---

DEFINITIONS
RESEARCH & TOOLS
SERVICE PROVIDERS
COALITIONS & COMMUNITIES

---

DEFINITIONS

Key terms for diversity, equity and inclusion work.

DIVERSITY: Having different types of people from a wide range of identities with different perspectives, experiences, etc. (Source: Merriam-Webster)

INCLUSION: Putting diversity into action by creating an environment of involvement, respect, and connection – where the richness of ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives are harnessed to create value. (Source: Diversity Journal)

EQUITY: Removing the predictability of success or failure that currently correlates with any social or cultural factor (such as race), examining biases, and creating inclusive environments. (Adopted from: National Equity Project)

EDUCATION EQUITY: Education equity is the moral and civil rights obligation to ensure that students are provided the tools they need to succeed, regardless of background, race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion, nation of origin, native language, socioeconomic status or any other discriminating factor.  This hinges on access to a school environment equipped for safe and stimulating learning opportunities, resources for social and emotional growth, and excellent educators who are able to support students in getting and remaining on track to graduate from high school ready for college or careers. (Adapted from: The Department of Education)

---

RESEARCH & TOOLS 
back to top

Articles, reports, toolkits, how-to guides and data.

Demographic Data

Unrealized Impact: The Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion [Promise54]
Groundbreaking study of staff experience, workplace practices, and demographics across the education sector.

A National Study of Nonprofit Executive Leadership [Daring to Lead]
Demographic information from the Daring to Lead 2011 survey sample of the 3,067 executive directors.

Leading with Intent: A National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices [Board Source]
A comprehensive scan of nonprofit board diversity, practices, policies, and performance.

The State of Racial Diversity in the Educator Workforce [US Dept. of Ed.]
This 2016 report reiterates the importance of racial diversity within the teaching workforce and provides a current snapshot of the racial diversity of educators in our nation’s public schools.

DEI Analytics at NewSchools Venture Fund
This report details the results of a staff survey of NewSchools staff on diversity, equity and inclusion. The survey was administered in January 2017, as part of  the Unrealized Impact project.

General Case for Diversity

Why Diversity Matters? [McKinsey]
New research from McKinsey makes it increasingly clear that companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially.

Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter [Independent Sector]
Foundational understanding of the issues: baseline definitions, the case for why diversity matters, and an introduction to DEI resources.

Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter [Harvard Business Review]
In recent years a body of research has revealed that diverse teams are smarter than homogenous ones. Specifically, diverse teams focus more on facts, process those facts more carefully, and are more innovative.

How Diversity Makes Us Smarter [Scientific American]
Being around people who are different from us makes us more creative, more diligent and harder-working.

Innovation, Diversity and Market Growth [Center for Talent Innovation]
CTI’s ground-breaking research reveals a diverse workforce that’s managed by leaders who cherish difference, embrace disruption, and foster a speak-up culture as key to serial innovation.

Impact of Diversity in Education

Bias in the Classroom:

Black students from poor families are more likely to graduate from high school if they have at least one black teacher [The Washington Post]
A new study, The Long-Term Impacts of Same-Race Teachers, says that assigning black students from low-income black families to at least one black teacher in the third, fourth or fifth grades reduces the probability that they drop out of high school by 29 percent.

Race Biases Teachers’ Expectations for Students [John Hopkins University]
Study finds that when evaluating the same black student, white teachers expect significantly less academic success than black teachers.

Unconscious Bias in the Classroom: Evidence and Opportunities [Google]
This report examines how unconscious bias in schools contributes to persistent gender, racial, and ethnic gaps in performance, opportunities, and engagement in computer science and other STEM fields.

Representation in the Classroom:

Black students from poor families are more likely to graduate from high school if they have at least one black teacher [The Washington Post]
A new study, The Long-Term Impacts of Same-Race Teachers, says that assigning black students from low-income black families to at least one black teacher in the third, fourth or fifth grades reduces the probability that they drop out of high school by 29 percent.

Diversifying the Classroom:Examining the Teacher Pipeline [Urban Institute]
Research that finds teaching workforce in the United States remains predominantly white, even as the student body grows increasingly diverse.

Representation in the Classroom: The Effect of Own- Race/Ethnicity Teacher Assignment on Student Achievement [Economics of Education Review]
Research finds academic benefits when students and teachers share the same race/ethnicity because teachers can serve as role models, mentors, advocates, or cultural translators.

Study Finds Students of All Races Prefer Teachers of Color [NPR Ed]
New York University colleagues Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng and Peter Halpin have published a paper that shows students of all races — white, black, Latino, and Asian — have more positive perceptions of their black and Latino teachers than they do of their white teachers.

The Many Ways Teacher Diversity May Benefit Students [EducationNext]
Article discussing three distinct theories about why moving away from a majority-white teacher workforce would be beneficial for students of color.

Who Believes in Me? The Effect of Student Teacher Demographic Match on Teacher Expectations [W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research]
Study that finds nonblack teachers of black students have significantly lower expectations than do black teachers. These effects are larger for black male students and math teachers. The findings add to a growing literature on the role of limited information in perpetuating educational attainment gaps.

Discipline:

Teacher Race and School Discipline [EducationNext]
This study found consistent evidence that North Carolina students are less likely to be removed from school as punishment when they and their teachers are the same race.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Disruptive Behavior [UC Santa Barbara]
Research study shows that White teachers are far more likely to evaluate the behavior of Black students, particularly Black boys, as disruptive. The more times a Black student is matched with a Black teacher, the less likely that student is to be suspended.

The Promise of Restorative Practices to Transform Teacher-Student Relationships and Achieve Equity in School Discipline [Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation]
The study found that higher restorative practices implementers issued fewer discipline referrals to Latino and African American students compared with lower restorative practices implementers.

Community Impact:

Done to Us: African-American Parent Perceptions of K-12 Education [UNCF]
This report offers a glimpse of public education from of African American parents, who are least well served by the system. They make the case for more African-American leadership in K-12 education.

Resource Hubs & Toolkits

15+ Tools, Frameworks, and Resources to Challenge Racism [CompassPoint]
Round-up of resources to further learning and inspire leaders to challenge racism in themselves and others.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources [Independent Sector]
Resources are a compilation of content from the Independent Sector and ProInspire, including definitions, business case for diversity, recruitment, selection and retention best practices, and data on non-profit diversity.

Ed Tech Hiring Toolkit
It is important for teams developing ed tech products for diverse student populations to reflect the demographics of their users. While it can be challenging for early stage ventures to prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the hiring process, early decisions in these areas are important for a company’s long-term DEI trajectory.

Equity Resources Page [Collective Impact Forum]
A list of resources, tools, writings, and related media on equity and inclusion.

Government Alliance on Race & Equity [GARE]
GARE is a national network of government working to achieve racial equity and advance opportunities for all. Site features issue papers and resource guides on how to advance racial equity.

Haas Institute for A Fair and Inclusive Society [UC Berkeley]
News, research reports, presentations, videos, maps, and more developed to make the Institute’s work accessible and impactful for all who are working to advance inclusion and belonging.

Policy Link
A national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity by Lifting Up What Works. Site includes an equity manifesto, resources, and tools for equity measurement strategies, benchmarks, and desired outcomes.

Race Forward [The Center for Racial Justice]
Advances social justice through research, media and practice. Race Forward brings systemic analysis and an innovative approach to complex race issues to help people take effective action toward racial equity. Race Forward publishes the daily news sites Colorlines and presents Facing Race, the country’s largest multiracial conference on racial justice.

Racial Equity Tools
Offers tools, research, tips, curricula and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working toward justice at every level.

Support for Funders

D5 Coalition
D5 is a five-year coalition to advance philanthropy’s diversity, equity, and inclusion. D5 has published a range of reports on the state of diversity in philanthropy, and features an analysis on policies, practices and programs to advance DEI, an organizational audit, and message manual for the field, among other resources.

A Philanthropic Partnership for Black Communities (ABFE)
A membership-based organization that advocates for responsive and transformative investments in Black communities by providing members with professional development that further the philanthropic sector’s connection and responsiveness to issues of equality, diversity and inclusion.

CHANGE Philanthropy
A coalition of philanthropic networks working together to strengthen bridges across funders and communities. Their #Unite4Equity campaign includes an equity quiz and stories of change makers, and they have a helpful resource hub.

Equity in Philanthropy
List of potential actions grantmakers can take to DEI into their processes. The article, “Eliminating Implicit Bias in Grantmaking Practice,” provides some highlights from the checklist and tells the story of how it came about.

Foundation Diversity Policies and Practices Toolkit [Social Policy Research Associates]
A toolkit sponsored by The California Endowment and created by Social Policy Research Associates offers examples of statements, forms, and templates currently developed by foundations.

Grantmaking with a Racial Equity Lens [Foundation Center]
A focus on racial equity can increase funders’ effectiveness at every stage of the grantmaking process. Blending experience and candid advice from grantmakers, this guide includes resources on how to achieve that change.

Hispanics in Philanthropy
HIP partners with a transnational network of foundations to make impactful investments in the Latino community, and we help Latino nonprofits access funds and develop their leadership so they can effectively address the most pressing issues facing our communities.

Kapor Capital Founders’ Commitment
The commitment is focused on helping Kapor Capital portfolio companies make collective progress in the areas of diversity and inclusion. All incoming founders agree to carry out four specific actions.

General Articles

Extensive Data Shoes Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys [The New York Times]
Black boys raised in America, even in the wealthiest families and living in some of the most well-to-do neighborhoods, still earn less in adulthood than white boys with similar backgrounds, according to a sweeping new study that traced the lives of millions of children.

The CEO’s Guide To Building Diverse Teams (And Keeping Them That Way) [Fast Company]
How to take advantage of the diverse staff you’ve hired with every single project, again and again.

The Voice of Nonprofit Talent: Perceptions of Diversity in the Workplace [Commongood Careers, Level Playing Field Institute]
Survey that sought to answer two questions: 1. How committed are nonprofit organizations to creating racially diverse and inclusive work environments? 2. How do perceptions of organizational diversity and inclusion impact career decisions, especially among employees of color?

We Just Can’t Handle Diversity [Harvard Business Review]
This article unpacks the myth of meritocracy and the presence of bias in the hiring and advancement processes in the workplace.

What 11 CEOs Have Learned About Championing Diversity [Harvard Business Review]
Based on evidence that diversity initiatives are more effective if they start at the top, 11 CEOs who have made a public commitment to diversity were interviewed about how they are creating more diverse workforces.

Why Diversity Programs Fail [Harvard Business Review]
HBR study that dissects common top-down diversity program efforts that aren’t effective in increasing diversity.

Women and Minorities are Penalized for Promoting Diversity [Harvard Business Review]
A research team out of the University of Colorado shows clear and consistent evidence that women and ethnic minorities who promote diversity are punished in terms of how others perceive their competence and effectiveness.

How to take action

Addressing Stereotype Threat is Critical to Diversity and Inclusion [Frontiers in Psychology]
Research arguing that stereotype threat is highly relevant in personnel selection, but also on underexplored areas including effects of stereotype threat beyond test performance and the application of brief, low-cost interventions in the workplace.

Can Eliminating Workplace Bias be as Simple as Interrupting it? [Anne Loehr]
This blog takes a close look at The Interruption Strategy, an emerging strategy based on ‘bias interrupters’ to increase diversity and eliminate bias in organizations.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Spectrum Tool [Meyer Memorial Trust]
A tool to assess where an organization is on its DEI journey and to identify potential areas for future work. The tool describes organizational characteristics at different points along the DEI continuum for 12 dimensions of DEI work.

Diversity in Progress: Best Practices and Lessons Learned from The Broad Center [The Broad Center]
A publication that synthesizes more than a decade’s worth of learnings from the Center’s efforts to reduce potential bias, expand inclusion and attract and retain a diverse internal team as well as an ever-growing national network of K-12 education leaders.

Dismantling Racism Works
​This web-based workbook was originally designed to support the Dismantling Racism Works 2-day basic workshop. The workbook is now offered as a resource to the community and includes details on history, analysis tools, white supremacy culture, and additional resources.

Inclusive Policies Handbook [Clef]
Open source starter-kit of inclusive policies used at Clef to help other startups understand why and how to focus on inclusion, not just in hiring but a multitude of practices within the company

The Intercultural Development Inventory
Organization offers The Intercultural Development Inventory, an assessment of intercultural competence used to assess organizations and help them achieve diversity and inclusion goals.

Project Implicit [Harvard University]
A nonprofit organization that educates the public about hidden biases. The organization offers online implicit association tests on race, gender, sexual orientation, and other topics.

Beginning Courageous Conversations about Race [Everyday Antiracism]
An excerpt from Antiracism: Getting Real About Race in School about how educators can engage in conversations about race. 

Intentionally Diverse Charter Schools: A Toolkit for Charter School Leaders [Charter School Resource Center]
Learn how to measure student diversity, intentionally recruit and retain students, ensure that diversity is supported and experienced meaningfully across the school, and how to create and run schools that help all children thrive.

15 Hacks for Building Diversity in Tech [Stanford and Mindset Scholars Network]
Learn more—and attract people from diverse backgrounds to your company and help them thrive. This brief describes 15 changes companies can make to be more diverse and inclusive.

Diversity at Startups [Homebrew]
Homebrew created some basic guidelines on how a company can advance diversity during its early stages. The guide includes tips on why diversity is important, where to recruit, how to interview, how to approach hiring and ongoing staff engagement.

Diversity Debt: How much does your start-up have? [Andrea Barrica, inDinero]
Experienced start-up founder, Andrea Barrica, discusses the concept of “diversity debt,” which is so easily accrued by tech start-ups and provides some specific principles and resources on what start-up founders can do to infuse their commitment to diversity in their organization from Day 1.

Hidden in Plain Sight [EdFuel]
What will it take to recruit, develop, and retain a diverse generation of education sector leaders? The answer, based on a spring 2015 survey of non-instructional leaders, came through loud and clear: allocate the time and funding necessary to develop and retain more current staff as system leaders.

From Intention to Action: Building Diverse, Inclusive Teams in Education to Deepen Impact [Koya Leadership Partners and Education Pioneers]
With this survey of diversity practices and results in education organizations, Koya and Education Pioneers set out to understand what commitments to racial and ethnic diversity and inclusion look like in practice and to provide actionable steps organizations can take to move diversity from intention to action.

Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide: 7 Steps to Advance and Embed Race Equity and Inclusion Within Your Organization [The Annie E. Casey Foundation]
The seven steps in this guide provide a clear framework for including race equity and inclusion at every stage of an organization’s work. The guide demonstrates how a race equity lens can be adopted by foundations or other organizations that work directly with systems, technical assistance providers and communities.

Teaching Tolerance
Provides classroom resources, professional development, and publications for a community of educators committed to diversity, equity and justice.

White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack [Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity, Wellesley Centers for Women]
Author Peggy McIntosh identifies 26 daily effects of white privilege in her life and reflects that white people are generally oblivious to their privilege, but becoming aware of it is the first step to eroding the system of white advantage.

 

---

SERVICE PROVIDERS
back to top

Recruiters, trainers, consultants and other partners who can assist you in your diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Center for Equity and Inclusion
CEI advances equity, diversity, and inclusion through a holistic approach to transform personal and professional communities. Their approach is focused on raising consciousness and building tools that equip individuals, schools and organizations to build more inclusive environments.

Crossroads Antiracism Organizing & Training: Dismantling Racism, Building Racial Justice in Institutions
Provides organizing, training, and consulting to institutions striving to dismantle racism.

Fellowship for Race & Equity in Education
FREE aims to build individual and collective will, skill, knowledge, and courage to interrupt racial inequities within the American education system by developing personal identity awareness and shared vocabularity, deepening understanding of historical contexts, and engaging your organization in discourse about the impact of racism on the educational experience of students.

InclusionVentures
From multinational corporations to tech startups, philanthropic organizations, and social enterprises, InclusionVentures (IV) tailors diversity, equity, and inclusion to fit organizations’ unique business and mission priorities.

Management Assistance Group
Strengthen individuals, organizations, and networks to bring about transformative change so that all are treated with dignity and love and resources and power are shared. Learn more in the Nonprofit Quarterly article.

National Equity Project
NEP’s mission is to dramatically improve educational experiences, outcomes, and life options for students and families who have been historically underserved by offering a range of customized coaching and consulting services.

Pacific Educational Group
PEG partners with educational systems and helps educators address persistent racial disparities intentionally, explicitly, and comprehensively through their Framework for Systemic Racial Equity Transformation and Courageous Conversations protocol.

Paradigm
Paradigm partners with innovative companies to build stronger, more diverse organizations. Paradigm collaborates with tech leaders to develop a comprehensive diversity strategy aligned with the company’s vision and values and designed to advance its broader goals.

Promise 54
Work side by side with education organizations to cultivate and maintain healthy, equitable, and inclusive environments where a diverse set of staff can thrive to achieve transformational student outcomes through DEI executive coaching, community of practice, capacity building, executive search, and people practices like talent-ready diagnostics, and consulting support.

Racial Equity Institute
REI supports individuals and organizations to proactively understand and address racism, both in their organization and in the community where the organization is working.

White Men as Full Diversity Partners
The organization’s work and commitment is to inspire leaders to take courageous action to create and sustain inclusive workplace culture. Over the past 20 years, their transformative programs have helped Fortune 500 company leaders achieve lasting change in their workplaces.

Board Members Recruitment & Training

Charter Board Partners
Charter Board Partners works with leading organizations in the community to strengthen charter school governance, raise awareness of the importance of governance, and recruit high-caliber talent for board service.

Tech-Related Diversity Recruitment

Blendoor
Blendoor is a merit -based matching app for tech roles. Blendoor matches employers and applicants by skill sets, interests, education level, and which position companies are recruiting for. Age, name, gender, and race are all hidden from employers, reducing the likelihood of unconscious bias affecting recruitment. Blendoor will also refer promising candidates to learning and development programs to sharpen their skills, ensuring they aren’t wholesale rejected from the tech industry simply because they need polishing.

/dev/color
/dev/color is a non-profit organization on a mission to advance the careers of black software engineers. It is a community of industry engineers, both full-time engineers and students and professionals who aspire to be engineers, helping one another achieve ambitious career goals.

Jopwell
Jopwell is dedicated to helping Blacks, Latinos / Hispanics, and Native Americans, the most underrepresented ethnic minority groups, connect with companies seeking to diversify their applicant pools.

People Operations Technology (POT) Product Index
A Kapor Capital summary of tech tools that help companies hire diverse talent, mitigate bias, and create inclusive workplaces.

Senior Leader Recruitment / Executive Search

Compass Talent Group
Compass Talent Group (CTG) is passionate about finding the very best and brightest leaders for schools, districts and non-profits. From principals to uvice-presidents to superintendents, CTG partners with organizations to meet their hiring needs. Contact: Leniece F. Brissett at [email protected]

DGW Consulting Group
Since 2012, DWG Consulting Group has led the effort to provide first class executive search, financial management, project management and professional development to education and non-profit organizations across the nation. Contact: DeRonda Williams at [email protected]

EdPlusConsulting
EdPlus focuses on attracting, selecting, and retaining quality people for work with district and charter public schools and education nonprofit organizations. With a keen appreciation for the importance of effectively matching individual passion and skills with organizational mission and culture, EdPlus works with those invested in education as a social justice issue to bring the right people to the right work. Contact: Alicia Robinson at [email protected]

Offor Walker Group
The Offor Walker Group (OWG) is dedicated to matching a diverse group of leaders with high-potential education organizations. For organizations that are equally committed to building diverse leadership teams, OWG provides the knowledge and guidance to ensure that professional talent matches have profound and lasting success. Contact: Ify Offor Walker at [email protected]

 

---

COALITIONS & COMMUNITIES
back to top

Groups providing knowledge, skill building opportunities and community for diversity, equity and inclusion advocates.

Diversity Advocates
Launched two years ago by Kapor Capital Founding Partner, Freada Kapor Klein, Diversity Advocates consists of ~150 individuals from a variety of tech companies and D&I initiatives, who are all working to improve diversity at their respective workplaces. The group’s leadership encompasses Diversity and Inclusion Directors from several leading tech companies (e.g. Twilio, Square, Google, Yelp), and is an ideal place for members to post ideas and make requests for help regarding your own D&I plans. If you’d like to be added to the group, email [email protected].

Equity in the Center
In 2015, the Annie E. Casey Foundation brought together AmeriCorps Alums, Management Leadership for Tomorrow, ProInspire, Public Allies, and Teach for America for its first Social Sector Talent Pipelines Learning Lab. Following that work, the group to decide to form Equity in the Center to disrupt the mindsets, practices and systems of social sector decision makers to create a more diverse and equitable talent pipeline so that all people in the US have equal access to opportunities.

Green 2.0 (formerly the Green Diversity Initiative)
Green 2.0 is an initiative dedicated to increasing racial diversity across mainstream environmental NGOs, foundations and government agencies. The Green 2.0 working group advocates for data transparency, accountability and increased resources to ensure that these organizations increase their diversity. They also have a comprehensive set of diversity-related resources available here.

Project Include
Project Include is an open community working toward providing meaningful diversity and inclusion solutions for tech companies. The group has crafted a set of customizable recommendations for tech CEOs, leaders, and managers, to accelerate diversity and inclusion within their startups. You can also read this Medium article to learn more.

Showing Up for Racial Justice
SURJ is a national network of groups and individuals organizing White people for racial justice. Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves White people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. We work to connect people across the country while supporting and collaborating with local and national racial justice organizing efforts. SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change.

The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond
A collective of anti-racist, multicultural community organizers and educators dedicated to building an effective movement for social transformation through various programs and workshops, like the signature Undoing Racism Community Organizing workshop.

Transparent Collective (TC)
A nonprofit focused on helping Black, Latinx, Female, and other underrepresented tech founders access the resources they need to create successful companies. They work to break down the barriers that acutely affect the success of minority founders at the early stages of their startups.

We Are Educators For Justice
We Are Educators for Justice is a group of White education leaders working to determine what role White Allies can play in the struggle for education equity, excellence and racial justice. The group provides knowledge and skill building opportunities, resources and support to White leaders who are committed to the idea of dismantling systems of oppression.

White Awake
White Awake combats white supremacy by focusing on educational resources and spiritual practices designed to facilitate white people’s engagement in the creation of a just and sustainable society.

White Privilege Conference
WPC is a conference that examines challenging concepts of privilege and oppression and offers solutions and team building strategies to work toward a more equitable world.