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CoExIST Convening of Experts on Inter-organizational Collaboration in STEM
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2. BRINGING AN EQUITY LENS TO COLLECTIVE IMPACT
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BRINGING AN EQUITY LENS
TO COLLECTIVE IMPACT
March 8, 2017
Presentation by:
Junious Williams, J.D.
Junious Williams Consulting, Inc.
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3. Defining Equity
PolicyLink Definition
Equity is just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential.
 Equity Manifesto
Urban Strategies Council Definition
Equity is fairness and justice achieved through systematically assessing disparities in opportunities and outcomes and addressing disparities through targeted actions.  

4. Economic Imperative for Equity
People of color are driving population growth; by 2043 the majority will be people of color
Equity is not only a moral imperative—it is also an economic one.
Research in the United States, for example, has shown that greater economic and racial equality in metropolitan regions corresponds with more robust growth and longer periods of growth.

5. The Costs of US Failing Youth
While disconnected, each opportunity youth costs taxpayers roughly:
$13,900 each year
$64,940 between the ages of 16 and 24
$235,680 lifetime cost for young people who never reconnect
$77 billion annual fiscal cost to US taxpayers

6. Targeted Universalism
Fairness is not advanced by treating those who are situated differently as if they were the same…A targeted universal strategy is one that is inclusive of the needs of both the dominant and marginal groups, but pays particular attention to the situation of the marginal group.
john a. powell, Post-Racialism or Targeted Universalism, 86 Denv. U. L. Rev. 785 (2008), Available at:

7. Interaction Institute for Social Change

8. Interaction Institute for Social Change

9. Equity Principles
Define equity and educate the community on its importance 
Build data systems to support equity and effectively use data 
Establish explicit equity outcomes and accountability for achieving them 
Engage the community and ensure leadership is representative of the community 

10. Equity Principles (cont’d)
5. Focus on increasing equity and improving outcomes for all
6. Apply targeted universalism 
Continually assess for equity and
address inequities 
Hold systems accountable for
reducing and eliminating disparities 

11. 5 Conditions/Core Elements of CI Through the Equity Lens
Common Agenda-who decided on which intractable problem to focus?
Shared Measurement- who is measuring what?
Mutually Reinforcing Activities-which activities, for whom and by whom?
Continuous Communication-by whom, with whom, about what and how?
Backbone Support-backbone neutrality and composition?

12. A Few CI Observations/Concerns
Power and Systems Change
Missing from the basic conditions and principles of collective impact is adequate attention to shifting power and systems change (policy and structure)
Community Decision Making
To achieve equity, all perspectives and voices must be able to enter into the conversation in full voice—they must have power and agency to impact solutions. See Brady

13. A Few CI Observations/Concerns
Population Level Change
Accomplishing population-wide outcomes often require addressing and reducing disparities
Evidence and Innovation
Interventions should be evidence-based, but the definition of evidence should reflect the political and cultural realities of who has had access to resource to produce evidence and permit innovations and experimentation

14. CONCLUSIONS
Collective Impact (and other forms of cross- sector collaboration) remain powerful tools for population level change and are worth the investment of the time and money to implement effectively
These tools must be designed and implemented with attention to equity, power and participation of those most affected by the problems we attempt to redress
Don’t get so invested in the models that you fail to adapt to local conditions, knowledge and experience

15. How Do U.S. Students Compare Internationally
 In 2015 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests of 15- year olds
placed the U.S. an 38th  out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science
Among the 35 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which sponsors the PISA initiative, the U.S. ranked 30th in math and 19th in science

16. How Do U.S. Students Compare Internationally (cont’d)
Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
In 2015, 10 countries (out of 48 total) had statistically higher average fourth-grade math scores than the U.S., while seven countries had higher average science scores.
In the eighth-grade tests, seven out of 37 countries had statistically higher average math scores than the U.S., and seven had higher science scores.

17. KP to add NSF Logo and Grant #
Award #DCL
CoExIST
KP to add NSF Logo and Grant #