As the 2019-20 school year launches, I can’t help but think of four major principles that I believe all educators are called to wrestle with: diversity, belonging, equity, and inclusion. Educators engage these principles personally (e.g. through awareness, identity, and growth) and professionally (e.g. through mindset, practices, processes, and responsibility). These four concepts are the overarching principles of Kent ISD’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and should be integrated into everything we do.
In July, I had an opportunity to hear Dr. Darnisa Amante eloquently unpack each principle using the table below. This table invites each of us to clarify our operational definition of the principles, and also prompts us to self-evaluate our mindsets and practices. Ultimately, each principle demands that we transform our learning spaces and relationships to act deliberately and congruently with them.
As presented by Dr. Darnisa Amante, President/Co-Founder of D.E.E.P. (Disruptive Equity Education Project) – Summer of 2019
| DIVERSITY | BELONGING | INCLUSION | EQUITY |
| Diversity is the representation. Can be measured through numbers and is usually tracked by race, gender, sexual identity, age, education, economic background. | Belonging is the ongoing culture created to have all people feel welcome across difference. Manifested in the relationships, in conversations, physical space and written word. | Inclusion is the participation. Inclusion is usually achieved when diverse populations are involved in decision-making that impacts the policies and practices of the organization. | Equity requires changing structures of power & privilege so disparities of historically underrepresented groups are eliminated and therefore outcomes cannot be predicted by that grouping. |
| You have been asked to the party. | You feel welcomed and comfortable going to the party. | You’ve been asked to help plan the party. | Redefines what the party entails and who has the power to plan the party. |
Reflection Questions:
As you consider Kent ISD’s ODEI guiding principles and this upcoming school year, please reflect upon the following questions.
- How might you move your system beyond diversity to embodying belonging, equity, and inclusion?
- What is some of your current thinking about how you ensure all of your students, their support systems and your colleagues feel welcomed and comfortable? What are your hunches about the policies that get in the way of this?
- How might you heighten your awareness about who belongs and how might you challenge cultural norms that push others out?
- Upon reflecting on your learning environment, which practices and processes might you identify as equitable and inclusive? Which data points might support your conclusion?
- What are some of the items on your DBEI growth plan? What support might you need?
- What bite-sized action steps might you take to lean deeper into each of these principles – individually and in collaboration with others?
- What might be your hunches about the way most marginalized populations in your learning environment would respond to the previous questions?
Continue Your Learning
Click Here to see all of Kent ISD’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion professional learning opportunities.
Don’t Miss Beyond Diversity Foundation Seminar on March 18 & 19th. Beyond Diversity is designed to help educators, students & parents understand the impact of race on student learning and investigate the role that racism plays in institutionalizing achievement disparities. Click here to register today!
This blog post was written by Dr. Brandy Lovelady-Mitchell, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Human Resources for Kent ISD and edited by Amanda Walma, Professional Development Coordinator.
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