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Needs Analysis

Problem Definition

"Diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” (DEI) are not just words. They evoke a range of emotions, from hope to skepticism. These differing perspectives have sparked a heated debate about the role of DEI in our schools and curriculum. This contentious debate has spilled over into the political arena, bearing implications on DEI departments in school districts and the many important initiatives they house. In 2021, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed a bill, 66 to 45, restricting how educators discuss race (Granados, 2021). In the current context, it is essential for school districts to lower the temperature and coalesce community members around a common notion of what equity is and emphasize its importance to ALL students. 

Our Research Question

How might we support Wake and Chatham County Schools' equity department staff in coalescing diverse community members around its equity initiatives?

Learning Goals for Our Project

As passionate advocates for DEI in schools, the Equity Explained team set out to design a solution to support our target learners: district-level DEI departments as well as individual equity teams in schools. Here are our goals, which helped us check if we were on the right track throughout the project development process:

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Goal I: School staff we interact with will report confidence in using statistics in written and verbal communication that educates the community about its DEI initiatives

  • Quantitative Indicator: On a Likert scale of 1-5 to gauge confidence (1 being “Not at all confident” and 5 being “Extremely confident”), respondents to our survey will report an average score of 4.5.

  • Qualitative Indicator: Self-reported confidence in using statistics as determined by a questionnaire item on our survey.

 

Goal II: School staff we interact with will report confidence in using success stories in written and verbal communication that educates the community about its DEI initiatives

  • Quantitative Indicator: On a Likert scale of 1-5 to gauge confidence (1 being “Not at all confident” and 5 being “Extremely confident”), respondents to our survey will report an average score of 4.5.

  • Qualitative Indicator: Self-reported confidence in using success stories as determined by a questionnaire item on our survey.

Why the Focus On Statistics and Success Stories

What the Literature Says

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Root Causes of Opposition to DEI Initiatives â€‹

  • A symbolic threat to cultural values 

  • Framing one’s group as immoral for perpetuating racism in the past 

  • Zero-Sum Beliefs: the perceived threat of one’s in-group losing resources as a result of other demographics benefitting from DEI initiative 

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Source: Iyer, 3, 2022

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Solutions to Address These Root Causes

  • Engage productively in politics and answer questions rather than avoiding these discussions (p. 432)

  • Develop a task force that takes the temperature and anticipates dissent before it happens (p. 432)

  • Forge coalitions with influential alums, celebrities, business leaders, and government officials who will vouch for the diversity program (p. 434)

  • Facilitate opportunities for different “interest groups” to interact with each other on a human level to reduce animosity (p. 433)

  • Diffuse high-tension situations where certain groups believe an initiative provides an “unfair” advantage by explaining the data that motivates the leadership’s actions (p. 429)

  • Present success stories to illustrate the positive impact that diversity programs have on students (p. 435)

  • Explain the benefits of DEI education for all students (p. 423)

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Source: Kezar, 2008

Hearing From Our Target Learners

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Who We Interviewed: 4 Chatham County School Staff

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  • The district-level Instructional Program Facilitator for the Equity Department

  • Title I and Migrant Education Specialist

  • Executive Director of Student Services and Support Programs

  • Teacher on a School Equity Team

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Root Causes of Opposition to DEI Initiatives â€‹

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  • Resistance to the idea of implicit bias and believing that the curriculum blames one's in-group for societal injustices

  • Believing that not seeing differences is the best way to ensure student success

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Suggested Solutions to Address These Root Causes

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  • Don’t address the naysayers directly - instead, model a commitment to equity to inspire others.

  • Keep the message focused on students and emphasize its benefit to everyone (rather than specific populations

    • Connection to the Literature: Ayer (2022) suggested that taking this approach might reduce zero-sum beliefs about DEI initiatives (p. 4)

  • Include more facts in the message and combat misinformation.

    • Connection to the Literature: This aligns to Kezar (2008)'s recommendation to use data to challenge perceptions about DEI initiatives favoring one group over another)​

  • Provide individual attention to align those initially skeptical with the mission (“one champion at a time”). 

  • Central Services reporting to the community about in-progress initiatives through a “State of Schools” report

    • Connection to the Literature: Given the emotional, contentious nature of this issue,  most college presidents participating in Kezar (2008)'s study cited data as a powerful tool to diffuse politics (p. 428). Additionally, sharing success stories combat politics as it puts the focus back on the students (p. 432).

  • Subpopulations in the community vocalizing support of DEI - such as people of color, faith groups, political leaders, media, and local businesses

    • Connection to the Literature: External support adds power to the case for diversity education. For example, one college president in Kezar (2008)'s study shared how local business leaders convinced their Engineering Department to embrace diversity initiatives, explaining the importance of global-consciousness for employment (p. 423). This shows the importance of involving the community in advocacy.

Summarizing the Problem Definition & Takeaways

Problem

  •  Laws that place limits on DEI education and initiatives because of a disagreement about what and how we should address inequities and talk about differences

  •  Varying opinions about initiatives, including some weariness and opposition

  • Reasons for the Issue: zero-sum beliefs, deeply engrained values that favor a blindness to differences, hesitation to engage in discussions about implicit bias

Implications

  • A small, but vocal group of naysayers spreading misinformation about what schools teach about diversity

  • "We have continued the work, but . . . it is done with trepidation.”

  • Forging ahead without addressing naysayers out of fear that it will "fuel the fire"

  • Some efforts to collect community feedback to incorporate in initiatives

Shared Proposed Solutions from Literature & Interviews

  • Provide factual information and statistics about the importance of equity initiatives

  • Share success stories and progress of DEI initiatives to bolster support

  • Focus the narrative on how equity efforts benefit ALL students

Conclusion

While most respondents reported that community members are supportive of DEI initiatives on average, their insights also show the importance of addressing opposition by educating community members about this important work.

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