An in-depth look at April’s More than a Seat at the Table podcast episode by host, Darthula Mathews.
The Great School Partnership’s Diversifying the Educator Workforce (DEW) Collaborative has a deep commitment to educational equity, and we firmly believe that a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse educator workforce is vital to improving learning for all students. The DEW Collaborative is both an important project and a critical practice: a cooperative space where partners from different sectors throughout education come together to increase and sustain a diverse educator workforce across New England and beyond.
More Than a Seat at the Table
The DEW Collaborative and our partners frequently discuss the five grounding principals that make up our DEW Framework—recruitment, retention, pathways, preparation, and policy—and emphasize the importance of addressing all of them simultaneously. I affectionately refer to this framework as a delicious sweet potato pie of which everyone should consume all of, not just one slice. Rather than addressing these in lonely silos, the DEW Collaborative brings together educators, administrators, higher ed leaders, and community voices who, together, can move all pieces forward in a coordinated way. Everyone gets a seat at the table. No need to bring a chair as we will have one waiting for you.
Read GSP’s Reports on Educator Diversity in New England
Collective Leadership in Rhode Island
In its simplest form, a coalition is a group of organizations that come together around a common focus or goal. One powerful example of this kind of coalition building is the Rhode Island Collective Impact. This is a partnership the DEW Collaborative did not start, but one we are honored to support and stand alongside.
In 2023, the Rhode Island Foundation generously awarded grants to expand efforts in Providence, Pawtucket, Newport, and Central Falls, focusing on increasing the number of teachers of color (within the Global majority) in urban districts. On episode nine of More Than a Seat at the Table, “More Than a Project: DEW and the Power of Collective Leadership in Rhode Island,” Lisa DiMartino of the Rhode Island Foundation explains “our partnership with Freedom Dreams was to create this collective impact approach and bring in a variety of stakeholders, union representatives, legislators, higher ed institutions, nonprofits, researchers, teachers, other school level individuals.” Since then, [I]t’s been really beneficial to have Freedom Dreams and Distinctive Success Solutions as our partners to help us think through those quarterly meetings and really facilitate and run those meetings.”
As CEO & Founder of Freedom Dreams, Simona Simpson-Thomas shared, “The need for representation matters across the [education] system.”
Collective Impact in Rhode Island
As a born and raised Rhode Islander who bleeds Rhody Blue, I spent my entire life in servant leadership roles engaged in all of my communities across the state. From this lens, I believe The Rhode Island Collective Impact is a genuine example of successful collective impact rooted in trust and authentic purpose. The coalition, their meetings, and objectives are not performative—they are action-oriented. Being one of the smallest states, people know you or of you, which means your reputation truly precedes you. Thus, you can hear the positive impact of this coalition before even seeing it yourself. Partners come ready to plan, connect, and mobilize.
Dr. Tammy Vargas-Warner, President & CEO of Distinctive Success Solutions, described the role of a Collective Impact coach as being, “ ..immersed in the work with the grantees.” She also says, “Our role is to help support them, to help them move their own projects along, to challenge them, hold them accountable. But it’s also to be flexible and learn and grow with them.” This is just one example of the responsiveness and level of coaching competency this coalition holds.
Listen Now
We invite you to hear more by tuning in to our latest podcast episode featuring members of this coalition. You will hear directly from those on the ground doing the work, and where they hope to go next. Listen below or select your favorite podcast app to listen there.
About the Author 
Darthula Mathews (pronounced Da-too-la) is a coaching associate with the Great Schools Partnership. She brings over a decade of experience working in both higher and secondary education with a wealth of experience in supporting students, families, alumni, mentors, and community partners. Most recently, she worked as an Advisor at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (the Met), a high school centered on real-world and project-based learning. In addition to her teaching obligations, she served as a leader and liaison for various Anti-Bias and Anti-Racist programming, including facilitating a weekly affinity group championing BIPOC students and their personal and academic growth. Prior to the Met, Darthula worked in a variety of roles at both the Community College of Rhode Island and the University of Rhode Island (URI).