Overcoming Racism 2015
Leadership Institute
October 2, 2015 │ Presented by the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative
Leadership Institute Description and Application
Application Deadline: August 7, 2015
Date, Time and Location
The Overcoming Racism Leadership Institute for educational leaders will take place on October
2, 2015, at the Minnesota Department of Education, 1500 Highway 36 West, Roseville, MN
55113. The program will begin promptly at 10:00 am and conclude by 3:00 pm. Lunch will be
included. Time for informal networking will be available from 9:30-10:00 am and from 3:003:30 pm.
Program Overview
The Overcoming Racism Leadership Institute will provide an opportunity for educational leaders
to come together to address racial equity in our schools, colleges, and universities. It is designed
both to ensure that leaders are equipped with the skills and tools needed to eliminate structural
and systematic racism and achieve racial equity in their educational institutions, and also to
facilitate networking and collaboration among leaders of both K-12 schools and institutions of
higher education.
The Institute will be a supportive environment for leaders to share with other leaders their
challenges and collective vision around racial equity and eliminating structural and systematic
racism. Active discussions that illuminate patterns perpetuating inequities and structural racism
will be a key feature of the institute. The Institute will help leaders understand the patterns in
our educational system that perpetuate racism and racial inequity. The Institute will also pose
two questions: “What role does education play in perpetuating structural and systematic
racism?” and “How can educational leaders contribute to the creation of a truly equitable
educational system?”
Continuing education credits will be available for eligible participants. Certificates of
completion will be provided to all participants.
Who Should Attend?
Each participating district or institution will be asked to bring a team of four to six individuals
including at least one of the following:
1)
2)
3)
4)
A representative from your board or governing body.
A representative from your executive or leadership team.
A representative with responsibility for equity or diversity work.
A faculty leader (e.g., union president).
In addition, each organization may include one or two informal organizational change agents as
part of their team.
Each participating team will be asked to do approximately two hours of prep work before the
Institute and approximately two hours of follow-up work after the conclusion of the Institute.
Names and contact information of participants and facilitators will be shared among all Institute
participants unless we are directed otherwise.
Sponsorship
The Institute is sponsored by FREC (Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative), the Saint Paul
Foundation, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, and Minnesota Education Equity
Partnership.
Selection
Leaders who wish to participate should submit an application by August 7, 2015. Details about
the application process follow. Our selection committee will select a cohort of leadership teams,
paying attention to assembling a cohort that includes leaders from both K-12 and higher
education teams. We will notify participants by August 28, 2015.
Fee
The fee to participate in the 2015 Leadership Institute for a team of four will be $950. A charge
of $50 will be added for each additional team member. Our goal is for this workshop to be
accessible. If your team needs a full or partial scholarship, please include a statement of
financial need in your application that includes the amount your organization can pay and the
scholarship amount that you are requesting. Leadership teams who are accepted to participate in
the 2015 Leadership Institute will receive an invoice with their notification letter.
Preparation
Each team will be required to spend an estimated two hours preparing for the Institute. We will
ask each team to consider:



Historically, how have American educational institutions, practices, and curriculum
perpetuated structural and systematic racism and racial inequities?
What is required of our institution and participating team members to advance racial
equity?
As an individual, what might you need to change for yourself and your organization?
Questions
Please contact leadership@overcomingracism.org if you have questions about the Institute. We
will plan to respond within two business days of receiving the email.
Overcoming Racism 2015
Leadership Institute
October 2, 2015 │ Presented by the Facilitating Racial Equity Collaborative
Overcoming Racism Leadership Institute Application
Due: August 7, 2015
Applications will be submitted electronically. Visit www.overcomingracism.org to access an
electronic template of this application. Submit the completed application electronically to
leadership@overcomingracism.org.
The application will call for the following information:

Name of organization.

Team Contact:
o Name:
o Phone Number:
o Email Address:
o Postal Address:

Please answer the following questions (maximum of three pages):
o Please provide a brief description of your organization, including mission and
geographic scope.
o Why would you like to participate in this Overcoming Racism Leadership
Institute?
o How long has your organization been working on issues of racial equity? What
are your goals around achieving racial equity (list one to three)?
o What is one challenge around racial equity that you would like help with?
o List the members of your team including name, position, email address, and
phone number.

Please indicate any reasonable accommodations that will be required for your team’s
participation (e.g., dietary, ADA accessibility).