Considerations for engaging in DEI work in remote and hybrid schools
Supporting educators and students in a remote learning setting while working on DEI initiatives can be challenging. This strategy card introduces an overview of important challenges and considerations to keep in mind.
More and more, schools and organizations are recognizing the need for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Focusing on DEI not only improves internal culture and climate, but has also been shown to increase productivity and innovation.
DEI work is already complex as it is, requiring dedicated capacity, time for ongoing learning, a cultural commitment to improvement, and a willingness on behalf of the system to change both practices and overall paradigms. While virtual learning existed well before the COVID-19 pandemic, since 2020, remote learning opportunities have increased, leaving leaders and educators to grapple with reconciling the dynamics of remote learning with the environment required for effective DEI work.
Building relationships and deepening trust
DEI and identity work requires strong relationships, vulnerability, and trust – all of which can be difficult to foster remotely. Often, there are fewer opportunities for informal chatter and organic relationship-building, leading to a common feeling of isolation. Especially when restricted to phone or video calls, which limit participants’ abilities to read nonverbal cues and emotional dispositions, virtual spaces make it challenging to connect and show up authentically.
Navigating conflict and creating space for courageous conversations
By virtue of remote dynamics, educators working for the same school or system can have significantly fewer touchpoints with one another. Consequently, teams can place a high value on maintaining harmony rather than addressing underlying conflicts. When interactions are limited to scheduled calls, it is often easier to avoid a sensitive topic or change the course of dialogue to ignore tough subjects. When a culture of sweeping conflicts under the rug is developed, unconscious biases and microaggressions go unchallenged, and those with power and privilege benefit most.
Mitigating the inherent biases with remote learning and talent
Being able to work remotely assumes several things about an educator: they have the means to set up or access an effective workspace, they can troubleshoot technology and access virtual spaces, they can travel to in-person meetings, and more. Biases can be rife when schools recruit, hire, and onboard staff, but leaders must confront these biases to improve DEI.
Optimizing organizational culture and practices inclusively and equitably
White supremacy culture is already deeply seated in professional spaces, but certain characteristics can be exacerbated for educators working in remote environments. Without physical proximity, leaders can overemphasize productivity, focusing on quantity over quality. Teams may value working independently versus collaboratively, leading to a competitive culture and individualism. Leaders might reward those to whom they are more strongly connected, hoarding power within the organization. Such instances of white supremacy culture in remote spaces benefit those with more power – whether based on one’s role, identity, or proximity to whiteness.
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.