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Equity-minded Best Practices

Inform Your Racial Equity Work With Best Practice Information

The REJI’s curated collection provides practical and actionable tools to deepen equity-minded practices across Higher Education. Here’s a glimpse of the wealth of resources available:

  1. Shared Equity Leadership: Explore strategies to foster collaborative leadership models that center equity and amplify diverse voices.
  2. Equitable Data Practices: Dive into data-informed approaches that address disparities and promote equity in decision-making.
  3. Race-Conscious Policy Making: Learn how to craft policies that intentionally consider racial equity, ensuring fair outcomes for all.
  4. Student Belonging: Discover practices to create inclusive environments where every student feels valued and connected.
  1. Student Success Strategies: Access resources to enhance student retention, graduation rates, and overall achievement.
  2. Leadership Development: Equip leaders with tools to champion equity, dismantle barriers, and drive systemic change.
  3. Equity-Minded Hiring Practices: Learn how to recruit and retain diverse faculty and staff, fostering an inclusive campus community.
  4. Approaches to Teaching and Learning: Explore pedagogical methods that honor diverse perspectives and promote equitable educational experiences.

Our commitment extends beyond static content—REJI’s library is dynamic and continually updated. We invite you to engage with these resources, spark conversations, and take meaningful steps toward a more equitable educational landscape. Use the filters below to explore new resources.

A Framework for Advancing Anti-Racism Strategy on Campus

Presenter: Dr. Kimberly Truong and Dr. Clyde Wilson Pickett

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A New Decade for Assessment: Embedding Equity into Assessment Praxis

Guide for equitable and culturally responsive approaches to assessment.

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A Racial Reckoning: Anti-Asian Racism and Exclusion in Higher Education

Insight on race-conscious policy and recommendations for higher education institutions to actively combat anti-Asian racism.

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A Role for Policymakers in improving the Status of Black Male Students in U.S. Higher Education

Insight to best practices that support Black male students using policy and data from the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Justice, NCAA Federal Graduation Rates Database.

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A socio-ecological perspective on sense of belonging among racially/ethnically minoritized college students: Implications for equity-minded practice and policy

This article offers a socio-ecological perspective on sense of belonging that works to mitigate “othering” when creating structures of support for institutionally marginalized groups.

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Action Planning for Equity Minded Student Service Provision

Presenters: Dr. Estela Bensimon, Esmeralda Hernandez-Hamed, Debbie Hanson

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Advancing Digital Equity for All: Community-Based Recommendations for Developing Effective Digital Equity Plans to Close the Digital Divide and Enable Technology-Empowered Learning

Case studies, data and strategies are offered to understand equity gaps to essential technology and learning tools in communities of color and low-income communities.

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Beyond coming out: New insights about GLBQ college students of color

This report focuses on LGBTQIA student success and highlights 8 years of data regarding the experiences of LGBTQIA students of Color from 20 public and private universities.

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Black Male Student-Athletes and Racial Inequities in NCAA Division I College Sports

Insight by USC Race and Equity Center on Black male student-athletes and racial inequities at 65 universities that comprise the five major NCAA sports conferences.

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Board Responsibility for Equitable Student Success

AGB offers definitions, guides, and leadership principles that support the transformation of board roles, processes, and business models that address barriers to student success using an equity lens.

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Bringing Accountability to Life: How Savvy Data Users find the “Actionable N” to Improve Equity and Sustainability in Higher Education

Insights on how to find the “actionable N” by making fine-grained, disaggregated data available for regular use.

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Centering Equity-Mindedness in Syllabus Construction

This brief focuses on the importance of designing an equity-minded syllabus.

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Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice

The Equity Scorecard model differs significantly from traditional approaches to effecting change by creating institutional teams to examine and discuss internal data about student outcomes, disaggregated by race and ethnicity.

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Core Concepts of Racial Equity

This resource provides definitions to establish common knowledge of terminology associated with racial equity.

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Creating and Implementing Campus-wide REJI Racial Equity Plans

Presenter: Dr. Sabrina Gentlewarrior

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Creating Antiracist Spaces Where Black Students Can Breathe and Thrive

Insight and strategies on student belonging and mattering.

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Dear White Teachers: You Can’t Love Your Black Students If You Don’t Know Them

Insight and reflection on how to engage in race-conscious practices.

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Decentering Whiteness in Student Service Provision

Presenters: Dr. Estela Bensimon, Esmeralda Hernandez-Hamed, Debbie Hanson

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Delivering on the Promise of Progress Policy

This report defines equity-minded leadership, shows findings and provides insight on strategies to align racial equity practices to state-level policies.

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Diversity and Equity Strategic Planning Toolkit: Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

This toolkit is intended for campus diversity officers, diversity councils, as well as college and university presidents and outlines how to facilitate effective strategic diversity planning.

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Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power and Privilege

This toolkit is intended for faculty, group facilitator, and student affairs personnel. Training provides historical context about the politics of identity and the dynamics of power and privilege.

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Ensure Students Are Learning: Asset-Based, Equity-Minded Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This brief focuses on foundational knowledge and includes shared vocabulary and common language around building an equity-minded, asset-based instructional culture of teaching and learning.

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Ensure students are learning: Equity minded principles for department chairs to engage faculty

Reflection and action steps by department chairs as front-line leaders advancing equity work.

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Equity by Design

The Equity by Design methodology is a tool to help campuses realize Minnesota State’s Equity 2030 goal of academic equity.

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Equity Minded Teaching and Data Use

Presenters: Dr. Estela Bensimon, Esmeralda Hernandez-Hamed, Debbie Hanson

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Equity-minded approaches for cultivating student engagement in the classroom

This brief centers on practices identified in the Guided Pathways Model and reflections on pedagogical practices that are central to becoming equity-minded educators.

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Equity-minded Data – Exemplars from REJI Campuses

Presenters: Dr. Arlene Rodríguez & AVP Jenn Dunseath

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Equity-minded Inquiry Series – Syllabus Review Guide

An inquiry tool for promoting racial and ethnic equity and equity-minded practice.

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Equity-Minded Principles for Presidential Searches in Higher Education

This research brief introduces five equity-minded principles for conducting presidential searches.

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Examining Critical Theory as a Framework to Advance Equity Through Student Affairs Assessment

Insight on critical theory and evidence-based racial equity assessment practices.

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Examples of Excelencia (What Works)

Excelencia in Education provides a list of universities recognized for their intentional and culturally relevant evidence-based practices demonstrating success for Latino students.

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Faculty Diversity and Student Success go Hand in Hand: So why are Faculty so White?

Scholarly overview of how faculty diversity supports the success of all students, tools to aid in equity-minded searches and a report card for public institutions around this issue.

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Faculty Hiring Does Not Have to Be Explicitly Racist to Reproduce Racial Inequity

This article examines faculty hiring practices and racial equity in the California Community College System. Examples of racial bias manifest and actionable ideas and recommendations provided.

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Finalizing Equity Minded Student Service Provision Action Plan

Presenters: Dr. Estela Bensimon, Esmeralda Hernandez-Hamed, Debbie Hanson

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Getting Started for Equity — A Guide for Academic Department Leaders

Provides insights for department chairs on best practices for data-collection and teaching practices for educational equity.

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Getting the Board Involved: Challenges and Opportunities for Equity at the Highest Level of University Governance

Toolkit offers strategies and actionable recommendations for Board action and guided questions for Board discussions.

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Guide to Equity and Antiracism for Educators

Faculty resources for lesson plans, videos, and other free accessible resources.

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Honoring Indigenous Ways of Knowing in Community College Programs

This report focuses on Native communities in northern rural Wisconsin and Nicolet Area Technical College and offers Native pedagogy and curriculum developed by Indigenous leaders and members of area tribes.

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Implementing Meaningful Measures To Hire, Retain, And Cultivate Diverse Talent In Higher Education

This document offers helpful tools and suggestions for equity-minded HR practices.

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Implicit Bias in Action (Video)

Supplemental learning and reflection about bias in action.

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Implicit Racial Bias Test

Self-guided learning and reflection about bias and disparities.

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Indigenous Perspectives on Native Student Challenges in Higher Education

Article offers Indigenizing high impact practices and recommendations for what should be foundational praxis for institutions to support their Indigenous students, faculty, and staff.

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Introduction to Equity Minded Teaching Action Planning

Presenters: Dr. Estela Bensimon, Esmeralda Hernandez-Hamed, Debbie Hanson

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Knowing our Students: Understanding of Our Students Guide Book

Insight of evidence-based data collection to understand the needs and changing demographics of students. Each section provides tips, tools, and guidelines on how to use data in decision-making.

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Office of Community College’s Research and Leadership Equity-Centered Comprehensive Needs Assessment Toolkit

Insight to evidence-based racial equity assessment practices at Community colleges.

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Opportunities Denied: High-Achieving Black and Latino Students Lack Access to Advanced Math

This brief focuses on the impact of high school mathematics instruction and the role that math course-taking plays in admissions decisions. The report concludes with recommendations for policy makers.

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Paying off Higher Education’s Racial Debit: Infusing Racial Equity Across the Academy

Presenter: Dr. Estela Bensimon

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Practical Strategies for Advancing Racial Equity in Online Career and Technical Education

Exploration of inequities for students of color enrolled in online education with strategies for community college and technical education that offer a transfer pathway to four-year colleges.

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Race Equity and Inclusion Action Guide: Embracing Equity: 7 Steps to Advance and Embed Race Equity and Inclusion Within Your Organization

This framework provides definitions, concepts for understanding different dimensions of racism and how to identify and analyze the root causes of racial inequities.

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Racial and Ethnic Equity Gaps in Postsecondary Career and Technical Education: Considerations for Online Learning

This brief describes equity gaps for students of color in Career Technical Education programs and offers a framework for improving outcomes at the course, program, and institutional levels.

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Racial Equity Impact Assessment

A Racial Equity Impact Assessment (REIA) is a systematic examination of how different racial and ethnic groups will likely be affected by a proposed action or decision. Sample questions provided

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Racially Equitable Structures and Practices for Our Work with Transfer Students

Presenters: Dr. Dimpal Jain, Santiago N. Bernal Melendez, Dr. Alfred R. Herrera & Paulina Palomino

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Racially Equitable Teaching and Learning

Presenter: Nia Haydel

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Raising The Graduation Rates of Low-Income College Students

This report focuses on the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education study on retention and graduation rates.

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Resources on American Indian and Alaska Native Postsecondary Success

As part of the Native-Serving Institutions Initiative, WICHE has compiled a wide variety of resources to help institutions create a culture in which American Indian and Alaska Native students can succeed.

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Rethinking Accountability within Shared Equity Leadership

Presenter: Dr. Adrianna Kezar

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Self to Systems: Leading for Race Equity Impact

This Leadership Model is a tool to support individuals and organizations with corresponding practices and reflection questions that can create and sustain racially equitable experiences and outcomes.

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Social-Emotional Learning for Black Students is Ineffective When it is Culture-Blind

Insight on racial equity practices that address racial trauma experienced by Black students.

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Structures For Belonging: A Synthesis Of Research On Belonging-Supportive Learning Environments

This article focuses on K-12 and postsecondary school environments that impact student success, this includes data, tips and strategies.

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Supporting BIPOC Staff

This toolkit offers reading and videos focused on strategies to retain employees of color.

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Supporting Native Students Higher Education Issue Brief

This brief highlights data and the current landscape of Native populations in the United States. Learn more about current successful interventions and considerations for future action.

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The Invisible Checklist: Ascension Implications for Women of Color Leaders

This brief article shares about the intersectional oppressions experienced by women of color who apply for presidencies.

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The Syllabus as an Instrument for Racial Equity

Presenters: Dr. Estela Bensimon, Esmeralda Hernandez-Hamed, Debbie Hanson

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The time is now: systemic changes to increase African Americans with bachelor’s degrees in physics and astronomy

Evidence-based strategies on inclusive strategies for racial equity in STEM. The recommendations emphasize the Faculty role in fostering a sense of belonging. Leadership and structures.

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Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Reflections on the pedagogical practices of eight exemplary teachers of African-American students as a way to define and recognize culturally relevant pedagogy.

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Toward Culturally Sustaining Governance in Higher Education: Best practices of Theory, Research and Practice

The authors reflect on the development of culturally sustaining governance (CSG) and the ways it can be applied in higher education.

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Transforming Higher Education through Organizational Meditation: A Story of the Executive Learning Series on Equity & Empowerment

Insight on racial equity strategies that focus on ways to integrate holistic health, spirit-based practice, mindfulness, and other practices of decolonization to deconstruct transactional practices.

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Trustees as Catalysts for Racial Equity

Presenter: Dr. Raquel Rall

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Using Student-Centered Design to Build an Inclusive Strategic Planning Process

Case-studies that provide evidence-based strategic planning process using data collection and racial equity practices.

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Utilizing a Liberatory Consciousness in Our Racially Equitable Campus Work

Presenters: Dr. Barbara Love & Dr. Tanya Williams

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What Works for Latino Students in Higher Education Compendium

Insight of evidence-based best practices across various universities serving Latine/x students.

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White Teachers Need Anti-Racism Therapy

Provides insights to data on educator’s quality of work life; the importance of healing and emotional support for educators when issues of race and racism come up.

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Whiteness Rules: Racial Exclusion in Becoming an American College President

The toolkit offers context and concrete steps that higher education institutions can take to reduce bias and improve equity and inclusion within their presidential search processes.

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Why Race? Understanding The Importance Of Foregrounding Race And Ethnicity In Achieving Equity On College Campuses

This resource provides insights, vignettes and strategies.

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