4 Equity Mission Statement Development Tool
Equity Mission Statement Development Tool
The purpose of the Equity Mission Statement is to help the Equity Committee identify tangible goals related to creating an equitable school environment for all students. The construction of an equity mission statement will allow all involved parties to work collaboratively to ensure those impacted by the work of Education for Liberation (E4L) are heard and valued.
In order to create a purposeful equity mission statement, E4L researched other statements published by K-12 systems and selected the ones most closely related to our work. It is important to note that not every mission statement will include all the same components, but it is critical to share that some overlap shows a shared mission to help improve school environments.
Below are six (6) components E4L has identified as key factors needed in order to create a strong and effective equity mission statement. After reviewing multiple examples that we feel best align with our focus, we created the following to help guide schools to create their own.
Components of a strong and effective equity mission statement:
(Each component is color-coded in the legend below. Please use this system to navigate the listed examples to see how we identify the components in equity mission statements.)
#1 Staff/Stakeholders – This component defines the role(s) of staff members/stakeholders in order to create equitable school environments for students.
#2 Students – This component identifies the needs of students in order to create an equitable school environment.
#3 Student Potential – This component identifies the need to focus on student potential as individuals and not from a preconceived deficit model. This allows staff/ stakeholders to pinpoint the differences in student needs and development to prevent a “one-size-fits-all” approach when working with different student populations.
#4 Disrupting Harmful Systems/Ideologies – This component aims to identify problematic systems/ practices etc. that limit marginalized student populations based on race, gender, dis/ability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, etc. by providing an alternative call to action.
#5 Resources to Achieve Equitable Environments – This component identifies particular resources needed to ensure student success in the form of tangible resources that include, but are not limited to programming, funding, communal support, assessments, etc.
#6 Real-World Readiness/Preparedness – This component identifies the intention to incorporate viewpoints of those outside the dominant student population and focuses on operating in a multi-cultural society similar to spaces outside of the school.
Equity Mission Statement Example:
Ferndale Public School district provides a strong and clear mission statement on diversity that E4L highly recommends as an example for an equity mission statement. We have coded their statement to highlight the components we have identified as necessary in order to create a well-rounded equity mission statement. (Please note: not all examples of equity mission statements will have our recommended six (6) components. However, this is a guide to support the creation of your own and what should be included.)
- Creating a district where a student feels safe, included, respected, and motivated to learn from an environment that:
- Celebrates its diversity and fosters relationships of acceptance
- All families are empowered to advocate on their child’s behalf
- Closes the achievement, opportunity, and equity gaps that exist in our school
- The greater community is connected and involved in guiding and nurturing our children
Here is an example equity mission statement E4L has created based on the examples found and the 6 components.
Sample Education for Liberation Equity Mission Statement
(coded with E4L’s six components)
Education for Liberation strives to provide high-impact training opportunities to support school districts across the state of Indiana to create an equitable learning environment for all students. Our focus is to deepen the understanding of equity for students by intentionally dismantling deficit thought processes on student identities including race, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, dis/ability, and other factors. This is done by identifying achievement gaps, providing intentional resources, assessing student needs consistently, and eradicating dated forms of student support practices that have historically catered to dominant populations.
Equity Mission Statement Template
The following prompts serve as a guide to help create an equity mission statement. Each section connects to the six (6) components E4L has identified as a requirement that should be included in the final equity mission statement. Please refer to the example(s) provided, including in the appendix.
- How does your team define equity?
- #1 Staff/Stakeholders:
- What role(s) do you see staff playing to make an equitable environment for students?
- #2 Students:
- What are student needs in regard to equity and how has your team identified this?
- #3 Student Potential:
- How does your school/ district identify student potential? Please be sure to include information around identities and academic achievement and support.
- In what ways does your school define the diversity of the student population?
- #4 Disrupting Harmful Systems/Ideologies:
- Identify the gaps within the school/ district related to the student population.
- What systems/ ideologies in your school/ district should be eradicated/ revisited for reform?
- #5 Resources to Achieve Equitable Environments:
- What resources are available or are needed in order to support your student population?
- #6 Real-World Readiness/Preparedness:
- How does your school/ district hope to incorporate diverse thoughts and ideas to support real-world experiences?
Equity-Mission-Statement-Template(Click to download)
For more examples of equity-based mission statements, click here: Equity-Based Mission Statement Examples