Civic

Civic character

Assets | Inclusivity

Friends sitting upside down on couch in river.

Seeking to create environments which respect, bring together, and build upon the multiple perspectives, lifestyles, and experiences of each member of the community.

1. Highlights

Inclusivity means creating welcoming, psychologically safe environments in which all kinds of people know that their beliefs and lived experiences are important. While inclusivity is often paired with diversity, it goes beyond diversity to recognize that each person is a complex configuration of multiple differences and that all members of the community have valuable knowledge and experiences. Inclusivity ensures not only that diverse voices are at the table, but also that these voices are equal and kept safe as they contribute their perspectives.

Actively create environments where all voices are welcome and heard

Build understanding of challenges by listening to a diverse set of perspectives

Generate more creative ideas by drawing on different and even conflicting opinions

Inclusivity means understanding that perspectives which diverge from our own are crucial to designing learning environments in which all children are given equitable opportunities to flourish. Inclusivity builds on humility by recognizing that our knowledge and experiences are always incomplete. It helps us understand culture and context and more fully comprehend what fairness requires. As it opens the door to perspective taking and to empathy, inclusivity turns difference into solidarity and, ultimately, moves us towards caring — towards altruistic action on behalf of our learning community that advances “positive change for humanity.”

In this way, inclusivity is a critical driver of Principled Innovation. Whether we’re working to solve classroom conflicts, troubleshooting disharmony within our teaching teams, or working toward school-wide or system-wide changes, sharing and hearing multiple perspectives deepens our understanding of a challenge and leads to more and better ideas. This can be hard work, and it is often easier to simply stick with fewer opinions and go with what we know than it is to understand the values, perspectives and experiences of others. Inclusion may indeed lead to disagreements and to critiques that create more work for Principled Innovators who have to revise their beliefs and plans in light of what they learn. But taking a truly inclusive approach will yield more creative and effective innovations. To create and sustain innovative learning environments, educators must publicly embrace inclusivity and work to develop cultures that value it.

Friends sitting on couch in river.
Each person is a unique complex of identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
Two men standing, one pointing at distance.
Sharing and hearing multiple perspectives deepens our understanding of a community challenge and leads to more and better ideas.

2. Context

Two men standing, one pointing at distance.
Sharing and hearing multiple perspectives deepens our understanding of a community challenge and leads to more and better ideas.

Inclusivity is multi-faceted because people are complex and experience many different emotions throughout the day in varying spaces and relationships. Growing our capacity for inclusivity in these contexts begins with self-understanding. Everyone has had experiences in which we can identify with the feeling that we are not welcome, and understanding that we are not alone in this thinking lays the groundwork for understanding inclusivity. Building on this self-understanding, perspective taking and seeking to better understand the culture and contexts of others (Practice C1)–whether through personal interactions, literature, or film—can add new dimensions to our own understanding of the what it means to be without agency or representation in decisions that affect our lives. Understanding others in this way also opens up windows to our own self-discovery. By blending this understanding—whether for our own lack of inclusion or that of others—with a clearer understanding of our own values (Practice M1), we can begin to develop the courage and inspiration we need to undertake the work of Principled Innovation.

Educators create inclusive classroom environments when they get to know their students on an individual level and ensure that the varied needs and experiences of their students are understood and honored (Practice C1). This happens when teachers publicly establish the value of diversity in their classroom by recognizing that each person is a unique complex of identities, backgrounds, and experiences. It happens when teachers offer structured, civil opportunities for students to present ideas that offer their divergent perspectives. It can happen through creating democratic processes for classroom procedures that actively seek to find ways to accommodate the concerns of students who don’t vote with the majority. And it can happen when teachers explain their beliefs and ask their students to provide other points of view. When teachers model the character asset of inclusivity in ways like this, they help set students’ expectations for what diverse, democratic communities can look like when community members are able to recognize the value of each person’s differences and learn to collaborate with and support each other.

Inclusivity at a school or institutional level must be modeled and championed from the top, by leaders who go beyond lip service by taking concrete action. Inclusive educators build on the character asset of humility by being open to new ideas about what schools can look like, and they work to engage diverse perspectives (Practice C2) at all levels of the system. Democratic processes such as participatory budgeting and citizens’ juries can be structured to provide representative voices in the decision-making processes (Practice M2) of school communities. Leaders of these processes enact the PI assets of inclusivity and civility when they value the voices of those whose unique identities often leave them marginalized in decision-making processes. Educators ensure that deliberations ensure each participant’s safety. Educators can lead inclusivity on curriculum committees through ensuring that the system’s textbooks and structured learning activities represent the complex layering of cultures and identities in pluralist societies. In inclusive environments such as these, creativity and innovation can thrive as individuals feel comfortable voicing their opinions and collaborating with others to find solutions to problems.

3. Resources

Select one of our featured resources or visit the PI toolkit library for more tools.

7 things teachers say to create a supportive classroom

  Article

  15 minutes

  By: Edutopia, Stephen Merrill

Open

Why diversity is hard (and why it’s worth it)

  Video

  2 minutes

  By: Columbia Business School, Katherine Phillips

Open

I was a low-income college student. Classes weren’t the hard part.

  Article

  10 minutes

  By: New York Times

Open

Reaching for divergence

  Video

  10 minutes

  By: Principled Innovation® (PI)

Open

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