What DEI Looks Like in Schools
DEI in Action
Sometimes the best way to understand a principle is to see it. For many folks, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) can feel like big ideas. But it’s the practical, everyday actions that bring them to life. Here are a few glimpses of DEI at work in classrooms, schools, and districts, so you can recognize it, celebrate it, and expand on it in your own setting.
1. Inclusive Curriculum and Representation
What it looks like:
A 5th-grade class reads novels by authors from different cultural backgrounds. A high school U.S. History course includes indigenous perspectives and immigrant narratives. Students see themselves in the material, and they also see the world through others’ eyes.
How it works:
Inclusive curriculum builds both identity and empathy. When students recognize their own histories and experiences in school, they engage more deeply. And when they learn about others, they grow in understanding.
2. Equitable Access to Advanced Learning
What it looks like:
A middle school removes barriers to advanced math placement by using multiple measures beyond standardized tests. A high school offers AP courses during the regular school day, provides prep support, and actively recruits underrepresented students to enroll.
How it works:
When access is equitable, talent rises. Too often, opportunity has been distributed by bias or circumstance. Equity strategies ensure that students are not denied challenge because of income, language, or implicit assumptions.
3. Restorative Practices in School Discipline
What it looks like:
Instead of automatic suspensions, a school uses restorative circles to address harm, resolve conflict, and restore community. Students reflect, repair, and rejoin. They do not disappear from learning.
How it works:
Restorative practices reduce disproportionality in discipline and build trust between students and adults. They also reinforce the idea that students matter even when they make mistakes.
4. Student Voice and Leadership
What it looks like:
A high school creates a Student Equity Council that advises the principal on inclusion efforts. Elementary students help shape classroom rules through collaborative discussion. Middle schoolers lead assemblies during Hispanic Heritage Month or Black History Month.
How it works:
Inclusion means students are not just recipients of education. They are contributors to it. When students speak, and adults listen, schools become more democratic and responsive.
5. Family and Community Engagement That Reaches Everyone
What it looks like:
Parent-teacher conferences are offered in multiple languages. School communications are available in printed and digital formats. Back-to-school nights include food, childcare, and interpretation to ensure all families can participate.
How it works:
Families are essential partners in student success. Inclusive engagement practices show respect for all parents and help schools build trust across diverse communities.
Why This Matters
DEI is not a policy binder on a shelf. It’s a pattern of decisions, attitudes, and structures that shape the school experience for every student. These short examples show that DEI is not abstract or theoretical. It should be deeply practical. And it’s likely already happening in schools like yours.
Every teacher, principal, and superintendent can take the next step in this work by noticing what’s working and building on it.
DEI in action is what happens when our values show up in our practices.