Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Lens

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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Lens

  • The DEIB Lens is at its core a set of questions that we should ask ourselves when making decisions.

    A DEIB Lens is a document which informs and frames how an organization operationalizes its commitment to equity, anti-oppression, and anti-racism efforts. Individuals and an organization as a whole, use a DEIB Lens to intentionally assess policy, program, practice, and decision-making strategies and processes to ensure alignment with stated vision, values, goals, and objectives.

  • The K-16 Equity Working Group was tasked by the K-16 Steering Committee to draft a DEIB Lens for consideration. The K-16 Equity Working Group has diverse representation from all educational sectors of the Collaborative (i.e. k-12, community college, CSU/UC, race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic background/status, age, and cultural & linguistic diversity, etc.). Members of the K-16 Equity Working Group have direct experience in organizations that effectively use DEIB lenses to advance work to improve outcomes for economically disadvantaged communities, including youth and families. Additionally, the K-16 Equity Working Group has a common understanding and active practice of power-sharing, shared decision-making, and shared accountability.

  • The use of a DEIB Lens offers a set of questions to promote a consistent understanding of our K-16 Collaborative commitment to equity, a way of operationalizing our commitment to urgent action, and a way to activate effective leadership practices in our decision-making instances to maintain shared accountability as we disrupt inequitable systems and structures. DEIB Lens use builds organizational capacity to acknowledge and address biases that exist at the intersection of holding organizational power and the lived experiences within our organizations of our economically disadvantaged students/families. The DEIB Lens is also a tool to consistently reaffirm our obligation to build upon our economically disadvantaged students’ strengths, assets, and rich cultural and linguistic contributions to prepare them for economic mobility in our region and the broader world.

  • The DEIB Lens should be used by anyone doing individual work for the K-16 Education Collaborative. Most importantly, we should use the DEIB Lens at all K-16 Education Collaborative meetings across all levels of the organization and work.

    Below are procedural steps the meeting facilitator or Chair should take to implement effective and authentic use of the DEIB Lens:

    • Embed the Lens in each meeting agenda

    • Review the Lens prior to discussion/decision-making process; Lens reflection can be coupled with every agenda action item

    • Reference the Lens whenever making a decision or generating ideas during a discussion

    • Review each Lens question one by one

    • Embrace the complex conversation that may arise when implementing the Lens - that is where the significant and deep work often takes place

    • Resist the effort to reach decisions quickly due to urgency - this is when implicit biases and power dynamics can impede alignment with our shared vision, values, goals, and objectives

    • Ensure meeting minutes capture DEIB Lens use and ensuing discussion to build collective memory and capacity for Lens use

    • Document and share feedback on active use of Lens with the K-16 Equity Working group for continued improvement of the Lens tool and protocol through feedback loops with economically disadvantaged students and families

  • To maintain an Equity-Centered Process, we ask: What equity-centered, evidence-based, and continuous improvement process has the team advanced to engage with economically disadvantaged students and families to center their perspectives, feedback, and aspirations in our work? How did or will the process impact the measurable identified goals for our economically disadvantaged students and families?

    To ensure the Engagement of Educational Partners, we ask: In what ways were educational partners across all institutional levels involved in developing a shared understanding of the economically disadvantaged K-16 students in our region who will benefit from this grant?

    To Enhance Funding Impact, we ask: How does this funding prioritize, enhance, and leverage interventions, as well as realign systems if and when needed, to improve outcomes specifically for economically disadvantaged K-16 students in our region?

    To ensure we Serve High-Need Students, we ask: In what ways will grant funds prioritize serving high-need students (economically disadvantaged K-16 students in our region) in institutions that lack a sufficiently large concentration of the target population?

    To activate the Sharing of Success and Progress, we ask: How, when, and with whom will we communicate successful supports, services, and the progress made toward goals with our educational partners as we benefit our economically disadvantaged K-16 students in the region?

    1. What is the intended outcome/impact?

    Possible considerations:

    • What problem are we trying to solve/purpose of the decision?

    • What groups or individuals do we hope to affect by this decision?

    • What racial/ethnic groups are most affected?

    • What do we hope to achieve?

    • Will this outcome reduce disparities/discrimination?

    • What additional identities are affected?

    • Does it promote equitable outcomes for our targeted population?

    2. How have we obtained input from/engaged those who will be impacted by the decisions? Those students/families who are economically disadvantaged.

    Possible considerations:

    • Who has historically been excluded?

    • Where and from whom can we solicit input?

    • Do we need additional perspectives to inform our decision? How are the perspectives of those we hope to affect represented?

    • How can the missing perspectives/input be represented?

    • Who has historically experienced privilege and advantage?

    3. What beliefs/biases are underlying the decision-making process?

    Possible considerations:

    • What limiting beliefs exist?

    • What has historically been done to address similar situations?

    • What assumptions are we making about those impacted by the process or the outcome? What stereotypes, generalizations, or societal norms are visible?

    4. What potential negative outcomes/unintended outcomes could occur?

    Possible considerations:

    • What racial/ethnic and additional identities have identified power and privilege?

    • What identities may be disempowered or experience disadvantage?

    • How can potential negative outcomes be addressed?

    5. Is the decision reasonable, attainable, and sustainable?

    Possible considerations:

    • Do we have the resources and funds needed to carry out the decision?

    • Who (community organizations, individuals) can we promote/partner with to carry out this work?

    • Have we chosen to collaborate/empower organizations/individuals that are committed to DEI work?

    • What historical, societal, and organizational norms might be challenged?

    • What resistance might we encounter?

    6. How and to whom will the decision be communicated?

    Possible considerations:

    • Are all those who are affected informed?

    • How can feedback be received if there are unintended consequences?

    • How will revisions be made, if needed?