IDEA Definitions

The act of creating involvement, environments, and empowerment in which any individual is welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to in pursuit of a goal.

Psychological, physical, and social differences that occur among any and all individuals; including but not limited to race, color, ethnicity, nationality, religion, socioeconomic status, veteran status, education, marital status, language, age, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, genetic information, and learning styles.

Equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. Strives to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups.

Creating the necessary conditions so that individuals and organizations desiring to, and who are eligible to, are able to use our services, facilities, programs, and employment opportunities.

The active process of identifying, challenging, and confronting racism in educational systems, organizational structures, policies, practices, behaviors, and attitudes.

Culturally responsive teaching means using students’ customs, characteristics, experience, and perspectives as tools for better classroom instruction. Helps students to see themselves and their communities as belonging in academic spaces leading to more engagement and success.

Leaders who promote a campus culture of inclusion particularly to those who have been historically excluded and marginalized. Leads professional development to ensure staff, faculty and the curriculum are responsive to marginalized and underrepresented students.

Involves making assumptions that the challenges students face are a direct result of the student, the student’s family, or the student’s culture, due to their own weaknesses, decisions, or intrinsic work ethic. Most likely used when working with students of color, students with disabilities, English Language Learners, and students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Consequences of this thinking include:

1. lowered expectations for students,
2. dismisses structural policies and practices that need to be changed in the educational setting, and
3. leads to the assumption that nothing can be done to help the student.

Alternative to the use of the term “Minority”, refers to any group of people that has been historically excluded from full rights, privileges and opportunities in a society or organization.

Framework for understanding how aspects of a person’s social and political identities combine to create different modes of discrimination and privilege. Intersectionality identifies multiple factors of advantage and disadvantage.

To act in seeking a just society where all people have a right to fair and equitable treatment, support, and resources.

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

Group identities whose numbers are fewer than the majority groups in an environment.