DEI Task Force: Working Together To Create Change
Launched in 2020, SL Network’s internal DEI Task Force is a voluntary committee comprised of staff that represents a cross-section of departments and seniority levels. The primary goal of the Task Force is to ensure that we address and approach our work through a DEI lens. Since its formation nearly three years ago, the group remains as committed and active as ever in ensuring we stay aligned with our North Star DEI goals.
Making Progress On Our Goals
Our DEI goals are to ensure that our programs, policies, and practices are culturally relevant, inclusive, and responsive for students, as well as foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization where all staff can grow and thrive–and we’re making progress! These are a few of the highlights.
Diversity
As an organization, we are familiar with the diversity of our student population – and as such, we strive to reflect the students and communities we serve. Self-reported student data shows that 90% of our students identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color), and similarly 81% of our staff identify as BIPOC.
Staff feedback also helped the organization recognize the importance of expanding identification categories to be more inclusive. As such, we are collecting and maintaining more accurate, comprehensive data regarding our students and staff. Through this process improvement, we hope to understand our communities and their needs better–and ultimately advance our mission.
Equity and Inclusion
We have implemented several initiatives in support of equitable hiring and retention practices. Some notable achievements include:
- the launch of a new-hire virtual onboarding process via our Human Resources system;
- undertaking a compensation equity study facilitated by a third-party firm; and
- reimagining our annual performance appraisal process with input from staff to make it an affirming and valuable experience for all.
Tied closely with our equity goals is our vision of an inclusionary environment for everyone in our community, whether at school, our office, or in a virtual meeting room. The Task Force has developed and championed several initiatives to foster inclusivity and amplify the talents and expertise of our staff including a Courageous Conversations series and DEI book club. These events are staff-led and advance our progress by leaning into our own internal experts in relation to subject matters that align with our students and mission.
Looking Ahead
The DEI Task Force has made a real, tangible impact at the organization in a few short years and they will not rest on their laurels. Coming up, the task force will continue to host Courageous Conversations on topics such as digital accessibility.
The task force will also play an instrumental role in assessing professional development strategies for the organization that will more intentionally cultivate inclusive learning opportunities. They also look forward to identifying ways to build upon successful initiatives such as our inaugural Juneteenth family picnic this past summer and a staff wellness afternoon.
We are proud of the work we’ve done and the progress we have made–but the work continues, and we look forward to creating more change together. Learn more about working at SL Network and our shared core values.
