Equity Statement

DEI principles are essential for creating thriving environments that are intelligently designed to promote equity and excellence. Unlike diversity and inclusion, equity is not an outcome. Rather, it is a process based on a recognition that individuals are unique and possess unique needs. By association, excellence suggests that, though unique, all individuals, when given the right opportunities, can meet the rigorous demands placed on them.

Equity and excellence are pillars of forwardED® that acknowledge historically vulnerable populations, unbalanced conditions, and the pressing need to promote justice and social transformation through the provision of effective opportunities for all groups. At their core, both equity and excellence require that we create opportunities for people to succeed and thrive no matter who they are, where they live, where they work or go to school, or where they come from. Equity and excellence are about answering the question: How do we ensure coherent opportunities for individuals across all lines of difference to actively achieve success?

To answer this question, we at forwardED® are committed to creating an ecosystem of success built upon the pillars of equity and excellence to:

Ensure the well-being of the students, families, staff, faculty, and communities we serve.

Acknowledge and dismantle any inequities within policies, systems, programs, and services that we offer and/or build.

Explore potential underlying, unquestioned assumptions that interfere with our pursuit of transformation.

Advocate for and support board-level thinking about how systemic inequities impact individuals across contexts, and how best to address this in a way that is consistent with our mission.

Practice and encourage transparent communication in all interactions.

Commit time and resources to the unique needs of the students, families, and communities we work with, learn from, and serve.

Lead with respect, care, truth, and humility.

We believe that these pillars are not only strengths that uphold justice but also promises that nourish, celebrate, and welcome. Moreover, they are what make us—our students, families, communities, and workspaces—vibrant, unique, and positioned to move forward.