At the Confluence of COVID-19 and Anti-Black Racial Violence: Exploring Independent Schools’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Practice

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and heightened awareness of police violence against Black Americans in 2020 reverberated throughout educational institutions including private, non-religious schools. This survey study (n=242) sought to understand the impact of these crises on independent schools' Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leaders. Results indicate that while 45% of included schools had a robust DEI practice pre-2020, these crises created an environment of these competing crises. Many schools experienced reductions in resources and increasing resistance to DEI. Overall, pre-2020 robustness of a DEI practice did not predict school responses to the crises. Implications for DEI policy and leadership are discussed. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Journal of School Choice is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)