Roundtable:
Nothing about Us without Us: The Value of Incorporating Student, Parent, and Community Voice into the Design and Evaluation of Programs to Promote Racial Equity
(Social Equity and Race)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Despite decades of investment in policies and programs intended to improve health and social outcomes for people of color, large disparities in wellbeing still exist between white people and people of color in almost every facet of life. To achieve truly equitable outcomes for all people, we must examine programs to understand if they are providing participants with the tools and supports they need to be successful, irrespective of race, zip code, gender or immigration status. In practice, this means that some people will require more resources and supports than others to achieve the same goals. Further, we must examine institutions, policies and practices to uncover whether they are designed and implemented to support equitable outcomes for everyone and are not contributing (intentionally or not) to disparities across race, gender, or other social designations.
In recent years there is increased awareness among policymakers, researchers, and practitioners alike to ensure that participant voices are incorporated into the design and implementation of policies and programs that serve them. Doing so ensures that programming meets the needs of and is representative of the lived experiences of the communities they are trying to serve. It also allows participants to feel a sense of ownership and investment in the program. This helps build agency and leadership.
This roundtable will bring together leading voices from across research, advocacy, and capacity-building organizations to discuss how students, parents, and community members are being engaged in meaningful ways to design, implement, and evaluate investments in K-12 and postsecondary education; child care provided by family, friends, and neighbors; child welfare; and juvenile justice, accounting for the perspectives of both those who are native born and immigrants. Roundtable attendees will walk away with concrete strategies and tools to help them better incorporate community and student voice in their work.
