CoSN's Belonging & Inclusion Goals
CoSN is committed to engaging in dialogues across diverse perspectives within the K-12 EdTech field, to develop and promote strategies that achieve diversity, advance equity, and strengthen inclusion.
Our goal is to create a professional learning community that encourages actionable changes within our CoSN volunteer committees, meetings, and activities.
Together with our board, staff, members, and corporate partners, we will continue to advocate against systemic inequity along with the silence and complicity that surrounds it by promoting a culture of collaboration and teamwork, effective management of dialogue, transparency, open communication, and skill-building to enhance interpersonal and working relationships.
Adopted by CoSN Board, 2018. Updated in April 2021.
CoSN staff contact: Jill Brown, MA, Ph.D., Director of Professional Learning, jbrown@cosn.org
Belonging & Inclusion Clearinghouse Resources
Belonging & Inclusion Blogs
CoSN’s Belonging & Inclusion Call to Action Continuum
Recognize
Acknowledge inequity and that there is a choice between ambivalence and action. We, at CoSN, recognize that equity and equality are not the same. Systemic inequities have led to a digital divide. We will work to ensure access to equitable use of technology, through agency, while promoting diversity in the field to better represent the communities whom education technology leaders serve.
Learn and Reflect
Assess your opportunities for action. We, at CoSN, in order to create change, will listen, learn, reflect, and take action to become more inclusive in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion and belonging. We should identify opportunities to take action towards positive change.
Be an Ally
Choose Action. We, at CoSN, do not condone microaggressions whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative prejudicial slights and insults towards a group, particularly culturally marginalized groups and will confidently stand up and speak out for others. We should be anti-racist and stand up for what is right, not comfortable.
Be an Activist
Take Intentional ProActive Actions. We, at CoSN, join the millions of our colleagues across the nation in condemning unfair systemic treatment in its various forms. It is our mission to equip and empower all stakeholders with resources and skills to combat and eradicate racism (interpersonal, internalized, structural, institutional) within our spheres of influence and beyond. We understand that progress for any group will support the ongoing work towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging for all.
Featured Belonging & Inclusion Blogs
Belonging & Inclusion Calendars and How They Affect Workplace Scheduling
By Farheen Beg Mohammad
Even in this age of heightened awareness of Belonging & Inclusion workplace and education leaders might not be aware of the advantages of instituting a Belonging & Inclusion Calendar. Creating a comprehensive calendar that includes relevant cultural and religious days of note helps engender a sense of belonging for all and helps efficient workforce scheduling. We chatted about Belonging & Inclusion calendars’ benefits and positive impact with Farheen Beg Mohammad, Director of Student Impact at Digital Promise.
Defining Equity in Terms of Technology Accessibility
By Rita Fennelly-Atkinson
Equity covers many different and broad ideas that are important to student learning. Educational equity requires that schools and districts implement systems that ensure that every student has an equal chance to achieve success. The goal of all learning with technology should be to provide all learners with access to opportunities that can lead to long-term opportunities for educational success.
IT & AT: How are inclusive tech practices being tackled to support equity in your district?
By Christine Fox
District leaders, how are teams across your district ensuring that all students, including those with disabilities, have seamless access to instructional materials and tools for learning? Is there a leader from assistive technology (AT) on the technology planning team? Have AT users tested the accessibility features currently offered or being considered? Does your Information Technology (IT) and/or EdTech team meet with special education consistently? If you answered “no” to one or more of these questions, or if you are unsure of the answer to these questions, it is time to dig deeper to support equity in your school systems.
