"For years my colleagues and I have published op-eds or been quoted in major media outlets saying, "Hey-at best, we do not know if run-of-the-mill DEI programs work, and at worst, we have some evidence that they piss people off and create more problems.""
"Broadly speaking, the goals of DEI programs are admirable-but, practically, most DEI sucks. People talk a big game about "institutional and systemic change," but in terms of practical, everyday progress, DEI programs frequently let down people of color, women, LGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities or members of other historically disadvantaged groups."
"I've delivered evidence-based bias habit-breaking trainings in dozens of departments in universities all across the U.S., and in the hundreds of discussions I've had with professors across the nation, I cannot think of a single time someone said to me, "Our DEI program does a really great job supporting [people like me]." I have lost count of how many people have said their university's DEI program was a waste of time, or they had been to some diversity or bias training that fumbled its handling of important topics, instead providing slogans or trite statements to put on departmental websites or engaging in language policing."
"Although both the data and the anecdata say that a lot of DEI sucks, that does not mean all of it is useless. A"
DEI programs aim to create institutional and systemic change, but many everyday implementations fall short for historically disadvantaged groups. Evidence-based bias habit-breaking trainings have been delivered across U.S. universities, yet no one reported that their DEI program effectively supported people like them. Many accounts describe DEI as a waste of time, with trainings mishandling important topics, relying on slogans, or engaging in language policing. Examples include guidance that discourages certain words for perceived social impact, even when the guidance is nonsensical. While much DEI is criticized as ineffective or harmful, not all efforts are considered useless, and some approaches can be more evidence-based.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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