When it comes to technology, sometimes less is more.

“You don't have to be weighed down with so many tools around your belt,” says Cori Coburn, Educational Technology Support Manager for Austin Community College District in Texas. “I say you need just a ‘FEW’–frequently executed well-focused–tools to help you to be productive for your teaching and learning. You don't have to be a jack-of-all-trades. You need to be focused, not just have a breadth of different tools, but a depth in understanding those tools.”

Coburn encourages edtech users across her district–and beyond–to deeply learn chosen tools, participate in multiple trainings, and remain flexible as technology evolves. This approach has helped her serve Austin Community College's extensive network of 11 teaching and learning centers, which serve as physical spaces for staff and faculty technology support, as well as offer equipment checkout, software application training, and guidance on integrating technology for teaching and learning.

For this ongoing work, Coburn, who is also the current president-elect of TCEA, was recently recognized with the Innovative Educational Technology Support Manager Award at the Tech & Learning Regional Summit in Austin, part of the Innovative Leader Awards.

Coburn discusses how she handles the importance of team diversity and collaboration, and the necessity of K-12 and higher education partnerships.

Diversity Drives Success

“I think when people talk about technology and education, sometimes we pass over the human connection,” says Coburn, who oversees a team of more than two dozen direct reports. “That is the part that will not be replaced by AI. The sympathy, the empathy, the being able to communicate clearly and understand what's being given to us. Being able to be flexible in times when that is called for, and encouraging of others. Just because this is not your background doesn't mean that you do not belong.”

With a large team spread out, managing it all presents challenges on multiple fronts.

“My biggest challenge is that I've never been able to get my entire team at the same place at the same time because when we're working, we are continually providing support for the district,” says Coburn. “I think that kind of takes away from their ability to be a more cohesive team because some of them have never met face to face.”

Even if she can’t bring her team together physically, Coburn relies on their diversity to handle their responsibilities.

“Diversity seems to be a bad word depending on who's having the discussion but it has made my team extraordinarily strong,” says Coburn, who adds personnel ranges from recent college graduates to retirees returning to the workforce. “Everybody doesn't have to be knowledgeable in the same thing, but you do need to know who has more expertise in that thing to help you out. And because we are so diverse, we can serve a larger audience not just with our communication and language skills but with our experience and being able to make a connection.”

Partnering With K-12

Coburn says one of the best aspects of a partnership between K-12 and higher ed is that it allows educators on both sides to share ideas and drive innovation. In addition, it also provides valuable experiences for students.

“If you have the opportunity to collaborate with higher ed and you're in K-12, do it because not every student will graduate with a degree, but a lot of students who come out of K-12 will have some exposure to vocational or higher education who have partnerships with local industry, as well as different vocations and jobs,” she says.

To that, Austin Community College District has a Make It Center, which Coburn describes as “a maker space meets technology and vocational spaces.” It offers K-12 students access to technologies such as 3D printers and drones, and supports how those are used in real-world, local industries, such as manufacturing and health care.

“Just to get that hands-on experience with the technology that's being used in local industries without having to be enrolled in the class or any special program, I think benefits the local school districts,” says Coburn.

Bringing Everyone To The Table

When it comes to purchasing a digital solution for an entire district, Coburn says the long-term success is often decided before it even arrives on campus.

“The teachers who would be using a tool or software every day, they first hear about it and they say, ‘Oh, we got this new thing. And if I didn't have a say in it, I may not want to contribute to its use. I may not find its value. I may not see how it can help me or my co-workers.’ And it's just no buy in,” she says.

To get that early buy in, Coburn recommends bringing as many stakeholders as possible to the table during purchasing processes. “Yes, administrators are very important,” she says. “But the teachers, the aids, the parents, the librarians, other stakeholders, all need to have a say in that technology, how that technology is used and what kind of financial investment that technology is to the school district. Sometimes this bright shiny thing that looks good and now is at a reasonable price because it's almost obsolete technology.”

Ultimately, Coburn encourages everyone to “stay focused because everything we do is for the students, and those who can't keep up will get left behind and advantage will go to those who don't have the same challenges.”

Tools They Use

Coburn shares her FEW favorite tools:

• Scite.ai: “AI-powered research tool that elevates how I locate, evaluate, and cite academic sources. I use it to verify the strength of claims in research, find credible evidence to support instructional content, and stay current on trends in pedagogy and educational technology. It saves time and improves academic rigor in course design and professional development sessions.”
• Canva: “My go-to for designing engaging, accessible learning visuals, flyers, and multimedia content. Whether I’m creating workshop materials, tutorials, or graphics for social media, Canva’s intuitive interface and rich library help me quickly produce professional designs that enhance communication and visual learning without needing advanced design skills. It provides a wide range of visually engaging design tools while making it simple to incorporate accessibility best practices into all my projects.”
• Chat GPT: “My go-to OG generative AI tool. It helps me brainstorm ideas, draft communications, create training scripts, and answer technical or instructional questions on the fly. It boosts my productivity, supports team collaboration, and allows me to scaffold AI literacy in my department. I also use it to explore how faculty can use it to support student learning and help staff build ethical AI integration practices.”
• Asana: “The project management tool that keeps my team aligned across campuses, departments, tasks, and timelines. I use it to manage portfolios, assign tasks, track progress, and streamline operations for multi-campus support. Asana’s transparency and organization features make it easier to prioritize requests, meet deadlines, and coordinate our efforts with instructional designers and other district departments.”
• All things Adobe Creative Cloud (fave apps are Premiere Pro and Firefly): “Adobe tools empower me to create rich, multimedia instructional content. I use Premiere Pro for producing high-quality video tutorials and faculty training modules, and Firefly for generating creative assets quickly using AI. These tools support faculty and staff who want to create their own learning media, giving our artifacts for teaching and learning a polished, professional edge.”

The Consortium for School Networking's new platform, dedicated to enriching K-12 education, uses tech resources to deepen the understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Helping districts recognize and celebrate the differences that create a richer learning environment, this invaluable tool fosters recruitment and retention of historically underrepresented groups. The CoSN DEI Clearinghouse of Resources features tech tools grounded in best practices. It is critical for school leaders to foster a true sense of belonging to encourage and inspire all students to consider the IT field as a future home for their talents.

As we know, representation is powerful. Students and educators in STEM and IT fields face diverse journeys along their educational path. Highlighting their success stories can inspire the next generation of future scientists and tech experts. CoSN's mission is to establish an IT pipeline through the provision of engaging content tailored to diverse learning styles, providing school leaders with an authentic and efficient resource for promoting diversity among both students and educators.

Using the Clearinghouse is easy, with categories broken down to quickly access according to specific needs. The Recruitment & Retention section offers retention strategies, recruitment techniques and resources for fostering a sense of belonging among employees with a link to a collection of workshops aimed at building an IT pipeline. The Educational Resources section not only offers curricular resources for diversity and inclusion but also a resource library, and links for examining your own self-bias. The DIversity & Inclusion section covers topics such as invisible disabilities, LGBTQ+ resources, systemic racism, accessibility, marginalized groups and global inclusion issues that support creating an inclusive workplace. 

This well curated gateway equips school leaders to be better informed and equipped to create a learning environment where all feel welcome and able to thrive. Want to take the next step in bringing a true sense of inclusion and belonging to your district? Consider attending a CoSN2024 DEI workshop—in person April 8-10 at the InterContinental Miami or through virtual attendance via  “The CoSN Experience”—complimentary to all in-person participants, and available for a fee for those who cannot make it to Miami.

Leading for Innovation: At Warp Speed

Learn how to drive innovation by enabling inclusive tech leadership in your district through the offerings of CoSN2024. The new landscape of K-12 technology has come light-years in the past few years. Modernize more than your digital ecosystems by exploring how to build strong and innovative leaders from all backgrounds in an era of tightened budgets and constrained resources. Diverse workshops, breakout sessions, spotlight speakers, and networking opportunities at summits and receptions provide numerous avenues to address the urgent and essential goal of fostering a more varied and inclusive educational environment for both students and educators.

Several workshops speak directly to DEI in K-12 education. Harnessing the Technology Integration Matrix to Promote Inclusive Technology Integration questions whether the transformational rise of AI and emerging technologies have truly led to meaningful change in the classroom. The session offers a journey through the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) framework to evaluate tech’s role in supporting critical thinking and student agency. This workshop will encourage participants to explore the pivotal aspects of tech use and examine the connection toward the wider challenge of achieving true digital equity. 

A second workshop, the Inclusive EdTech Leadership Summit, will provide an empowering gathering for underrepresented EdTech leaders and their mentors. This workshop, facilitated by Ken Shelton, M.A., will open doors to coaching, career advancement insights, and practical strategies, which attendees can immediately apply in their districts. This popular session will include networking opportunities with influential EdTech leaders. 

Breakout sessions such as Innovation Driven by Women (K-12 IT Leaders) will explore what initially drew women to the historically male-dominated field, how the shifting expectations affected their role post-pandemic, how they helped expand representation in the industry by working with Apple and Digital Promise, and what allyship looks like from a woman’s perspective. Technology, Education and Equality: Lens of a Student shares the perspective of a female high school student’s journey through technology, initiatives she has taken to reduce the gender gap, and the student perspective on legislation, tech, and equality.  

Additional events and receptions offer opportunities to network and collaborate on discussions to explore ways to promote inclusion and belonging within the EdTech arena. These include the Women in Technology Breakfast Summit, The Network Meet-Up: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Networking Event, Empowering Women Leaders to Overcome Challenges in Education, LGBTQ+ Reception, and Allyship for Underrepresented IT Leaders. By allowing time for personal networking and connecting with peers in the field who can offer resources, contacts, and experiences, these informal opportunities to expand one's network can result in lasting and meaningful partnerships.

Whether attending a collaborative and engaging CoSN2024 workshop (in-person or virtually) or by accessing the tools made available through the new CoSN DEI Clearinghouse of Resources, a dedication to bringing inclusivity, diversity, and belonging into the classroom is key toward ensuring a future filled with talented IT experts of all backgrounds.

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Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) coaching can be an underrated way for school leaders to learn how to better promote those goals within their district or at their school, says Dr. Courtney L. Teague, an experienced educator who is now a certified executive coach. 

“What a diversity, equity, and inclusion coach does is provide an individual with support in identifying their unconscious biases that may show up in decision-making, may show up in policy creation, and may show up in meetings,” says Teague, who has worked as Director of Coaching for Verizon Innovative Learning Schools 

Teague provides for tips school leaders looking to hire a diversity, equity, and inclusion coach. 

1. Hire A Credentialed Coach  

“Seek out a credentialed coach who specializes in that area and will be able to provide you with the support around inclusive leadership,” Teague says. 

She recommends working with a coach who has obtained credentials from the International Coaching Federation, a respected education coaching credentialing organization.

2. Interview Potential Coaches 

“I always tell people to interview the coach,” Teague says.  “And when you interview the coach, you look to see if you could work together and that you are suitable for one another, and that that person understands your needs.” 

Your DEI coach should be able to support you in your goals, and help you achieve what you want to achieve, Teague adds. This interview can help you and your coach establish your mutual goals for the process and establish accountability for both the coach and the individual being coached. 

3. Realize Coaching Isn’t Counseling or Mentorship 

It’s important to distinguish between coaching and other forms of support such as therapy and mentorship. “Therapy is something where you get to discuss the past,” Teague says. “Mentorship is really you're just asking the person to give you their insight.” 

Meanwhile, coaching is all about the person being coached. “Coaching is about supporting you by asking you probing questions and open-ended questions that you answer,” Teague says. 

4. Don’t View DEI Coaching As Being A Need Because of A Deficit 

The decision to seek DEI coaching shouldn’t be undertaken from a place of the person being coached is doing something wrong or has some deficit in their skills. It is proactive improvement.

“Coaching is part of professional learning,” Teague says. “If you have a certification you get recertified every year or every other year, depending on what the certification may be. Coaching is an opportunity to learn and grow as well.” 

5. The Value of Coaching Is Hard to Quantify 

While coaching prices vary, for her own professional development, Teague has paid $200 per hour and had to commit to multiple sessions at that price. She says that the investment was well worth it because she got so much out of the experience. 

“When I was in the classroom, I always tended to call on specific students,” she says. “I would gravitate toward students who were extroverts, similar to me. I would still engage with the students who were considered introverts, but not as much. And now that I received training and received coaching, I'm aware that not everyone responds the same, and so as a teacher, I have to consider the variability of learners and how I can provide them with opportunities to respond.”  

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According to Zippia’s data science team, more than 3,842,796 teachers are currently employed in the United States. Of these, almost 4 million teachers, 74.3% are women. 

When considering school administrators, 55.4% of all school principals are women. In comparison, 44.6% are men, but when looking at the top leadership position, the numbers shift drastically, with only 28.5% of all school superintendents being women, while 71.5% are men. 

These numbers expose women's challenges in moving into the top position in a system. Thank goodness there are plenty of role models for women seeking a move into the superintendent’s seat.

 Paving the Way for Women Leaders in Education

The first female superintendent was Phebe Sudlow. Phebe taught for twelve years before becoming Davenport, Iowa’s public school superintendent in 1874. She demanded equal pay to the men who previously held the position and received it from the board offering her contract. Her efforts benefited Ella Flagg Young, who became the first female superintendent of an urban school district from 1909 until 1915. She was also the first woman president of the National Education Association. She graduated from a normal school and ultimately received her doctorate from the University of Chicago, where John Dewey served as her dissertation chair. 

Maria Montessori is another woman who defined a philosophy of education based on the child’s perspective. That philosophy continues to be adopted today in education. 

These pioneers in education have paved the way for today’s women and their work. 

Phebe Sudlow may have received the equal pay she demanded, but women are still trying to get the pay scales they deserve. Although the gap is narrowing in superintendent salaries, women continue to make less than their male counterparts. Overall, women continue to have challenges around equal economic opportunity and equity in education; according to the American Civil Liberties Union,   

A 2022 UNICEF report indicates school leadership is the second most important in-school factor affecting learning after classroom teaching. Emerging evidence was highlighted in the report noting a positive association between women school leaders and student performance. 

Moving Into Leadership 

Pursuing your dream of becoming an administrator is always possible, but you want to be sure you are ready for the move. Moving into a leadership position as a female takes more effort, and you need to be prepared. 

Here are some ways you can grow your leadership potential in your school, district, or community:

• Volunteer in community organizations 
• Lead a department or faculty meeting workshop 
• Chair a committee in your school or district 
• Join a women’s group 
• Read up on other leaders to get ideas 

Another strategy for building your leadership potential is to follow leaders on LinkedIn to learn what they are doing and how they can help you. Here are some ladies to consider following to get started: 

• Debbie Magee - Leads a Leadership Network with AASA 
• Dr. Katherine Propst - Runs Project Lead at AASA 
• Kecia Ray, Ed.D. - Hosted ‘The Honor Role,’ a podcast about extraordinary women in education 
• Julie (Wilson) Jungalwala - Leads the Institute for the Future of Learning 

You can also check out the WomenEd, a resource and support for women leaders in education in the UK with excellent resources applicable to any country. And, if you would rather sit down with a good book for motivation, check out Real Women Real Leaders by Kathy Hurley. 

Although challenges may still be looming, particularly around equity and harassment, there has never been a better time to become a leader in education! 

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Adina Sullivan-Marlow always wanted to be a teacher but the pathway to education, as is frequently the case for people who look like her, was full of obstacles. 

“There was a financial barrier,” she says. “I couldn't go into a bachelor's and credential program right away. I was working my way through school.” 

She had to figure out the requirements for the profession on her own. “It took a long time and a lot of student loans to finally get to where I was able to become an educator, and along the way, I ended up working in a different career just because of the time that it took to get there.” 

While Sullivan-Marlow stuck with her dream of becoming an educator, she knows that many others may have given up. 

Sullivan-Marlow is now the coordinator of teacher effectiveness and preparation at the San Diego County Office of Education. Her personal history makes her particularly passionate about the work she does with Educator Pathways, which was started by the Office of Education in 2020 to recruit more people of color to the teaching profession in San Diego County. 

“In San Diego County approximately 70% of the students are of color but only about 30% of the educators are,” Sullivan-Marlow says. “That doesn't quite match up and it's not like we're looking for a one-to-one match, but it should be that our students are seeing themselves represented in the educators whether they are teaching or non-teaching positions.” 

She shares five strategies Educator Pathways is using to accomplish this. 

1. Promote Pathways to Become an Educator  

“We are serving as a way to connect the dots for folks who are interested in education and careers,” Sullivan-Marlow says. “It can be kind of challenging to understand what the requirements are to become an educator, and what the financial supports are that are available. It seems like a pretty daunting task. So to help them to understand, we coordinate with our community colleges and our four-year institutions, to clarify what the pathway is and get everyone kind of talking to one another.” 

2. Recruit People Who May Not Realize Education is an Option for Them

Educator Pathways also works to recruit new teachers to the field who may never have seriously considered a career in education before. 

“There are some folks who knew from when they were three that they wanted to become an educator and always wanted to become a teacher, and played school and all that, but that's not true for a lot of folks, especially for folks of color who maybe didn't get that initial tap from someone who said, ‘You'd be a great educator,’” Sullivan-Marlow says. “So they've gone off into other careers, or maybe they have taken a classified employee route, a nonteaching route for various reasons in schools.” 

3.  Classified Employee Training  

Educator Pathways has specifically identified non-teaching school employees as potential educators. “We're part of a consortium that offers a classified employee teacher recruitment grant that helps to reimburse folks for their education-related expenses so that they can pursue a teaching credential,” Sullivan-Marlow says. “We are expanding that. We are hiring some part-time folks who have an advisement counseling background to really work with folks that are interested and help kind of build an individualized plan. Where are you starting from? Where do you want to get to? Okay, let's figure out how that works. Let's assist you along the way.”  

4. Reaching Out To Community Stakeholders 

Bringing more minority representation to your school, district, or county often requires active recruitment efforts with community partners. 

“We reach out to Fleet and Family Services,” Sullivan-Marlow says. “San Diego is a military town, and we have folks who are transitioning out of the military as well as their dependents, who maybe have some experience that would be great in education. We are working with community groups such as San Diego Workforce Partnership for folks who are looking to enter a new career either because they're new to the area or they're transitioning careers.” 

These outreach efforts are part of Educator Pathways' goal of finding people who never realized that education was a potential career for them.  

5. Explaining The Joy and Power of Teaching 

“We also talk education careers as a community service, as a public service, as a way to have an impact on your own community,” Sullivan-Marlow says. 

Reframing a career in education this way helps recruit new educators who may have a complicated relationship with the profession. “Maybe one of the reasons you didn't enter this opportunity is because your experience was not so great in school, or the experience of the folks who look like you was not good,” Sullivan-Marlow says. “I can understand that from my own family experience.” 

That’s why Educator Pathways focuses on the positives of the profession, and the role new teachers can have on making it even better. “This is really a way to have an impact and make that change in your schools and in your community by being part of the education community,” she says.  

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Academia strives to be an imagined community in a variety of ways. From student admissions to faculty and administrator recruitment, higher education attempts to create a diverse and idealized space. 

Search committees for various positions are a critical aspect to this dynamic, however, few faculty, administrators, students, and alumni choose to volunteer for such an opportunity, as these are often seen as a “service” responsibility. Faculty and staff also are reluctant to step up because search committees can be time-consuming, political, and can yield to unconscious bias, and offer little, if any, incentives. Yet, search committees matter for shared governance and team building across departments and professions. 

Search Committee Service and DEI 

Interestingly, I realized that I served on a dozen search committees within the last nine years at my university. I wasn’t so much surprised by the overall number but more intrigued by the range of searches. Naturally, there were searches for departmental faculty positions as well as administrative posts for university advancement, alumni, and librarian offices.

I was asked to participate in a few university vice president searches, although I initially did not want to serve. My university president rightfully lobbied me to help with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and in the process, I learned that even though I had prior experience in advancement and enrollment management areas in VP searches, I expanded my understanding of campus policies surrounding DEI issues. Most importantly, I had an enlightening and interactive experience working with faculty and administrative colleagues.

Serving on the DEI vice presidential search committee, particularly for an inaugural position, led to competing visions of what we envisioned for the office. It was fascinating to witness, but also be a part of, committee members taking sides on relevant requirements and supporting specific candidates. Ultimately, the viewpoints and respect across so many administrative, faculty, and student perspectives were revealing. We might have had our disagreements and differing personalities, but we shared intriguing visions for a new administrator to help lead our campus.

Search Committee Service: What to Consider 

As a search committee member, you are missioned to gain an understanding that candidates know about your campus culture. How a candidate fits into, but also adds to, a campus environment is critical. This is especially important for cabinet-level and dean posts. Candidates should instill and effectively carry out your institution’s goals. 

 Search Committee Considerations:  

• Why were you chosen to be on the search team? 
• What can you add to the committee? 
• Will the committee service help or distract your time away from work? 
• What are the shared goals and competing concerns of search committee members? 
• How will the candidates add to a campus culture, communities, and mission? 

In a small yet interesting way, serving on a search committee is like playing matchmaker between your education employer or alma mater and candidates. You remain hopeful it will be an ideal match and candidates have an understanding of an institution’s goals and they will add to the campus community. Effective committee chairs make an impactful difference in the search committee process as well. 

When candidates ask probing questions and raise concerns about an institution’s future directions, it is an essential part of an interview. Consequently, a search committee’s questions to candidates should include their resolving challenges and what drives them to face adversity.

This is why a search committee’s composition matters because it should reflect various populations of a campus community. Search firms can help with these recruitment and questioning angles. When candidates raise questions, are committee members providing packaged responses or are they speaking from anecdotal and empirical evidence? Accordingly, how do candidates respond to committee members’ answers? Many of my search committee colleagues provide experiential responses and I am often struck by their genuineness. 

Search committee interviews provide revealing moments and remind me why I serve on my university’s search committees for so many campus posts. Searches reinforce the mission of your institution and your role on campus. You can demonstrate to others – including candidates – that you and they are valuable assets for a campus community’s mission and future. 

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Two years ago at a Missouri edtech conference, I facilitated a panel discussion on Women in EdTech Leadership with Chief Technology Officers (CTO) from across the state. 

Our panel was composed of four women and one man. The female panelists shared their experiences and perspectives to encourage and empower the women attendees. Our male panelist had a compelling, research-based case for the male attendees, explaining the importance of men serving as mentors and challenging them to step up as allies for women in edtech. Three of the four women on the panel attributed much of their success to having a male mentor who coached, supported, and championed them in their careers. 

I learned two critical lessons about men and mentoring that day.

Lesson One: Women need men to step up as mentors 

Finding a female role model in senior leadership is a struggle for women in technology or any male-dominated field. In education, women comprise the majority of the workforce, yet men disproportionately hold the top jobs. In edtech, CoSN shows a 9% increase of female CTOs over the past two years, but at only 34%, women are still outnumbered two-to-one for edtech leadership positions, according to The State of EdTech Leadership in 2022. The challenges for women of color are even greater. 

It can be difficult for women to find a female mentor, however, women in male-dominated fields may benefit more from being mentored by a man. In her research spanning more than two decades, Dr. Belle Ragins has found women mentored by men receive more promotions, have higher incomes, enjoy more positive relationships with co-workers, report higher job satisfaction, and stay with their organization longer. 

That brings me to the second lesson. Remember our male panelist who spoke about the importance of men being mentors and allies for women in edtech? He delivered that insightful, inspiring message to the ONE man who attended the session.

Lesson Two: Women need men to show up  

With such a great need for men to mentor women, why do men seem uninterested? Leading a conference session meant to encourage men to support their female colleagues was very discouraging considering only one man cared enough to show up to hear the message. 

I want to think it’s because men aren’t aware of the need or don’t realize the benefits. After all, when we know better, we do better. Men, if you’re reading this, you know by now that your mentorship is needed, but what will get you to show up? 

When men mentor women, it can greatly benefit men. Building a positive relationship with a female mentee can improve interpersonal skills and broaden perspectives. Mentors who successfully develop both male and female talent prove themselves as highly effective and well-respected leaders while also boosting their own career advancement.  

By mentoring and supporting female colleagues, male CTOs can take their first step in becoming an ally. An ally promotes equity for a marginalized group, and male allies work for gender equality by supporting women, advocating for them, and eliminating barriers to their success.

Evolving as an Ally 

Change Catalyst describes the “Stages of Allyship,” which offers a model to evaluate our own allyship and see practical ways we can improve. 

If you’re still reading this article, you have already graduated from a Denier to an Observer: you’re starting to understand why your allyship matters, but you might be nervous or unsure of what to do with this new knowledge. You might be uncomfortable with the idea of mentoring a woman. Maybe you’re wondering if you would have anything in common with a female colleague, or if women have different needs from a mentor that you are unsure you can provide. Being unsure in this stage is perfectly fine, as long as you don’t stop there. 

Your uncertainty as an Observer has you asking questions, so it makes sense that the next stage is becoming a Learner, who will expand their network and seek different perspectives. Maybe you want to read more about mentoring before you are ready to put yourself out there. 

Male CTOs can start with small steps. For example, have regular check-ins with female staff members, discuss goals, and ask about other support you can offer that you may not have considered. 

The next stage is being an Ally: taking action to reduce the harm caused by bias, whether unconscious or intended. 

Being an ally does not mean you suddenly know how to solve the problem of inequality or that you have all the answers. Many times it simply means being brave enough to ask questions. For example, you might be forming a committee to interview a new engineer for your technology department and realize your interview team is all male. Stop and ask how you can make your hiring process more inclusive. Diversifying your interview committee brings different perspectives of each candidate, and shows candidates that your organization values equitable practices. 

Allies question practices that may unintentionally hinder or hurt certain groups. Perhaps you are a male CTO who has mentored numerous male colleagues through the years but has never mentored a female on your staff. How equitable are your mentoring habits? Ask yourself why you haven’t mentored a woman before, and be honest with yourself while reflecting on your practices. Then, when you know better, do better. 

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Like many school districts across the country, Middletown City Schools in Ohio has a shortage of Black male teachers. 

“Black males make up 2% of the teaching profession,” says Kee Edwards, assistant director of human resources in the district. 

The district recently ramped up efforts to change that and ensure students, regardless of their background, have educational role models who look like them. 

To that end, Middletown City Schools’ leaders formed the Admiral Squad, which is an affinity network of Black men already employed in the district. The goal of this group is to provide a place for current male employees of color to gather, share ideas, and support one another as they advance in their careers, and also to promote diversity within the district and among students. 

“We have 10 buildings in the district,” Edwards says. “Many of those may have one or two African-American males [working] in them, some of them do not have any. It was our hope to bring the group together as a collective, to have a much greater and larger impact on the district.” 

The Admiral Squad and Representation 

The Middletown City School mascot is inspired by midshipmen from the Navy. “Midshipmen are the lowest-ranking officers in the Navy, and so we thought let’s flip that," Edwards says. "Let’s give our affinity group something that we think of as being royal and prestigious. And so, an admiral is the highest-ranking officer in the Navy.” 

The admirals have held meetings since the fall and also regularly visit schools in groups. The purpose of these visits is for the Admiral Squad to show students the different career pathways open to them and that Black men can be successful in education. 

“Black males don't go into the profession because they don't see teaching as a viable option for them because they never see role models who look like them in the teaching profession,” Edwards says. “You can't be it until you can see it. You can't be a teacher until you can see yourself in a teaching position. So if you go through your K-12 experience and never have an African-American male teacher, the message that is sent to you – whether it be subconsciously or consciously – is, 'This is not a place for me.'” 

During these school visits, the admirals wear purple tee shirts and sweatshirts that make them stand out. “[Students know] when you see these purple hoodies, this is someone that you definitely can count on who is here for you,” Edwards says. 

How Other Districts Can Support Diversity  

The Admiral Squad is only a few months old, however, it’s already encouraging positive growth among its members. “There are three or four admirals who are currently paraprofessionals, who were provided an opportunity to participate in some duties outside of their normal job description that have inspired them to consider going back to school,” Edwards says. 

Other districts looking to promote diversity within their schools should examine the most underrepresented group that is employed by the district, Edwards says. “Whatever that demographic may be for your particular district or school, provide a support system for those in regards to recruitment and retention,” Edwards says. ‘It is pivotal that we make schools a place that is welcoming to any and all. We can't assume that by not being deliberate in our actions that we have created those spaces. You have to be intentional about your efforts, and specifically target those that you know are in the minority in your school district. And you have to provide a space for them to collaborate, a place to share common experiences, and provide them an opportunity to grow.” 

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The David Douglas School District in Oregon is making DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) a key part of its identity going forward. 

The district has formed an equity team in every school and formalized a Strategic and Equity Plan. The equity plan requires the district: 

• To set common goals and visions for racial justice across the district. 
• To demonstrate the district’s commitment to achieving equitable outcomes for students of color – outcomes must not be predictable by race or ethnicity. 
• To ensure that every student in the district feels welcome, safe, valued, and has an honored identity in the schools. 
• To facilitate open communication and meaningful dialogue with families and communities of color. 
• To provide a mechanism for both accountability and transparency in advancing equity. 

LàShawanta ‘Taye’ Spears, Director of Diversity and Equitable Inclusion for the school district, says they are making progress toward these goals through many initiatives, including a combination of enhanced training and recruitment of diverse staff through the district’s successful “Grow Your Own” teacher program. 

Improving DEI with “Grow Your Own” School Programs 

A key part of the David Douglas School District’s diversification efforts is to recruit diverse educators from their current students via the district's Grow Your Own teacher program (GYO). 

“That program started about seven years ago, but it looks a little different now because we have received funding from the state of Oregon,” says Spears, Oregon's 2021 assistant principal of the year. This funding specifically helps BIPOC students who are interested in becoming educators. “The plan is that they enter into a program and graduate debt-free, and we've been fortunate enough where we had seven BIPOC GYOs graduate last year, six were hired in our district for this school year,” Spears says. 

School leaders should help students who go into education capitalize on tuition reimbursements that may be available in their states, Spears says. “Talk to your state legislators about what you need in schools. Identify a part of your budget to ensure that is dedicated for GYOs,” she says. “If schools are saying it is a priority to diversify our schools, I think it's extremely important to identify funds to support that within your budget.” 

In addition, districts looking to create a strong Grow Your Own program should connect with a university education program to create pathways for students. “We've been fortunate enough that some of our partner universities have given us really good discounts for our students,” Spears says. 

Offering DEI Training in Various Formats 

The administration at David Douglas School District has promoted diversity among its staff with training that tackles various topics and is offered in different mediums. For example, at the beginning of the year staff members are required to take multiple Vector Solutions Diversity & Inclusion Training courses. Beyond these courses, staff members participate in trainings throughout the year. 

“My department come up with PDs to continue our efforts around how do we address racism? How do we interrupt it? And how do we stay knowledgeable of it? So we have five PDs that we created for that,” Spears says. The combination of these two types of course offerings helps make DEI a focus for educators in the district throughout the year. 

Utilizing Restorative Practices Instead of Punitive Discipline  

Across the district educators are now trained in restorative justice practices. “We have also changed our referral form -- it's called a behavior incident referral form now,” Spears says. “We're giving redirects, we're talking to kids more, and when students are having a challenging time and may have to be removed from school, we're doing reentry circles with the parents and the students.” 

This inclusive model is designed to raise scores of students with behavior issues while decreasing referrals and suspensions. The David Douglas School District does not yet have district-level data on the impact of these policies, but anecdotally the work seems to be helping students

“I've already heard from principals when I've gone into buildings,” Spears says. “They're saying it just feels different.” 

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As school districts around the country continue to struggle with teacher shortages, an increasing number of education leaders are developing their future educators from within their own classrooms. Such a “grow your own” teacher approach can help build diversity and shape an instructional staff that reflects a district’s demographics.

“We know that approximately 60% of teachers work within 20 miles of where they graduated high school,” says Joshua P. Starr, chief executive officer of PDK International, which runs Educators Rising, a teacher education organization and program. “But all too often the demographics of the workforce don’t reflect the demographics of the student population. We need to have a much more diverse teaching force, we need to inspire a new generation, and we need to fit into a busy high school schedule.” 

“What we've got to do is reimagine, rebrand, and reprofessionalize the teaching profession,” says Shuana Tucker, Chief Talent Officer for the Connecticut State Department of Education, which has implemented Educators Rising at districts across the state, along with other efforts focused on cultivating homegrown teachers. “For me, being an educator is one of the most noble professions out there. In my role as chief talent officer, I'm constantly looking for ways to recruit and retain teachers as well as to expand and diversify the talent pool.”

For districts interested in grow your own teacher programs, there are a few things to consider.

Grow Your Own Teachers: ‘Make the Road By Walking’ 

While school districts typically provide traditional career pathways such as engineering, auto technology, or computer science, teaching often is not encouraged in the same way. “We need to re-frame the career path so kids see it as one step in a lifelong journey of service,” says Starr. 

For example, Educators Rising offers schools and districts a CTE pathway program, with a full curriculum. The organization works with school leaders to adopt its program and forge partnerships with higher education institutions to help build pipelines of future educators. It offers multiple education career entry points for students, such chapter after-school programs and teaching fundamentals programs.

Starr encourages school leaders to start organically with conversations with local teacher organizations, nearby higher education institutions, and teacher prep schools about developing teacher pathways. “Make the road by walking,” he says.

Be Proactive

Many students never consider a career in teaching simply because they’re never asked or presented with the opportunity, says Starr.

“It’s amazing what happens when kids are asked to serve,” he says. “They’re more likely than not to step up. But when they’re not asked, they’re not going to raise their hand. If an adult who they respect taps them on the shoulder and gives them the opportunity, they’ll step up. They like to serve and be part of the solution, and oftentimes, adults just don’t ask.”

Starr suggests encouraging students who are already serving in a teaching, leadership, or mentor role, such as one who is working as a camp counselor, teaching Sunday school, or tutoring younger kids. Athletes who are team captains also may be open to a career in education. “Principals and coaches may say, ‘Hey, you’re a coach or a leader on your team, have you considered teaching?’” he says. 

Another way districts who have grow your own pathways encourage students to return as teachers is to present a letter to graduates of the program guaranteeing a job within the district upon completion of their higher ed degree.

Representation Matters

In addition to an overall educator shortage, there is a particular dearth of male teachers of color. As students are more likely to be engaged when there is an educator who looks like them at the front of the classroom, encouraging young men of color to consider a career in teaching is critical.

More than 50 percent of the Educators Rising program includes students of color. “We’re very intentional about that, as are the schools,” says Starr. “And from the research that’s emerged over the past few years, representation makes a difference.”  

Connecticut’s teacher development efforts have focused on recruiting males, says Tucker, adding that they’re piloting a program to specifically attract men of color. “We also want to expand to ELL students,” she says. The department recently held an in-person symposium on increasing education diversity that attracted more than 150 students from around the state.

Tucker and her team have also sought out diverse organizations, such as an African American male fraternity, the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS), and the National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE).

“Having those partners at the table to understand the work that you're doing and support the work that you're doing is very critical,” says Tucker. 

Partners and Allies Needed

Not only are partnerships essential in cultivating diversity and representation, but such alliances are necessary for grow your own teacher programs that span the education spectrum, from middle schools to post-secondary institutions. 

“The key to success is having people work with you who are passionate about this work,” says Tucker. “That makes all the difference in the world. Your work will go further with what it is that you're trying to do. I can only carry my message so far, and I only have a certain amount of bandwidth.” 

Nineteen schools in Connecticut have adopted the Educators Rising program, including clubs and the curriculum being utilized at the high school level, says Tucker. The state has also partnered with higher ed institutions to offer dual credit education courses and advise high school juniors and seniors, who can take up to 6 or 9 credit hours that are then transferable into their four-year college education program. In addition, the Connecticut state college and university system will be offering the same statewide curriculum by Fall 2023 to ensure those credits are transferable across community colleges and traditional four-year universities.

“You have to make this a community-led initiative,” says Starr, noting that having a detailed adoption framework, such as Educators Rising has, is key. “It only works if the local stakeholders embrace the idea because there are so many different pieces you have to pull together. Hiring, certification, funding, courses – a range of folks have to be involved.”

Finding an inspiring teacher who the kids like and respect is also critical, as their influence can help a student consider education, says Starr. For example, in the New Britain Public Schools, the Educators Rising advisor is a Latina female teacher, while in East Hartford Public School, the advisor is the athletic director, who has been encouraging the athletes he works with to consider the profession, says Tucker. 

Teaching Can Be Just the Beginning

Another approach to recruiting students is having them understand that teaching for five or ten years at the start of their working career can be very valuable in building desirable skills and experience, says Starr. As with military service, it can lead to other opportunities and professions.

“STEM and finance and medicine are all great, but we don’t talk enough about the value of service academies or of community service, whether it’s as an educator or something else,” says Starr. “And quite frankly, we need to do more of that.’ 

For instance, after classroom teaching, they can go into edtech, policy, school and district leadership, or educational consulting. Or move into another field altogether.

Ultimately, once kids get into a grow your own program, administrators, partners, and other stakeholders have to make sure that they work together to retain students while building school culture and climate, says Starr. 

“This is just one piece,” he says. “If a pipeline leads into a leaky bucket, there’s going to be a problem. I want people to understand that this needs to be a comprehensive strategy.”

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New research looking at data from New York City schools has found that Black, Latino, and Asian-American students are less likely to be suspended from school if they take classes with more teachers who share their racial or ethnic background. 

The research was led by Matthew Shirrell, professor of Educational Leadership and Administration at George Washington University, and has significant implications for teacher diversity recruitment efforts as well as inclusive teaching practices for educators of any ethnic or racial background.  

Key Findings  

Previous research found that in North Carolina, Black students were less likely to suffer suspensions when they had Black teachers. Shirrell and his co-authors, Travis Bristol and Tolani Britton both of the University of California, Berkeley, wanted to see if similar trends held true in a large urban school district such as New York, and whether the same association could be seen with Latino and Asian-American students. 

“There was really no prior work that had looked at this for Latino students or Asian students,” Shirrell says. 

Shirrell and his team looked at ten years of data, from 2007 to 2017, on every student and teacher in grades 4-8 in New York City. They found that the decrease in suspension likelihood caused by having teachers of the same race or ethnicity as students was nearly the same for Asian, Black, and Latino students at about 3 percent.

The study also estimated that if New York City schools upped the proportion of Latino teachers for Latino students from 20 percent to 50 percent, this would likely result in 1,500 fewer suspensions over ten years. 

While Shirrell’s study did not look at the cause of this association there are several theories. One possibility is that a teacher who looks like their students can serve as a positive role model for those students, resulting in fewer instances of students acting up in class. However, teacher bias may be more likely. The North Carolina research that Shirrell’s study built on found that Black students were more likely to get suspended for minor infractions, such as talking back in class, when they were taught by white teachers. 

Key Takeaways  

The study supports longstanding efforts in education to recruit more diverse teachers, Shirrell says. However, it also highlights a need to better understand how teachers, regardless of their own race, can be more supportive of students of various backgrounds and mindful of their own biases.

“We don't want to have the solution be that Black students can only be taught by Black teachers and Latino students can only be taught by Latino teachers,” he says. “We need to learn more about what are the practices, the orientations, the mechanisms within classrooms that are leading to these differences.” 

A lot of discretion is available at the teacher level about which behavior is reported and which is not, Shirrell says. “I think that there is a need for us to understand more about how teachers exercise that discretion in ways that might lead to these kinds of differences,” he says. “We should really think about induction and professional learning for all teachers. Because no matter what our teacher diversity efforts are, for the foreseeable future in places like New York, we're going to have a teacher workforce that's predominantly white. And so we need to think about how we help teachers reflect and learn discipline practices that can help reduce these kinds of disparities.” 

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) was one of the key themes at this year’s CoSN conference in Nashville, where more than 1,500 district administrators and industry partners gathered for the first hybrid CoSN conference – and the association’s largest conference to date. This hybrid event offered dozens of in-person sessions and activities, along with virtual sessions for those who could not attend in person. 

There was a palpable energy and enthusiasm of being back together in person as attendees reconnected with old friends and met new colleagues. CoSN’s commitment to diversifying the program was evident in the many inspiring speakers, including Raj Adusumilli, Assistant Superintendent/CIO of Arlington Public Schools, Michael Hinojosa, Superintendent of Dallas Independent School District, Christopher Emdin, Professor of Education at the University of Southern California, and many others.

The Network Meetup 

The conference kicked off with the first “Network Meetup,” hosted by CoSN’s DEI committee. More than 100 attendees gathered for this informal conversation, held in small groups, in which we explored the following questions: 

• What does “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Accessibility” look like in practice in your district? 
• How does your district create pathways for diversity across the continuum of a career?
• How might you move from awareness to action to support a more diverse leadership team?  

What follows are some of the challenges and successes captured during these conversations.

Diversifying staff 

Many attendees talked about the challenges of finding diverse candidates for staff openings, but admitted they needed to do a better job of diversifying their outreach. Attendees discussed the importance of doing “intentional outreach.” 

“Leadership is modeling equity experience and impact for color, and gender,” said one attendee. “If you don’t have a diverse pool, go find them,” said another attendee. “Walk through the schools and look for the talent.” 

Other key discussion points included:

• What geographic locations have not been explored?
• What language are you using in your job descriptions? 
• How can you recruit students to consider careers in education?  
• How can you better support your teachers to pursue department-level careers? 
• Do you have a succession plan for your role as an administrator that supports diversity? 
• Consider recruiting from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and bring a diverse pool of recruiters to be present at recruitment events. 
• Add hiring bonuses focused on finding more diverse candidates. 
• Consider non-technical candidates for department positions and offer training. 

Diane Doersch, Director of Technology for the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools at Digital Promise, offers a great resource on how to be more intentional about your hiring practices here. 

Removing the politics from conversations about “diversity” 

Many rural district attendees said that their communities often hear “diversity” and think “politics,” so they don’t talk about it. Some attendees discussed historical racism in their communities that have spilled over to combative school board meetings. 

Some advice to address this issue included finding common ground and inviting all stakeholders to the conversation, such as bringing in teachers and principals to discuss implicit biases in a non-judgmental forum. 

Creating an inclusive school culture 

One attendee shared takeaways from Belonging Through A Culture of Dignity, a new book by two educators, Floyd Cobb and John Krownapple, which cites three concepts as keys to successful equity initiatives: inclusion, belonging, and dignity. 

One attendee from New York shared this link to clubs that raise diversity awareness. How is your district being inclusive in their meetings and activities?  

Ensuring access for all students 

The pandemic forced many schools to go one-to-one, but ensuring continued equitable connectivity remains crucial. Beyond simply giving devices to all students, are teachers considering all pieces of equity and access when creating lesson plans? For example, sending a pdf of a worksheet that needs to be printed is not an equitable practice. 

What training can your district offer to support teachers in creating equitable lesson plans in ways that are not overwhelming? What creative access points can you continue to offer to your communities? Addressing these challenges is critical in building equitable environments.

The conclusion of these conversations were unanimous: there is still much work to do to ensure our districts are supporting DEI in practice, but by continuing this conversation across the country through events like “The Network,” we can work as a community to improve our efforts. 

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Culturally responsive teaching does not have to be difficult, says Audrey Muhammad. 

The college success instructor at Durham Technical Community College in Durham, NC, has long used straightforward and easy-to-implement strategies in her classes to put culturally responsive teaching in action by honoring and celebrating the unique background of all her students. Now she has a new opportunity to share these strategies with other educators. 

Muhammad was recently named the recipient of The National Alliance of Black School Educators (NABSE) $10,000 Scholarship Award. The inaugural Dr. Charles Mitchell, Jr. Leadership Scholarship is sponsored by Curriculum Associates, and will help Muhammad as she pursues her doctorate in educational leadership at Wilmington University.

She hopes her degree will help her and colleagues redesign education to include more culturally responsive teaching and project-based learning. 

The author and former high school English teacher shares some quick tips for culturally responsive teaching. 

Culturally Responsive Teaching Tip 1: Learn About Your Students  

The first step toward effective culturally responsive teaching focuses on the basics. “Getting to know your students is a way to infuse some positive connections to their culture and to learning,” Muhammad says. 

To accomplish this, Muhammad will often start with an ice-breaking exercise. “I say, ‘Okay, we're gonna get to learn about everyone in this classroom, but you don't have to say anything, and you don't have to write anything,’” she says. She then asks a series of questions such as: ‘Are you the oldest sibling in your family?’ ‘Do you speak a second language?’ etc. If the answer is yes, she asks students to stand; if the answer is no, they remain seated. The exercise helps her learn about each student and their background in a manner that is fast, fun, and engaging for students. 

Culturally Responsive Teaching Tip 2: Help Students Get to Know Each Other

In addition to getting to know their students, culturally responsive teachers foster an environment in which their students get to know one another. This knowledge teaches respect, Muhammad says. “It also teaches understanding and compassion because a lot of times we fear what we don't know.” 

The ice-breaking exercise described above is one way to get students talking about their backgrounds and aware of similarities with others they may not have realized. Another strategy Muhammad employs is partner interviews in which students pair off and interview one another about their respective backgrounds. As with the group ice-breaking exercise, this engages students while they get to learn about one another. 

Culturally Responsive Teaching Tip 3: Honoring Different Strengths  

In addition to learning about students and having them learn about one another, Muhammad says educators need to celebrate the unique strengths each one has. “Pull some positive things out that you find out about various cultures,” she says. For instance, Muhammad makes a point of telling students who speak a second language how special that is. “If you know how to speak more than one language, hold on to that because that is a skill,” she tells them. “I'm trying to now pay someone to teach me how to speak a second language.”  

Culturally Responsive Teaching Tip 4: Teach Acceptance With Inclusive Materials 

Growing up, Muhammad read popular Mother Goose nursery rhymes but realized the stories didn’t offer children practical lessons about the world and didn’t reflect Black experiences. So she wrote ​Rhymes of the Times: Black Nursery Rhymes, which features original educational nursery rhymes such as “Martin Had a Little Dream” and is now available to teachers who work with younger students. 

While this book is aimed at young learners, inclusive learning materials that celebrate various cultures are something that help learners at every level, Muhammad says. “You'd be surprised at how little students may know about other cultures,” she says. 

Culturally Responsive Teaching Tip 5: Use Project-Based Learning 

Project-based learning is another passion of Muhammad’s and is a teaching approach that pairs naturally with culturally responsive teaching because it is focused on real-world applications. 

One example of how Muhammad combines the two is an assignment in which she requires students to interview someone from their current profession or one they want to get into. To bring in culturally responsive teaching, she then asks students to try and find someone in that profession from their culture. “They always write how empowered they were and how they learn so much, and how it gave them the confidence to move forward,” she says. “Just gaining that insight and having that connection with someone who looks like you, it can be very empowering, especially when they give them an encouraging word.” 

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Companies that create a diverse IT staff see greater profitability and creativity as well as stronger governance and better problem-solving abilities, thanks to the variety in perspectives, thought processes, and experiences. 

All these benefits transfer to education and edtech, says Diane Doersch, Director of Technology for the Verizon Innovative Learning Schools Initiative at Digital Promise, and a former director of technology and chief technology and information officer at Green Bay Area Public Schools in Wisconsin. 

“Always the people first,” Doersch says. “You’ve got to take care of the people before the people can do the things you need them to do.”

A school IT staff needs to have a variety of voices around the table to be successful, she says. People from diverse backgrounds offer diverse solutions, so building a structure to support that and in which everyone feels they have a voice -- and that their supervisor has their back -- is important. 

“You have to set the tone for your department, and potentially, your whole school system, on what's acceptable and what's not,” Doersch says. “And that is really going to make a difference on the retention of diverse employees, if you're lucky enough to get them in the door.” 

Diverse School IT Staff: Intentional Recruitment 

Districts have to be intentional about diversity and inclusion in the recruiting processes. They need to consider practices such as compiling lists of professional networks, sourcing from diverse institutions, and attending sponsored technology events to find qualified candidates, says Doersch. 

Competing with private sector salaries is a major concern for school edtech leaders, but the education environment offers other benefits. “Something that we always say about working in a school district versus other IT jobs where you're on call all the time, where it's high stress, where you could be released at any time, is that in education it's pretty stable,” says Doersch. “Okay, maybe we don't pay the best salary, but we have a good community to be part of.” 

If you’re looking to build diversity, the recruiting seeds need to be planted early as the technology field is open to everybody, says Doersch, who encourages districts to invite their own students to see what they do by offering IT tours. “We had a very diverse hardware team, and students actually say, ‘Hey wait I look like him, I could do this.’ Or, ‘Look, she's doing that, I could do this!’” she says. “For me, as the chief, I made sure to get in front of our young women to say, ‘Hey, this is a possibility for you.’ And being an Asian-American was another thing I talked about.”  

Fine-tuning your job description to include more inclusive language is also key as it’s the first thing that a potential employee sees when they're considering working for you. 

Other items to consider regarding job descriptions: 

• Question if existing job competencies are barriers 
• Consider experience vs. degrees as well as all lifestyles 
• Include an equity statement in a job description so potential employees know it’s a priority 
• Eliminate technical jargon 
• Talk about your organization’s culture 

Diverse IT School Staff: Hiring, Onboarding, and Retention

Once the job is posted and diverse candidates begin to apply, it’s helpful to have a diverse interview panel that includes various ages, levels of experience, and cultural backgrounds. Although the process should be standardized, it’s important to not just hire the cultural ‘fit,’ and to model a growth mindset. “Remember, they’re deciding if they want to work for you,” says Doersch.

After a prospect is hired, the onboarding process is crucial to show that your organization has a growth plan, and one in which that employee can see themselves achieving career goals and advancing. Objective criteria and metrics should be clear, as are opportunities for job shadowing, professional learning, and especially, mentorship.    

“We found that we were the strongest when we matched mentors up, so that a person felt that they had somebody to go to to find out procedures or the right person to talk to,” says Doersch. “The people who did end up being those mentors were really out to be helpful, and weren't in it for themselves. They really truly were team players who wanted to make our team better.”

Other actions to consider to boost retention:

• Put people in places to succeed 
• Connect their work with the strategic direction of the district 
• Have high expectations 
• Provide frequent feedback
• Coach employees, focusing on fostering independence, developing critical thinking, improving communication, and stretching their abilities 
• Support their proposals  

As always, listening is key. “I constantly talked to our new employees and our technology integrators because that tends to be a lonely job when you're out working at multiple schools,” says Doersch. “I would check in with them and see how they're doing, see if there's any way to lower barriers for them, etc.”

Improving Your Leadership 

Leaders have to be proactive in their approach to management to support diversity and inclusion. 

It’s also important to make sure your leadership team understands about the potential issues within diverse teams, such as cultural microaggressions. “Teaching your team leaders about microaggressions, and what they are and how to stop them, is going to be key,” says Doersch. “We had monthly staff meetings, so we would talk about these things as a whole group, setting up those guardrails for treating each other respectfully.” Be sure to empower middle-level managers to have the skills to confidently report and address these issues when it happens.

Other leadership points to consider:

• Be supportive by showing authentic interest and building trust 
• Seek different perspectives by inviting ideas from everyone 
• Operate with strong results orientation by emphasizing efficiency and completion and focusing on the important issues and not getting distracted by unimportant ones 
• Solve problems effectively, making sure to gather data before making decisions and resolving disputes fairly 

“In leadership, there are vulnerabilities, and being able to sometimes show your underbelly and be vulnerable shows people that you're human and you're learning right along with them,” says Doersch.

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Esports provides a perfect opportunity for students to build community and friendships, play, and learn in a hybrid model or even completely virtually. 

Community, at its core, is focused on social identity and is where a person develops a sense of who they are based on their membership and affiliations with others, said Tunisha Singleton, professor of psychology at Fielding Graduate University, during Tech & Learning’s recent Leveling Up: Esports & Education Conference & Expo. 

“It's very much clear tribalism at its finest, us-versus-them at its core,” said Singleton. “With the evolution of media and technology, it's crucial for us as educators and tech leaders in this space to adopt this belief that technology shouldn't be used as a replacement of human connection. Rather, it should be intended to boost it, and should be complimenting it with convenient fun and original ways for us to engage with one another.”

With that also comes the responsibility of making sure that any esports community is accessible to those who are ordinarily marginalized, said Singleton, and that there is some level of media literacy and digital ethics, and that is also rebranded in a way that's positive and indicative of the learning and connective opportunities that are provided for it.

Singleton and other educators involved in esports discussed the key aspects of creating a safe, diverse, and inclusive gaming community.

Watch the full session here 

Key Takeaways

Defining an esports community. When it comes to defining community, Rudy Blanco, Director of Entrepreneurship and Gaming Programs for The DreamYard Project in New York City, recalled a conversation with a LGBTQ+ youth caucus group. “We asked, ‘What is our community like?’ and it was like, ‘Y'all are my chosen fam right now,’ and that’s what community was at that moment for that group,” said Blanco. He further defined a community as a group who agree to a relationship in which they can all explore new things, grow together, and support one another. An esports community can also set general guidelines but ultimately needs to be aware of how race, gender, and sexual identity will impact the way rules need to be shifted.

When first creating an esports community, it’s important that everyone agree to a certain set of standards, said Samantha Anton, COO of the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF). “You know, is there something that we can refer to and say, ‘Hey you doing this is not okay because we've told everyone this and we've given this opportunity for you to learn more about why we do this,’” said Anton. “And then you can also evolve your guidelines so that it makes sense for your community.”

By establishing a set of standards and sharing it with everyone, students and teachers can know what the standards are, and also have a mechanism to report any incidents. “It's not that bad things won't happen,” said Anton. “It's how we respond to those things and move forward that's really important. And if you don't provide a place where people can let you know what's going on, then you're kind of just turning a blind eye to your community on how you can really be making sure that they are comfortable with how things are going.”

Teaching defense. As important as it is to build safe esports communities, it’s also important to empower kids to defend esports spaces, said Chris Aviles, a teacher at Fair Haven School District in New Jersey and founder of Garden State Esports. “We need students to understand what those safe spaces should look like and then what to do when they encounter somebody who's trying to poison that space,” said Aviles. “They need to be empowered and feel brave enough to stand up to them because it's one thing for me to give some PowerPoint presentation about safe, inclusive spaces but it's completely something different when somebody actually says something ignorant.” Those skills can help in defending other competitors who may be victims and serve students in life beyond school. 

Proactive steps. NASEF offers a code of conduct, which is a good starting point for anyone looking to establish standards of what conduct is appropriate and inappropriate. “And then it's really in how you enforce it,” Anton said. “You can't just create these standards for a safe space and say that you’re done. You need to be responsive and invested in it, and constantly changing what needs to be changed.”

Keeping the code of conduct visible and malleable is important, as is having a restorative justice piece, said Aviles. “When something happens, I work with the kids to understand how they hurt somebody,” said Aviles. “And then the big question is, ‘How are you going to make this right?’” Restorative justice practices that exist in traditional education also work well in the esports space.

Giving students the authority of ‘If you see something, say something’ and the ability to protect victims is critical in building an esports community, said Singleton, and part of the process is inclusion. “Not everyone can relate to being female,” she said. “That's why you have to have bipartisan and other marginalized communities get involved at the development level so that everyone can start to understand what's a threat and what is a trigger.” 

“We started experiencing the most change when we started taking esports participants in ninth grade and even middle school, and teaching them our social-emotional values,” said Blanco. Dream Yard focuses on how to moderate these kinds of discussions, how to identify moments of triggers, how to alleviate certain issues, and how to resolve conflict through social justice. “When their viewers are telling them, ‘Oh that was messed up,’ or when the community is telling them ‘Yo, check yourself,’ we've done our job.”

Gaming girls and representation. With the majority of esports participants male, there’s a lot of work to be done to make tournaments a positive, inclusive coed environment, said Anton. “Everything that we need to be doing should be with diversity in mind.” 

Developing a safe coed gaming space needs to be a proactive process, said Aviles, who talked about reaching out to a girl who enjoyed gaming and had two brothers who were already participating in his program. After the girl had a positive experience her first year, she recruited other girls to play the following year. As competitive esports is a relatively new phenomena, patience is key. “It can oftentimes be frustrating and we have to give ourselves time to let those safe space seeds grow,” said Aviles. “Once girls see somebody breaking the barrier, if you will, then they will come.”

That kind of female representation can’t be underestimated, said Singleton. “It has to be intentional, so you can see that others have done, like, ‘Oh snap, okay, I can do it. I too can be a part of this, it might be fun for me as well.’ So it's just about changing that culture, and we have to invite people who ordinarily have just been looking into the space. It's now part of the responsibility of being in this space.” 

“If you are not seen doing this, you can't see yourself doing this,” agreed Blanco. “You can't put yourself in here, no matter how much the media is talking about Ninja, or how esports competitions are making it big time now.” Recently, Dream Yard has started working with young women who are interested in streaming and want to learn the entrepreneurship of gameplay. 

Getting started. “I don't think anyone can really start an esports community just by themselves,” said Anton, who recommends first taking stock of the resources available and your strengths and weaknesses, and then communicate and work with those students and teachers who are passionate about esports. 

If you’re launching any sort of esport program, be sure to check out trustworthy organizations such as NASEF and other school districts, said Aviles. “Not everybody has the best intentions of students in mind,” he said.

Focusing on your values to create a community and an esports environment that reflects that is critical, said Singleton. “How do you actually support diversity and inclusion, what are you doing--show me the receipts!” she said. “This is a great opportunity to now get creative and reimagining and producing curriculum in a space that is way more immersive and impactful and something that can be translated offline as well.” 

Also consider getting started with students who are passionate about tech besides competing, said Blanco. “Esports is so much more than just the game piece,” he said, adding that there are opportunities for camera people, reporters, casters, and other game-related jobs. “Let students come to that on their own and I think that that's the best place to start. Find a way to connect your passion with gaming to their passion, and then just follow it.”

• The Do’s and Don’ts of Scholastic Esports Programs
• How to Stay Healthy While Competing in Esports

Updated 1/22

Six minutes into his inauguration speech on Wednesday, newly sworn-in President Joe Biden highlighted the importance of schools and keeping educators and students safe from the coronavirus. 

“We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus,” said the President as part of his call for the country’s citizens to embrace unity and combat Covid-19 together. 

Shortly after the speech, the president signed executive orders extending a pause on student loans and protecting the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Wednesday evening’s televised celebration of President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ nomination included an appearance by Mackenzie Adams, a Washington kindergarten teacher whose enthusiastic virtual lessons went viral. Adams introduced a musical tribute to teachers performed by Dave Grohl. 

Biden’s wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is a longtime educator and advocate for the profession, and his new administration is expected to begin pursuing an ambitious education plan. 

Pending congressional approval, in the coming days and months the administration hopes to: 

Reopen Most Schools to In-Person Learning 

Biden’s goal is to have K-8 school children return to in-person classes within 100 days and all K-12 students be back in-person soon afterward. To accomplish this, he’ll ask Congress for $170 billion in funds. “We can do it, if we give school districts, communities, and states the clear guidance they need as well as the resources they will need that they cannot afford right now because of the economic crisis we are in,” Biden said while announcing a Covid relief plan on January 14. Biden added his plan will support “more testing and transportation, additional cleaning and sanitizing services, protective equipment, and ventilation systems in the schools.” On his second day in office Biden signed an executive order aimed at achieving these goals.

Key to resuming in-person classes is getting teachers vaccinated as well as testing every student, teacher and staff member at schools on a weekly basis. 

Address the Digital Divide   

The new administration is likely to lend more assistance to the millions of students who lack reliable internet access. Biden is expected to name a new director for the Office of Educational Technology, which develops national edtech policy. Under former Education Secretary Betsy Devos the office was downsized by at least half, and many educators wanted more leadership and guidance throughout the pandemic crises. Biden will also name an acting chair of the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees E-Rate, a program that helps get schools and libraries discounted internet access. 

Dr. Miguel Cardona, Biden’s nomination for Secretary of Education, made digital access for all students a priority as the commissioner of education in Connecticut. In December, Cardona and other Connecticut officials announced the state was the first in the nation to close the digital divide. Less than a year after the pandemic began, Connecticut had successfully provided a laptop and high-speed internet access to every public school student who needed either. 

Help Some Students Pay for College  

On the campaign trail, Biden promised to address the $1.6 trillion student debt crisis. “A good education should be a reliable pathway to the middle class,” he tweeted on Oct. 8. “But for too many, earning a credential or degree after high school comes with a mountain of debt or is out of reach altogether.” 

Biden hopes to pursue legislation that will allow students to go to community college for two years for free. Additionally, he adopted a plan from Sen. Bernie Sanders to make public colleges and universities tuition-free for every student whose family makes less than $125,000 annually and to forgive $10,000 per person in student debt. 

In one of Biden’s first actions as president, he indicated how serious he is about these initiatives by directing the Department of Education to extend a freeze on student loan payments through Sept. 30. 

Long Term Investment in Teachers, Diversity, and Mental Health Support 

The Biden administration has announced an ambitious funding program for education. His campaign website states he wants to, “Make sure teachers receive a competitive wage and benefits. In 2018, public school teachers made 21.4 percent less than workers with similar education and experience. And public school teachers’ average weekly wage hasn’t increased since 1996.” 

Biden also noted the importance of teacher diversity. “Research shows us the substantial and unique impact that teachers of color have on students of color,” the website says. Finally, Biden said he will work to eliminate the funding gap between white and non-white school districts and he said he wants to double the number of psychologists, counselors, nurses, social workers, and other health professionals in schools.

Further Reading

• Inside President Biden’s Rapid Covid Testing Plan for Schools
• States Roll Out Vaccines for Teachers: What You Need to Know
• Best Digital Resources to Teach the Inauguration

Community first, competition second. 

That’s the philosophy driving the inclusive esports and gaming initiatives at DreamYard, a Bronx, New York, organization that partners with local schools to help students achieve success through the arts. In November the organization launched “BX Start,” a 4,000-square-foot gaming center in Foxhurst designed to be an inclusive gaming space that fosters students from diverse backgrounds interested in developing gaming careers.

“We’re collaborating with schools and other nonprofits to begin hosting tournaments to provide best practices and informal training to educators and gamers on how to grow healthy esports communities,” says Rudy Blanco, director of entrepreneurship and gaming at DreamYard. Ultimately, Blanco hopes the center will host its own esports tournament next spring. 

Esports has exploded in popularity recently. More than 170 universities have esports programs some of which award substantial scholarships. But despite increasing minority participation and audiences, gaming as a whole remains primarily white and male. About three out of four working in the gaming industry are men, and a similar proportion are white, while 79% identify as heterosexual, according to a survey conducted by the International Game Developers Association. 

Blanco is hoping the gaming community “BX Start” fosters will increase diversity in the industry and create opportunity for Bronx students. Since March the facility has been closed due to the pandemic, but the mission continues to be accomplished through online interactions and gaming events. 

Break the Code

Blanco says there’s a misconception that to have a career in gaming one needs to be a coder and even when most people “Talk about gaming it's through a coding lens.” In reality, he says, “You can be a creative of any type and find an entry point into gaming.” 

“Not everyone has to be tech-savvy or a code talker to be a part of the gaming industry,” says Ronald Gordan, 19, one of Blanco’s former students who now writes for the New York Videogames Critics Circle community and is a student at City Tech College. “Me personally, I’m not pursuing anything in game design or anything like that, but I’m still part of the gaming industry because I review games.” 

Another former Blanco student, Kimari Rennis has gone the coding route, although she says it’s not necessary, and likens the diversity of jobs within gaming to that of making movies. “When you’re making games you need an economic teams, you need people from marketing, you need HR and PR, you need artists, you need people who are skilled in audio,” says Rennis, 18, who writes for New York Videogame Critics Circle and will begin a degree in video game design at New York University this fall. “You need people who are good at writing narrative. There are a lot more things that go into making games beyond programming.”  

Weeding Out the Toxicity

To help ensure physical or online gaming spaces associated with schools are free of toxicity and bullying, Blanco recommends resources provided by raisinggoodgamers.com, an organization dedicated to changing the culture of online gaming. 

“No matter where you go, we know that toxicity is going to be there,” Blanco says. “The bullying will happen. And we, as adults, can’t assume we’re going to be there when it does happen, so the only recourse we have is to train leaders, which we do at DreamYard.”

To develop gaming spaces that are also safe for LGTBQIA and minority students, DreamYard tasked a group of young people to design a server that focused on best practices. “They interviewed users, researched inclusive digital spaces, and are currently building a server with some inclusive practices baked in,” said Blanco. “The key is to build youth moderators that can grow into the role of guarding and holding safe spaces.” 

Rennis says that in a school setting the games you choose matter for inclusivity. 

“In all my years of going to video game clubs, they seem to attract 99 percent boys and I’m the only girl, and that’s because a lot of the games are really geared toward a male audience and that really pushes away a lot of the girl gamers,” Rennis says. School gaming clubs tend to focus on highly competitive fighting games, which she says may not be as appealing to women. Games such as Mario Kart and some of the motion Nintendo Wii-style games, are examples that are more casual and that everybody can fit into, she says.

Embrace Online Community and Resources 

Before the pandemic DreamYard’s programs were exclusively in the high school, Blanco says.  Now that they are hosting online gatherings and gaming events, they are being beamed into student’s homes, which has its advantages. He says they are frequently connecting with their students’ younger siblings and getting the whole family excited about gaming. 

Gaming also provides online educational opportunities. As a high school student, Rennis worked with the School of Interactive Arts, a free program that partners with schools. “You can learn coding and enter gaming competitions,” she says. Through her work in the program, Rennis won a game design award, which helped get her into the industry. Other gaming resources she recommends include Mouse, Harvard’s free game development course, and New York University’s Future Game Designers. 

Changing the Narrative

Gamers are sometimes taunted and called “no lifers” by other kids, Rennis says, and there are a lot of misconceptions, even from adults, about how much opportunity there is in the gaming industry. “This is a valid career path and more non-gamers need to understand that,” she says. 

“This is a career and just as with pursuing a doctorate, it takes a lot of time.” 

The vast amount of opportunities is why Blanco is passionate about encouraging underrepresented students to pursue gaming journalism and game writing paths that emphasize narrative skills. “My perspective here is if we train writers to tell stories, we can change the story,” Blanco says.

Rudy Blanco will be one of the presenters at Leveling Up: The Esports Conference & Expo on December 4, 2020. The event is designed for leaders in K-12, higher education, and pro AV integrators, and is free for qualified attendees, who can register here.  

When it comes to diversity, “It’s more than just hashtags,” said Adam Phyall III, Director of Technology and Media Services for Newton County School System in Covington, Georgia. “When you start talking about diversity, whether it’s in technology or education, what happens when the hashtag is over and it’s no longer trending on social media, what are you still doing?”

Best practices, advice, and resources to address diversity in technology and education was the focus of “Supporting Diversity in Technology,” a presentation during Tech & Learning’s recent Virtual Leadership Summit, which provided an environment in which district leaders could share their successes and challenges in facilitated small group discussions.

Watch the full session

Key Takeaways

Make yourself uncomfortable. “When we’re talking about diversity, equity, and inclusion, you have to be very intentional about this work,” Phyall said. “If you don’t get uncomfortable at any point in this process, then you’re not doing the work the right way because ultimately any time you’re dealing with this conversation, it’s more than curriculum. When you’re talking about equity, diversity, and inclusion, that’s going to change you at the core of your being. After you walk out of work, you have to take this home with you. You have to second guess your preconceived notions about how you interact with individuals.” 

Authentic relationships. “When you talk about race, color, or sexual orientation, do you have individuals outside of your work space that you have those relationships with?” asked Phyall. “Are you building your skill set and knowledge?” Embrace your ignorance because it says that you have more things to learn. Then you can address it and inform yourself by proactively building new relationships or attending events to broaden your horizons. Take advantage of those opportunities to get uncomfortable so you can grow. 

Equity beyond devices. The whole idea behind digital equity and supporting diversity is ensuring that not only everyone has a device, but it fulfills the needs of the student, teacher, or even the community, said Sandra Paul, Director of IT for the Township of Union Public Schools, a particularly diverse district in New Jersey. “The device alone does not answer the question of digital equity,” said Paul. “You have to be intentional about what you’re doing--just because you’re 1:1, it doesn’t work that way. Digital equity encompasses so much more than that.”

Individual needs. “We can tear down the barriers, but we want to make sure that individuals have the tools and resources needed for them to achieve what they need to achieve,” said Phyall. For example, does a student with special needs require a tablet instead of a Chromebook? “Equity is providing what that student needs, when they need it,” he said. To fill equity gaps, know your students and their needs.

Staff access. Although the focus is on providing access and devices for students, many professional staff also lack. For her district, Paul had to scramble to provide devices and hotspots for her teachers and staff. “Sometimes, you don’t recognize the inequity from that point of view, but it’s real,” she said.

Everyone has to be involved. In addition to minority groups, it’s important to encourage women to get into technology, said Paul. “There is a deficit of women in technology and engineering fields,” she said. It is the responsibility of white and male professionals to notice that lack of diversity because they are the ones in position who have the power to make the change, said Phyall. “You have to have allies in this work,” he said. “You can’t ask the person who is suffering from an illness to come up with their own cure.” The structures in place need to be re-examined and changed.

The leadership pipeline is dry. Even though there has been an increase in women and people of color in tech fields, more work needs to be done to get them into the proper tracks to become tech leaders. The glass ceiling needs to be eliminated, and there needs to be more diverse voices in the room, said Phyall. With different perspectives available, more solutions can be found. “Our strength is in our diversity,” said Phyall.

Opportunity is knocking. With the pandemic and all the remote work and learning, the need for tech is greater than ever before. The jobs are out there but the personnel is currently lacking, which is why it’s important to encourage diverse groups to get involved. “If we don’t step into and prepare our students for this Information Age we’re presently in, we’re not going to have enough people to fulfill those positions,” said Paul. 

Trending in the wrong direction. Paul shared statistics showing that the number of females and students of color taking computer science classes in her district has declined over the past three years. This trend is prevalent across the state and nation as well, she said.

Identifying and overcoming barriers. Be realistic about barriers, said Phyall. “If you see a big freaking hole while you’re walking, and you want to get over it, you have to run,” he said. “You can’t just say, ‘There’s a hole there.’ You have to identify the obstacle so you can put a solution in place.”

Girl power. Paul identified organizations and events dedicated to supporting and involving girls in technology, including National Center for Women and Information Technology, Grace Hopper Conference, IBM-EXITE, Cisco Girl’s Power Tech Day, and Microsoft DigiGirlz Day. Paul also invites female engineers and IT professionals to speak to her students. In his district, Phyall welcomes Black Girls Code and Girls Who Code, and has organized special events for girls to explore coding.

Pitsco Education, in collaboration with SmartGurlz™, today announced the launch of Smart Buddies™ – the newest addition to its K-12 coding and robotics continuum. Smart Buddies is a new coding solution accompanied by a curriculum that focuses on increasing diversity awareness for third- to fifth-grade students throughout the US and Canada.

Smart Buddies has been created with a diverse set of relatable characters, or "buddies," on self-balancing, programmable scooters called Siggys™ to enable learners to better envision themselves working in STEM and coding. With a focus on storytelling, the new coding solution leverages the Smart Buddies app, where students are first introduced to their buddies – different role models who have interests in science, engineering, and the arts. These characters address systemic and personal issues such as diversity, race, gender differences, and conflict resolution. Students are then exposed to the basics of block-based coding by controlling the movements of their characters on their Siggys. Exercises include problem-solving techniques that cover fundamental coding concepts such as sequences, loops, events, conditionals, functions, and variables.

Designed to use right after download, the Smart Buddies app is a redesigned version of the block-based programming tool Google Blockly that offers never-ending in-app challenges to keep children engaged for hours.

Smart Buddies Features:

• ENGAGING: A recent pilot with 250 students showed high levels of engagement with both girls and boys, with teachers reporting that children opted to miss recess to continue coding.
• INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING: Combines imaginative yet real-life storytelling with coding and math-related subjects.
• MAXIMIZES LEARNING OUTCOMES: Introduces the basics of computer science by covering sequences, functions, subroutines, and loops.
• CORE CURRICULUM: Lesson plans are designed to meet ISTE-S and Common Core State Standards.
• STEM TO OTHER CLASSES: Can cover multiple subjects, such as English, science, and mathematics.
• SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING: Lessons include opportunities for discussion, debate, and reflection on important topics such as diversity, gender differences, and conflict resolution.
• CODE OF CONDUCT: A code of conduct serves as communication guidelines for teachers and classmates to support behaviors that encourage inclusivity.

Beginning September 2019, Smart Buddies will be available for purchase in customizable four-packs throughout the US and Canada, exclusively through Pitsco Education at Pitsco.com/SmartBuddies. Additional buddies can be individually purchased to best fit the demographic of every classroom, every year. To see Smart Buddies in action prior to release, visit Pitsco Education at ISTE 2019 in booth 2215.

Global platform for specialist media, Future plc, parent company of Tech & Learning, today announces Zillah Byng-Thorne, Chief Executive has pledged her support of the Ascent CEO promise, an incentive which outlines actions required by organizations and companies to create an inclusive and equitable workplace.

This is the latest in an ongoing effort from Future to create a diverse and inclusive meritocracy, in order to foster a thriving, supportive company culture. Claire MacLellan, Managing Director of People & Culture at Future has also signed the pledge.

[The Big 3's War Over EDU: A Comparison of Apple, Google, and Microsoft]

The petition, put forth by PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association), highlights three main goals the participating company or organization promises to take:

1. We will make our workplaces and events open and trusting settings.
2. We will provide education on barriers to inclusivity, including unconscious bias.
3. We will share what we know, what we learn, and what needs improvement.

Zillah Byng-Thorne, CEO of Future says,

“The Ascent CEO Promise is a crucial and positive movement that aligns perfectly with our values and outlook at Future. I am proud to sign my name alongside many distinguished leaders working to empower those challenged by discrimination to find success.”

Over 85 senior executives have signed the petition since the PCMA announced it at IMEX Frankfurt on May 15-17.

For more information on the Ascent CEO Promise, visit https://www.pcma.org/ascent-ceo-promise/

Diversity is a buzzword and commonly discussed topic in edtech twitter chats, educational conferences, and PD sessions around the world. At this point, we should be going beyond surface-level diversity chats and should instead be having deeper conversations about how we can create diverse and inclusive educational spaces where educators are equitable in their mindsets and practices and are willing to gain the skills they need to embody and live out the idea that all kids can learn.

These conversations are important because bias can creep into our lives in too many ways—through the media, our communities, our families, our friends, and our experiences. How do we move beyond these biases? How do we identify our own biases and address them in a healthy way? It starts with you as an individual, with an understanding that you need to decenter yourself—ego aside—and reflect. There are many resources available to help us begin this very personal work, but we can begin simply by reflecting on these questions: How does my own social location (race, class, gender, religion) shape my mindset about teaching and learning, the students I am serving, and the practices I act out? What more do I need to learn about the things I don’t know related to culture, power, and difference?

Where can I learn that material? How can I be a more critically conscious educator? When we create diverse and inclusive spaces we allow others to gain so much. Learning from each other is what makes us grow. How do you look internally and unpack your own implicit or overt biases?

Patricia J. Brown (@msEdtechie) is a Technology Specialist for Ladue (MO) School District and was an Honorable Mention Winner in the 2017 Tech & Learning Leader of the Year contest.