When every child – regardless of race, ethnicity, or income status – has access to a meaningful and inclusive learning environment focused on preparation for college and career, we help create a path to a bright future for students and their communities. At NTN, we believe all students are capable of great achievements and acknowledge that schools, by design, play a critical role in creating the conditions for student success. 

We also acknowledge that disparities in student outcomes are primarily the result of unequal or inadequate educational opportunities, known as “opportunity gaps.”  These opportunity gaps disproportionately impact underrepresented students, most specifically, students of color and students living in poverty.  We believe these gaps must be brought to the surface and addressed head-on. Left unchecked, systemic inequities will continue to negatively impact students and their communities. 

As a nonprofit education organization committed to transforming teaching and learning so that all students can thrive, we are focused on deepening our knowledge, awareness, and capacity around all aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We aspire to become an anti-racist organization that contributes to the formation of a just and equitable society and we recognize that work must start with ourselves and be ongoing and deliberate. While the work is complex, we are dedicated to our equity journey, including persevering through challenges and openly sharing our learning.

To live out our equity intentions, we commit to:

Fostering an organizational culture that values diversity in all forms and where everyone feels valued, heard, and a sense of belonging.  

• Deepening our racial-consciousness and understanding of systemic inequities through ongoing learning, affinity groups, and team-level commitments.
• Examining our organizational policies and practices to address inequities, including revising our recruitment and hiring practices and improving accessibility and transparency around career advancement opportunities within the organization.
• Working with vendors and partners that share our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Partnering with our network schools and districts to intentionally foster equitable and inclusive learning environments through continuous improvement and learning.

• Collaboratively working with schools to address inequitable patterns in student outcomes.
• Continuously examining aspects of our school model that might be unintentionally reproducing inequities to help ensure greater access and opportunity.
• Focusing on two key opportunity gaps: instructional gap and cultural gap.
• Forming diverse advisory councils to help us tackle complex equity challenges in our work, including a Director Advisory Group, District Leader Advisory Council, Research Advisory Board, and Leaders of Color Focus Groups.