DEI Metrics
3 min read

Collecting and analyzing data to assess DEI initiatives

Discover which data points can be collected and analyzed to assess progress based on DEI goals.

DEI metrics are the data points that indicate gaps or progress based on DEI goals. The ability to approach this work with an analytical lens and deeply understand associated metrics is crucial both in understanding where a school or system is on its DEI journey – and where it wants to go.

Use this in order to…

  • Establish a standardized way to more clearly define and measure the impact of DEI activities in your school or system.

  • Secure support and resources from leadership.

  • Clearly illustrate how your commitment to DEI shows up in your strategy and day-to-day work.

“DEI work is complicated, contextual, and deeply personal. Measuring the work accurately can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We’ve learned that applying some type of measurement to our efforts can help us reflect on whether or not we’re collectively making movement and help us keep our eye on what’s most important.” – Lavada Berger, Transcend

Key Components

  • Draft goals and metrics (qualitative and quantitative) aligned with your strategy and approach to DEI.

  • Consider how you’ll support your staff in meeting these goals, as well as who will hold teammates (and the school/system as a whole) accountable for the metrics – and how.

  • Get feedback on your metrics from your team (especially individuals whose work will be directly impacted, and those who may be positioned furthest from opportunity within your team or society more broadly, and your organizational leaders).

  • Work on putting supports in place and finalize your metrics.

  • Continuously revisit metrics to assess whether they are meaningful and useful.

Considerations for Remote Implementation

  • Over-communicate. Having a handle on everything that is happening in any system can be a challenge; this is even more true in a virtual system where information often lives in documents, social media, messaging programs (e.g., Slack), and email. With that in mind, develop a clear communication plan and over-communicate.

  • Consider where information will live. In some schools and systems, staff may use bulletin boards (or similar tools) to share their progress against metrics. Consider what your virtual “bulletin board” will be and how you can encourage staff to regularly check on progress.

The Remote DEI Collective was a collaborative group led by The Learning Accelerator (TLA), and brought together participants from remote organizations to address the challenges of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in remote environments. This strategy has been adapted from the Remote DEI Collective’s toolkit, which was built to offer resources to improve remote culture and practices, in order to better suit leaders and educators working for schools that offer virtual and hybrid learning options to students.

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