Shoreline Race & Equity Impact Decision-Making Tool

The purpose of this tool is to engage everyone involved in Shoreline Schools to learn, think and address how race and equity impacts choices in instruction, programming, staffing, funding, and policy. All members of the Shoreline Schools community should strive to improve anti-racist practices and equity awareness through all of our activities and choices. We encourage the application of this tool in any decisions that impact students, staff and families of Shoreline School District.

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Before a Decision

Section A: Pause and examine YOU - Who are you? (as an individual and as a decision-making team)

1. Who is involved in making a decision? Who is at the table right now making this decision? What is your racial composition?
2. What dimensions of diversity beyond race (gender, class, sexuality, gender identity, culture, age, ability, immigrant status, etc.) are represented here? Who is not?
3. Based on our group membership, what inherent biases do we bring to the table?
4. What institutional power within the organization do we have? What powers do we not have?

Section B: Who is affected?

1. What is the racial composition of the impacted groups? Who is affected?
2. If known, what is the existing racial disparity we are trying to address? What is the data source?
3. What dimensions of diversity beyond race (gender, class, sexuality, gender identity, culture, age, ability, immigrant status, etc.) are in the impacted group?
4. What are the power dynamics or disparities between YOU and those affected?
5. In which ways is the impacted group involved in the decision-making? Why that method?

Section C: What are the impacts?

1. How will the decision of this group advance equity in our system?
2. What evaluation tools and measures do we need to determine the impacts of our decision?
3. In what ways could the decision fail to advance equity?
4. What are the necessary resources to make this an equitable decision?
5. What are the potential challenges, structural barriers, or unexpected blind spots?

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After the implementation of the decision: Reflection

Section D: What do you think happened?

1. Did you succeed in advancing equity? To what degree? How do you know? (What evaluation tools and measures were used to determine the impacts of our decision?) If no, what steps are we taking to ensure equity is still achieved?
2. Who helped you in ways you did not expect?
3. What are the unintended consequences, positive or negative?
4. How have we invited authentic feedback (especially from those most impacted) on our process and our outcomes?

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Summary of Findings (accountability)

 

 

 

 

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Next Steps

 

 

 

 

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Adapted from Arts Corps 2014 and Seattle Race and Social Justice Initiative August 2012

The Race and Equity Decision Making Tool was created by the Shoreline Equity Advisory Committee (comprised of staff & families) in support of the district’s Race and Equity Policy 0150.