HOW WE WORK

Liberation (noun).
The act of being free from oppression.
Freedom from limits on thought or behavior.
2021-22 Impact Report

For schools to be places where every young person is valued, where their creative genius is celebrated, and where they are prepared for success in life, school communities must first build the mindsets, skills, and collective energy needed to make their schools more equitable and just.

That’s what we do at Kindred: We provide brave spaces for caregivers and schools to co-create liberated schools.

Our commitment by 2027:

LAUNCH THE KINDRED ALUMNI NETWORK

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active alumni

We are launching an alumni network, with the goal of serving 500 active alumni members.

 

Deepen our impact

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DC schools

We are increasing our investment in DC, with the goal of serving 50 schools and expanding our work to include middle and high schools.

EXPAND OUR WORK

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new communities

We are expanding our impact nationwide, with the goal of serving three new communities nationally.  

 

For schools to be places where every young person is valued, where their creative genius is celebrated, and where they are prepared for success in life, school communities must first build the mindsets, skills, and collective energy needed to make their schools more equitable and just.

That’s what we do at Kindred: We provide brave spaces for caregivers and schools to co-create liberated schools.

Our commitment by 2027:

LAUNCH THE KINDRED ALUMNI NETWORK

0
active alumni

We are launching an alumni network, with the goal of serving 500 active alumni members.

 

Deepen our impact00

0
DC schools

We are increasing our investment in DC, with the goal of serving 50 schools and expanding our work to include middle and high schools.

EXPAND OUR WORK

0
new communities

We are expanding our impact nationwide, with the goal of serving three new communities nationally.  

 

THE KINDRED JOURNEY

What is the journey to becoming a liberated school? We partner with school communities (including caregivers, school staff, and students) through three key phases:

Phase 1: Build the Foundation
Kindred brings students, caregivers, staff, and leaders together to engage in brave dialogue about who they are, how they show up, and how they experience their school community. Through this process, community members reflect upon their own and learn about each other’s multifaceted identities, develop trusting relationships, examine how racism and other forms of injustice perpetuate inequitable outcomes for students, and prepare to take collective action to advance educational equity and racial justice in their school.
Phase 2: Create a Shared Vision of Equity
Kindred supports the school in developing and beginning to actualize a shared vision of a community in which everyone experiences a sense of belonging and can thrive. This process of alignment involves identifying, prioritizing, and taking action to address persistent and pervasive barriers to equity at the school. While continuing to process their identities and build relationships, a growing community of equity leaders engages in the ongoing co-design of policies, practices, and ways of being that will advance their shared vision.
Phase 3: Reinforce the Stronger Foundation
Kindred coaches and collaborates with equity leaders to codify structures and practices that will sustain and maximize the impact of their work over time. Within this, equity leaders take on increasing levels of coordination, preparing to own this work independently beyond their formal partnership with Kindred. This includes identifying additional equity priorities, developing aligned actions to address them, and continuing to cultivate a culture that supports liberation and results in improved social-emotional and academic outcomes for students in the school.
Read more about the Kindred Journey

What Our Partners Say

92% of caregivers reported thinking about how their assumptions affect their behavior more often 

88% of caregivers reported taking action to advance equity in their school

86% of caregivers formed new friendships with caregivers of different backgrounds due to their participation in a Kindred dialogue group

82% of caregivers reported feeling more responsible for addressing educational inequity in their school

Impact In Schools

Co-design hiring practices: Equity leaders raised that staff demographics did not represent the student population. Equity leaders co-designed a hiring process that increased the number of staff of color from 13% to 34% in one year

Co-create family engagement strategy: Equity Team worked alongside the PTA to ensure equitable decision-making and increased the number of caregivers of color on the PTA executive board 

Create new family engagement: Equity leaders launched a PTA aligned with the equity vision and needs, a first in caregiver led organization in this community.

What the Research Says

Kindred school communities see an increase in:

Empathy
Parent efficacy
Resource access for families
Diversified and stronger relationships
Parent perceptions of their school and one another
Personal growth
Collaboration
Advocacy and empowerment

Read more about the research that supports Kindred’s work.

Kindred Pilot Study (Urban Institute)

Evaluation of the Kindred Parent Dialogue Groups at Six Schools (independent evaluator)

“Kindred is on the path to influence whole-school change as a result of changing how parents work together to advance equitable approaches in their schools, as well as how school administrations engage and work with families.”

—  COMMUNITY SCIENCE

“[The principal at a Kindred school] now notices parents across socioeconomic groups talking in the hallways since the sessions with the facilitators. Families who had never carpooled are asking each other for rides.”

— THE WASHINGTON POST

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Learn how Kindred can help.
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