Q: A Board member has been encouraging us to provide diversity training to all faculty and staff. I’m not sure how to approach this. What do you suggest?
A: As with any training initiative, schools should reflect on their needs and objectives before launching this training. We’ve compiled several key questions for schools to ask when contemplating diversity initiatives.?
- How do we define diversity??Are we focused on a particular type of diversity, or do we define diversity broadly (e.g., racial, ethnic, orientation, religious, socioeconomic, etc.)??
- Are we launching this training in response to an incident—or is it organic (i.e., flowing from the school’s mission, culture, and values)?? Has an incident occurred that requires employee training? If so, will training resolve the issue—or, do we need to have a broader discussion about how we interact with one another within our community? Or, are we launching this because it is central to—and thus, an extension of—our mission, culture, and values as a school?
- Is employee diversity training part of a larger, schoolwide diversity initiative (e.g., including efforts to recruit more diverse students/families)? Will the training be perceived as a random event, or will it be seen in the context of a broader, overall program??
- What outcome are we hoping for from the training? How will we know if it has been successful or not? Are we hoping for changed behavior? Greater awareness?? By considering these questions before launching your diversity initiative, you are much more likely to successfully achieve your objectives and enhance the school community’s culture.
