What are some of the ways biases impede our efforts to build inclusive cultures? How can we not only intervene in these biases but also proactively create cultures where students, employees, and others feel they belong and make meaningful contributions? This summit strand will explore some of the latest research connecting bias, belongingness, and inclusion. Attendees will have a chance to practice concrete strategies for interrupting bias in real-life situations. They will also have a chance to learn from other’s experiences with these issues and develop a plan of action for addressing bias and creating belonging cultures in their own organizations and in everyday life.

Power and influence are profoundly important to the project of building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive tech ecosystem, and yet we rarely talk about — and never attempt to measure — these critical factors. This strand aims to address this gap. We will unpack findings from NCWIT’s cutting-edge research about how power and status operate on technical teams, who has access to it, and how we might distribute it more intentionally. Participants will be introduced to PowerTilt–a new tool to help teams understand their own dynamics and build more inclusive cultures of power and influence.

Equity in computing education is a noble goal but achieving it can be challenging, especially when efforts, to date, are more focused on individualistic rather than systemic solutions. At the same time, it is often overwhelming for individuals to know how to help change systems.  This strand will uncover ways that individuals can help tackle important but often overlooked levers for systemic change.  Attendees will examine the current CS environment in K-12, drill down to specific levers for change, and learn how each individual can play an active role in tackling this complex problem. Attendees will also learn about frameworks that can be used for assessing equity in their own contexts.

Recruitment and retention strategies might feel intuitive for the tech industry, but establishing similar practices across the K-12 and post secondary ecosystems can be more challenging. Developing concrete strategies to broaden participation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) students in K-12 and higher education is a critical component in building and expanding inclusivity in CS education. What are the current best practices for ensuring that historically marginalized students have access, exposure, and remain in CS? How might recruitment and retention efforts look different in the PK-5 space? Across minority-serving institutions? Attendees will have a chance to learn about important ways to actively engage a broad range of students, and to ensure all students have the skills needed to thrive today and in the future.

What does it mean to have inclusive leaders at every level? Why is it important for organizational cultural change? How can we best enable and empower both formal and informal leaders to build more inclusive cultures? This summit strand focuses on how organizational change is accelerated when inclusive leaders are recognized and empowered at all levels, independent of their hierarchical position in the org-chart. Attendees will learn what it takes to be an inclusive leader, how to help others become inclusive leaders, how these skills can enable organizations to tackle difficult conversations and foster real organizational change. Practical examples and resources from both Dr. Allen’s work and the NCWIT Tech Inclusion Journey framework will help attendees take action and apply this information back in their own organizations.  

Inflammatory rhetoric over social issues related to gender fluidity, critical race theory, and systemic racism/sexism increasingly permeate public discourse and debate. While this climate, may at first glance, seem to be broader and beyond the realm of tech, it deeply affects our efforts to promote equity in technical contexts as well. At the same time, technology communities are perhaps uniquely situated to tackle these concerns head on. This strand will explore how the “Manosphere” and other coordinated efforts are working to shore up the gender binary in ways that also undermine broader efforts to address systemic sexism, racism and other inequities. Attendees will learn how technology and technical communities are both being used to accelerate inflammatory discourse but also uniquely situated to intervene in the spread of such discourse. Attendees will leave with an enhanced understanding of how these issues affect technical communities and practical strategies for intervening in ways that foster positive change.

Want to do a better job of recruiting and retaining diverse students in undergraduate computing? Want to make CS curriculum more engaging and effective for all students? Come explore the latest research on inclusive pedagogies in CS education, with a particular focus on innovative uses of educational technology. Attendees will have the chance to learn from several real-life case studies, success stories, and interactive demonstrations. Attendees will also be able to share and learn from each other’s experiences with similar issues and walk away with an action plan for putting inclusive pedagogies into action in your home institution.