Many individuals and institutions are now tasked with responding to different forms of diversity questions, which take into consideration some of the following elements:
- Student attainment differentials
- Student experience differentials
- Whitewashed curriculums
- Inclusive pedagogy
- History/history erasure
- Staff recruitment
- Staff development
- Staff experience
In response to the above elements many individuals, departments, institutions and organisations contact Shades of Noir to advise, train and support. As such we have developed a series of questions that should help respond transparently, develop a better understanding and build strategies and policies responding to specific contexts for impactful and purposeful changes towards social justice environments.
Student attainment differentials
- How do you collect this information?
- Have you disaggregated data by all protected characteristics?
- Have you collected intersectional data?
- Have you spoken to students and student union?
- Have you gained qualitative and quantitative data?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics
- leading this work and are they remunerated for this?
Student experience differentials
- Who are the voices that you record, why and what happens with the voices and the people behind them?
- What processes are in place to anonymously record student experiences?
- How do you level the playing field for marginal communities of students?
- What are your processes with complaints and do complaints data reflect attainment data?
- How do you engage with and or embed departments that specialise in supporting vulnerable and or marginalised students?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics leading this work and are they remunerated for this?
Whitewashed curriculums
- Who are the authors of the publications that you promote and include within your resource lists?
- Do your resources include contributions from communities of intersectional protected characteristics?
- Where do you see social justice embedded in the curriculum?
- How do you manage misappropriation in the curriculum?
- How do critical intersectional race theories present themselves in the curriculum?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics leading this work and are they remunerated for this?
Inclusive pedagogy
- What is the data of representation of intersectional protected characteristics within your team?
- Have you or your team actively engaged with contributions from communities of intersectional protected characteristics?
- How do you embed social justice teaching?
- Where does critical intersectional race theories present itself in your teaching approach?
- What actions do you take to ensure a supportive environment?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics leading this work and are they remunerated for this?
Herstory/history erasure
- How and where is colonisation represented in the curriculum?
- What narratives and cannons are valued more?
- Where do you access history/herstory from?
- What archives do you use and or engage with?
- How do you check that your information is accurate, critical and international?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics leading this work and are they remunerated for this?
Staff recruitment
- What is the current and previous 3 to 5 years of data of your intersectional staff data?
- Where do you share your data?
- What strategies and or policies do you employ to reduce discrimination and both unconcious and concious bias?
- Where do you advertise vacancies to reach the full spectrum of society?
- What do you articulate and how do you deliver fair recruitment practices?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics leading this work and are they remunerated for this?
Staff development
- Do you collect data on staff development?
- Have you identified departments, communities and or individuals that either do or do not engage or are unable to access development?
- Do you have mandatory training for all staff to affirm the ethos of the institution?
- What are the staff development programmes that counter bullying, harassment and or discrimination?
- Do you have a clear and transparent process articulating how staff development contributes to staff career progression?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics leading this work and are they remunerated for this?
Staff experience
- Who are the voices that you record, why and what happens with the voices and the people behind them?
- What processes are in place to anonymously record staff experiences?
- Do you collect data of staff experience?
- What do you do with the data collection to inform your strategies, policies and processes?
- How do you engage with and or embed departments that specialise in supporting vulnerable and or marginalised staff?
- Are staff with intersectional protected characteristics leading this work and are they remunerated for this?