Diversity Improvements Needed in Education

According to one report, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices have a positive impact on staff recruitment, retention, and overall favorability. Among "advanced" DEI organizations, for example, nearly all of staff promote the organization, while over half— regardless of race — report that they intend to stay with their organizations for the next three years. And while the report found that fewer than half of respondent organizations have formal DEI policies in place, every organization that participated in the survey is focused on DEI to an extent. At the same time, one fourth of staff respondents report experiencing discrimination in the workplace, with staff of color are much more likely to report having had such an experience. The report also found that when compared to the percentage of African-American and Latino pre-K-12 students, the percentage of African-American and Latino leaders in American education remains unbalanced.

Padamsee, X. & Crowe, B. (2017). Unrealized impact the case for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Arlington, VA: Foundation Working Group. http://www.unrealizedimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Unrealized_Impact-Final-072017.pdf