Making our programs more diverse, equitable, and inclusive is a long, sustained process, not a quick fix, and requires that all staff, with excellent leadership, collaborate on all efforts. Students thrive in programs where collaboration and common understanding of values is known by all staff. The SABES PSPDC provides PD that highlights, emphasizes, and supports collaboration between all staff, and supports directors in leading programs through change. To make the cultural shift that is asked of us in DEI work, programs must move as a whole.

For example, in the Planning for Continuous Improvement PD series (see the Calendar posting for the upcoming offering and to register) we invite program leaders to ask themselves the following questions:

• Do you believe that you are first and foremost accountable to the adult learners in your program?
• Are you looking for innovative ways to accelerate their learning, promote successful outcomes, and better support their planning and transitions to next steps?
• Do you strive to maximize the effectiveness of the time that your teachers and learners spend in your program?

Workplace Audit for DEI

DEI is not the work of sole practitioners or the isolated work of introspection, but is collaborative, honest work that includes all part of programming. Everyone needs to be included for DEI changes to be felt throughout the organization. To reflect this reality of how change actually happens, we are designing a sustained, two-part offering called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Adult Education Programs: Workplace Assessment and Planning with Dr. Carmine Stewart.

• Part 1: February 26, 2021: Participants will be asked to view their programs through the lens of their students to identify ways that each component of their program is welcoming and inclusive, or ways that it is not. Each participating organization will examine procedures and artifacts from their particular program to look for evidence of race, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to identify any products or practices that are not, then create a plan to begin making small changes.
• Part 2: May 14, 2021: Participants will have the opportunity to share the results from their workplace audit experiment and get guidance for carrying this work forward.

What Could Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Adult Education Programs Look Like?

(List based on session description written by Carmine Stewart)

• Diverse teacher and advisor workforce
• Built-in and ongoing check-ins on DEI progress and practices that create a culture of DEI
• Advisory groups made up of a variety of stakeholders, including students and staff representatives
• Strategic community partnerships
• Leadership that values DEI-related training and changes and supports teachers/advisors to build capacity for DEI practices
• Inclusive websites and promotional material/messaging
• Data-driven reviews and reflections on how well the program serves all demographics
• Students who are ensured equitable access to academic and non-academic resources
• Reviews and reflections on student data to determine a need for demographic-specific changes

Check the SABES Calendar to learn more about the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Adult Education Programs: Workplace Assessment and Planning offering. You will be asked to complete an interest form to indicate your interest in participating in this work. We ask that directors sign up and plan to bring one or more colleagues to participate. Please be in touch with dani_scherer@world.org for more information.