Resources

Recommended Books

A list of books has been provided as a resource for teachers, students and the community. Books have been labeled as a community read, student read, educator read or any combination thereof.

Book recommendations are reviewed and updated frequently to reflect various aspects of diversity, equity and inclusion.

If you have a book suggestion you'd like to see added to the list, please feel free to contact Danyell Wells.

DEI Terms & Definitions

Equity – Educational equity means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential. (National Equity Project)

Culture – is a way of life of a group of people; the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.

Cultural Competence – refers to the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures. Cultural competence comprises four components: (a) Awareness of one's own cultural worldview, (b) Attitude towards cultural differences, (c) Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews and (d) Cross-cultural skills. Developing cultural competence results in an ability to understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures. Cultural competence is a developmental process that evolves over an extended period

Disability – a physical, mental or cognitive impairment or condition that requires special accommodations to ensure programmatic and physical access.

Ethnicity – a social construct that divides people into smaller social groups based on characteristics such as values, behavioral patterns, language, political and economic interests, history, and ancestral geographical base.

Equality – evenly distributed access to resources and opportunity necessary for a safe and healthy life; uniform distribution of access that may or may not result in equitable outcomes.

Marginalization – Treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or pervasive and places them outside of the mainstream society.

Privilege – any unearned benefit, right, or advantage one receives in society by nature of their identities.

Race – a social construct that artificially divides people into distinct groups based on characteristics such as physical appearance, ancestral heritage, cultural affiliation, cultural history, ethnic classification, and the political needs of a society at a given period of time.

Respect – a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, valued, and should be treated in a dignified way.

Social Construct – An idea that appears to be natural and obvious to people who accept it but may or may not represent reality.

Social Justice – to take action as an advocate for a just society where all people have a right to fair and equitable treatment, support, and resources.

Equity in education means that each child receives what they need to develop to their full academic and social potential.