”I learned... "That it's not as complicated as sometimes we make it to be proximate in our work and to ensure that policy responds to real problems and not just perceived ones."
Kate Tromble, Director Data Champions Collaborative at Data Quality CampaignThe Proximity Project alumna (Spring 2021)
Research shows that many “diversity programs” fail because leaders are rarely pushed to become truly proximate to the people and issues they discuss during mandatory training.
The Proximity Project: Data + Equity is not an isolated, intellectual exercise— leaders connect closely with students, parents, and community leaders whose truth and insights inform participants’ reflections and actions.
TPP cohorts meet virtually for 2.5-hour training sessions each week for eight weeks. During these sessions, participants discuss assigned readings, complete assessment and reflection activities, gain actionable insights from guest speakers, learn about models and case studies of serving marginalized communities, and develop closer cross-institutional relationships. The work during the sessions is complemented by a series of pragmatic assignments that bring institutions closer to the communities they serve.
Dates for our next cohort coming soon!
The Proximity Project: Data + Equity is an eight-week cohort experience for education researchers, data leaders, and practitioners who want to examine and reform how they interact with and serve communities of color.
The Proximity Project is not an isolated, intellectual exercise— leaders connect closely with students, parents, and community leaders whose truth and insights inform participants’ reflections and actions.
TPP cohorts meet virtually for 2.5-hour training sessions each week for eight weeks. During these sessions, participants discuss assigned readings, complete assessment and reflection activities, gain actionable insights from guest speakers, learn about models and case studies for supporting communities of color, and develop closer cross-institutional relationships. The work during the sessions is complemented by a series of pragmatic assignments that bring institutions closer to the communities they serve.
Beyond our flagship eight-week program, The Proximity Project also offers customized consulting and training support for organizations. Contact Atnre Alleyne (atnre@theproximitypro.com) if this is of interest.
The Proximity Project was started in 2020 by Atnre Alleyne, a former researcher and state education data leader, after multiple conversations with leaders in philanthropy and the education sector about how their organizations could better support communities of color.
While many of these leaders were responding by reflecting on diversity and inclusion in their organizations, given his experience as the founder of two education nonprofit organizations (TeenSHARP and DelawareCAN), Atnre felt that authentic proximity to marginalized communities was a critical missing piece.
TeenSHARP has been working alongside families for over a decade to prepare talented Black and Latino students for highly-selective colleges and equity-centered leadership. TeenSHARP has hundreds of students and alumni across the Philadelphia region. This proximity — even while serving in research and policymaking roles — has given Atnre rare insight into the holistic needs (education, health, employment, etc.) of families of color and how well they are being met by the institutions that are supposed to serve them.
The Proximity Project: Data + Equity was designed in response to demand from education researchers for a unique experience that facilitates a dramatic shift in mindsets, policies, and practices among education data leaders.
We will announce dates for the next cohort soon. Sessions typically take place on Mondays from 12pm-2:30pm EST. The program is 100% virtual.
The typical schedule of topics covered are as follows. However, we always leave room for modifications based on the unique dynamics and needs of each cohort.
The program is designed for data leaders, champions, and users working at all levels of the education system seeking to bring theirselves and their work closer to the most marginalized communities.
We are intentional about recruiting participants from a variety of roles in the field: state, district and school-level leaders; education researchers (think tanks, university-based, etc.); representatives from national and local education nonprofit organizations; community-based education organization leaders.
The ideal participant is someone who will champion and/or lead equity and racial justice efforts in their particular organization.
It is totally fine if the participant is emerging in their understanding of equity, inclusion, and racial justice. That’s actually typical.
It’s just critical that participants are committed to learning and doing the personal/organizational work needed to promote equity, racial justice, and inclusion.
We would actually recommend organizations send a team of 2-5 leaders to get the maximum benefit from the program.
While the program is designed for participants who come to the conversation of race, equity, and racism at various levels, this is not the right opportunity for someone who is not ready to put in a good amount of work to better serve communities of color.
That being said, the workload is certainly manageable for busy professionals.
Participants will have 2.5 hours sessions each week for eight weeks and up to 4 hours of prep work outside of sessions. Readings and prep workload will fluctuate weekly.
Atnre Alleyne launched The Proximity Project after over a decade of leading community engagement and empowerment initiatives in some of America’s poorest cities. Atnre is the co-founder of TeenSHARP, an organization that prepares students of color for top colleges and equity-centered leadership. Atnre previously founded and led an education advocacy organization and has served as a Director of Talent Management at the Delaware Department of Education.
He is an alumnus of the Strategic Data Project at Harvard and has served in research and evaluation roles at The Gallup Organization, Hay Group, and university and social impact think tanks.
Atnre serves on the advisory board of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard. He writes regularly and delivers talks about racial justice, leadership, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and education policy. He has appeared on the TEDx red carpet and has written for TheGrio, The 74 Million, Citizen Ed, Delaware Business Times, and other outlets.
