Before COVID-19, remote work was the exception, not the rule. Working in person was the standard, and guidance on developing organizational culture was limited to in-person environments, including work focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). But, as a distributed organization, The Learning Accelerator (TLA) was determined to continue growing our organizational culture and advancing DEI, both in-person and remotely. We also knew we weren’t alone in this need, so we recruited other equity-driven education organizations and launched the Remote DEI Collective (RDC) in 2019, a community of practice designed to collaboratively learn and advance organizational DEI, with a remote lens, across the education sector.
In this next phase of the RDC, we’re exploring how we develop and sustain this community of practice while refining our purpose, operating structures, and learning agenda to achieve greater impact. After exhaustive consultation with the RDC steering committee, we are shifting towards deeper learning and honing in on one particular topic from RDC’s learning agenda: power-sharing and decision-making. As we move forward, we will seek to learn about different forms of power, how it is used and maintained, and what needs to be done to distribute it across both individual decisions and broader systems.
The RDC launched its newest phase in January, continuing with organizations previously a part of the collective: EdTec, Gradient Learning, Illustrative Mathematics, Next Generation Learning Challenges (NGLC), PowerMyLearning, and The Leadership Academy. And in May, members of the RDC met in Austin, Texas, to share emerging practices and find inspiration from the community. As the community continues our work, we look forward to sharing what we’re learning and engaging others who are interested in this work.
Interested in engaging with the RDC?
- Explore remote DEI strategies in the Remote DEI Toolkit
- Follow the RDC Medium Blog for the latest blogs on remote DEI
- Sign up for the RDC’s email group here
