you walk down the halls.

The posters depict smiling white faces. The social media captions that go up after school events highlight almost exclusively white classmates. Even the language on the website is a little….off.

This is a very common scenario for minority students. Many of them are occupying environments in which they are completely wanted and accepted. And yet nothing about that environment has been designed to make them feel that way.

Why? In many cases, it is because the mostly white school board/ administrators have never been minorities within their communities. They don’t know what it feels like to be a little different— either based on appearance or culture— than their peers.

This is an experience very common to minorities. These subtle cues can make some students feel less comfortable in their learning environments. Why would they assume that their school is designed for them when there are no external indications of it?

DEI boards can help modify school communications in a way that makes everyone feel welcome. School communications aren’t just what teachers and administrators say. It’s also written materials, images, and promotional campaigns. By modifying school materials to be more culturally sensitive DEI boards help make all students feel more comfortable at school.

DEI Boards Can Help Schools Grapple with the Data

Are minority students experiencing worse academic outcomes than their majority group peers? What about extra-curricular activities? School events? Does attendance skew disproportionately toward a certain racial or cultural group?

In many cases, the answer to all of those questions is “yes”. DEI boards can help schools deal with “why.” They may be able to leverage firsthand experiences or data-driven insights to provide tailored solutions that help schools better address their student’s needs.

DEI Boards Improve Community Participation

Keep in mind that it isn’t only schoolchildren who may feel isolated by their school. Parents may also feel uncomfortable in a primarily majority group setting— particularly when they aren’t seeing any efforts to make them more comfortable or welcome.

The mere existence of a DEI board can help address this issue. Naturally, it takes more than a superficial gesture to fix racially driven educational disparities. The DEI board has to actually do something to be effective.

However, for parents who have never previously felt seen or heard, the mere existence of a DEI board can be enough to show that their needs are being taken seriously. This can help improve family participation over time.

School success is driven by so many factors. Teachers do what they can, but their work takes place in a crowded, underfunded environment. They may have thirty students to teach. Good educational outcomes, therefore, rely on parent participation just as heavily as school support.

It’s easier to generate family participation when everyone feels welcome and comfortable.

Improving Learning in Every Environment

Brick-and-mortar learning isn’t the only thing that a modern school system needs to address. Remote education is something that school leaders need to think about even when they are representing the interests of a primarily brick-and-mortar institution.

Since the pandemic, most schools have implemented some form of remote learning into their curriculum. Some rely on it heavily, making e-learning an option for any student who needs it. Most use remote technology as a way to pivot when weather, or other factors make it impossible to attend school in person.

The problem is that e-learning environments are not optimal for everyone. Students who have quiet homes and stay-at-home parents around to help them when necessary may thrive. What about students who don’t have WIFI? Or kids who are responsible for taking care of younger siblings?

These students can, of course, come from any racial or cultural background.

What is being done to address their needs? Inclusivity is about making sure that everyone can thrive within a school system, regardless of their financial restrictions. DEI boards may be able to review remote learning strategies to make sure that current school practices are optimized to help everyone thrive.

Conclusion

School systems have so many moving parts. It takes many different perspectives to help one school do right by all of its students. That is where DEI boards come into play. They are there to advocate for everyone and help every kid achieve the highest possible academic outcome.

Words like “diversity, equity, and inclusion,” have become wrapped up in a tumultuous political conversation. It’s important to take a step back and recognize that there is nothing political at all about helping every student, regardless of what they look like, find success. This is the ultimate job of any DEI board.

This article has been published in accordance with Socialnomics’ disclosure policy.