Intentional Representation and Group Choice in Educational Organizations
Education Policy of the 21st century has been dominated by language of equity, equality, and inclusion. Major landmarks in public education of the past century included desegregation, intentional school choice, and accountability systems designed to reduce performance gaps between key student subgroups. However, many school districts once forced to desegregate have now been granted unitary status by local courts, effectively being released from the legal oversight which once forced them to consciously implement desegregation practices. Furthermore, the rise of alternative schools such as magnets and charters have resulted in school populations that are once again homogeneous. Now, accountability systems are identifying not just performance gaps between Caucasian and African American students, but between high and low-income students, and other growing minority groups in the United States. One solution to these disparities could be greater intentionality from outside education organizations that push into schools to provide supplemental services. Intersectional representation—or the collusion of the multiple identities which constitute individual personhood including race, age, and gender—could be the key to supplemental organizations having an impact on student performance disparities. Much in the same way that students benefit from diversity of teaching professionals, intentional representation within educational organizations could have a proactive affect on internal decisions such as funding, programming and the intentionality of community partnerships. These systemic adjustments could trickle down to students who benefit from the proliferation of educational organizations outside of school district control.
National Organizations such as Communities In Schools, which works with community partners to provide coordinated outside resources and school-based counseling and social-emotional support services, are proliferating across the country. The Harlem Children’s Zone, or HGZ, recently gained national attention for its anti-poverty and innovative community support model in New York City. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, known for its large financial incentives and awards, has been a staple on the educational landscape for more than twenty years. More specifically in the context of Metro Nashville, local nonprofits have developed sustained relationships with many schools, particularly local Academies, which benefit from corporate partnerships and mentor opportunities. The Academy model offers students the opportunity to cater their educational pathway to one of five sub-topics, including technology, healthcare, and engineering. To do this, Metro Nashville Public Schools works with local corporations to bring in experts and mentors for students. In addition to push-in services, community stakeholders partner with MNPS administration to coordinate resources for students and provide robust learning experiences. These alignment, or “A-teams” consist mainly of nonprofit representatives and community stakeholders, and operate as supplementary boards for MNPS. Decisions as to what resources to invest in, or what programming to initiate are not under the purview of teachers, but rather are the administrative decisions of these local boards and community stakeholders. Along with local A-teams, many nonprofits dot the educational landscape of Metro Nashville, all putting forth their own programming with the aim of helping students succeed.
The general duties of nonprofit boards include defining policy, identifying staff, raising and allocating funding, and evaluation. In this capacity, boards oversee large directives and new initiatives, while Executive Directors have general, day-to-day oversight. According to Peri Pakroo’s guide “Starting & Building a Nonprofit: A Practical Guide,” board members should have the perfect combination of relevant skills and assets which align with the mission and value system of the organization. Furthermore, they should not merely be well respected or successful, but should also be representative of the community and the organizations constituents. The National Council of Nonprofits recognizes that combating racism and bigotry can not be done with just words, but must also be coupled with action. Portions of their website explore possibilities were diversity, inclusion, and equity are intertwined with a nonprofit’s operations, and modeled as values as they advance their mission. One of the ways this can be done is not just with diversity on the board, but representation, defined as engaging intersectionalities beyond just tokenism. It is not impossible for a nonprofit educational board to be as diverse as the student population it claims to assist, and this intentional representation can be espoused as a value along with its mission statement. In practical terms, nonprofits boards should not just be financially sound and representative of a variety of skill sets, but should also intentionally mirror values of diversity and inclusion.
According to organizational theory, nonprofits and other organizations have their own culture and value system which is evident in their interactions within the company and with the outside world. This value system guides programming and financial decisions, and is ingrained in the organization’s mission statement and how employees interact with one another others. The board, as the unofficial gatekeepers of the organization’s mission, is tasked with ensuring that all programming and major decisions align with the values and goals set forth in the charter and mission statement. What this looks like in practice, for example, is an organization that does not engage in activity which drifts from its mission or value statement, intentional financial and personnel investments in key areas, seeking out new opportunities which align with an organization’s mission statement, and divesting from programming which is in opposition to their value system. Local nonprofits and other community partnerships, such as the aforementioned A-teams, should seriously consider incorporating intentional representation into their espoused value system. According to literature from the medical and legal fields, diversity on boards has been shown to increase the speed and effectiveness of organizational decision making. A variety of social and cultural backgrounds lends itself to approaching the same issues from diverging perspectives. This can result in better-informed decisions which reflect the cultural perspectives of populations nonprofits serve. Furthermore, intentional representation on boards can make them more sensitive to the idiosyncrasies of different groups.6
In the context of local Metro Nashville education, growing immigrant populations have specific issues and needs which require representation on local boards. The most current MNPS data documents a growing trend in declining populations of Caucasian students and growing groups of African American, Hispanic and other minority groups. According to the websites of notable local organizations such as PENCIL, NAZA, and the Nashville Public Education Foundation, there is little administrative representation of the specific cultural groups which are rapidly growing in the city. These groups not only work within schools, but make funding allocation decisions which directly affect school programming. Not only should their boards be more representative of the populations they serve, but their networks of volunteers and mentors should also reflect the diversity of schools. This can result in a wider variety of programming, culturally sensitive decisions and improved reputation and brand for local organizations.
- https://www.communitiesinschools.org/about-us/
- hcz.org/aboutus
- Pakroo, P. (2013). Starting & building a nonprofit. Berkeley, CA: Nolo.
- Pakroo, pg. 4/13
- https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/why-diversity-inclusion-and-equity-matter-nonprofits
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikemyatt/2013/11/18/top-10-reasons-diversity-is-good-for-the-boardroom/#744773b91b90