Critical  Development of Cultural Competence

"The devil is in the details" and in leadership, change management and especially DEI  work the details are the polices of the organization. The policies, rules, regulations, procedures ultimately lead to the  practices of the organization. The practices are where we act out who we are,   the challenge is to insure, when it comes to DEI,  we are who we say we are.

• • Avoid these 8 common mistakes when creating a D&I policy

  • Racial Justice Assessment Tool 

Education Resources

• In Minneapolis, MPS summer camp choices vary greatly by geography

• Fridley Public Schools Equity Policy

Turning Purpose into Practice:   

Option A:Do an Equity Audit of  your policies and regulations.  The audit can be an informal ‘at first  glance’  view. Then a good next step is to do a more in-depth equity audit, examine your policies via an DEI lens, which ones meet the standard, which need to be revised, which need to be totally excised?

Option B: Create an Equity Policy Evaluation  Rubric focused on DEI.  Decide on 4-8 Key Elements or Best Practices that should be considered with developing an equity policy for your organization,  department or team. 

Develop Equity Frameworks and Metrics for Implementation 

Frameworks help guide our work, it  provides clarity about who is doing  what, when, why and how.  An Equity Framework  ( coupled with an Equity Policy)  is an recipe for success.  The Framework can be as detailed as is needed by the organization, it should however include the answers to the basic questions. 

• • Racial Equity Framework for Transportation (Dashboard)

  • Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Framework APA

Education Resources

• Using a Social Justice Framework to Guide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work

• Minneapolis Public Schools Equity Framework ( in folder)

• Minnesota Equity in Action Framework

Turning Purpose into Practice:  

• A Framework starts with 3-5 big goals to be accomplished.

•  Think of 3 big goals, then draft out how you would go about getting traction on these ideas. This  can be used a preliminary practice to get the ball rolling. 

Deliver Professional Development in the areas of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Professional Development is   about continuous improvement. In DEI work it should never be a one and done situation.  Align your Professional Development with what is outlined in you official Equity Policy and what is spelled out in the Equity Framework. This helps everyone get on the same page and the DEI work not seem like another thing  that is 'added on' to get done. 

• Your Unconscious Bias Trainings Keep Failing Because You’re Not Addressing Systemic Bias

Education Resources:

• Teaching Tolerance  Professional Development

• Cultural Responsiveness Starts in the Principal’s Office

• Teacher Bias: The Elephant in the Classroom

• The Key to Minority Student Achievement Might Be Teacher Training Quality

• Next Step in Diversity Training: Teachers Learn to Face Their Unconscious Biases

• I’m a New York City high school junior, and I’m glad more of my teachers are getting anti-bias training

• CAN BETTER CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION CLOSE THE RACIAL DISCIPLINE GAP?

Turning Purpose into Practice: 

• Based on what you already know about your organization what DEI  topics/ideas/practices that would be useful to  your team?