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At the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium (PEDC), we work to make this vision a reality. We believe that all students—no matter their race, ethnicity, identity, or background—benefit from having teachers who share and respect their experiences. We are committed to increasing representation and cultural understanding in every classroom.
We focus on early childhood, K–12, and higher education to support the growth of culturally aware and inclusive educators—building systems that are inclusive and transformational. Our work focuses on increasing knowledge, creating vital resources, and driving equitable education policies.
Dr. Donna-Marie Cole-Malott PEDC Co-Director speaks with legislators during Advocacy Day at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg
PEDC began in October 2019 when Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Education, Pedro Rivera, launched the Aspiring to Educate (A2E) initiative. This program aimed to bring more diversity to the teaching workforce. The first A2E program started in Philadelphia and brought people together to tackle the challenges that educators of color often face—even as schools were adjusting to the effects of COVID-19.
A small group of people started the work, but it grew fast. Even during the pandemic, we created toolkits, shared resources, and held a virtual summit to keep pushing the work forward.
By March 2021, the group officially became the Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium (PEDC). The co-founders—Donna-Marie Cole-Malot, Juliet Curci, and Karen Parker Thompson—helped shape the group into what it is today.
Now, PEDC is a strong 501(c)(3) organization supported by early funding from the New Schools Venture Fund and financial support of key allies such as the Heinz Endowments, the McElhattan Foundation, the William Penn Foundation, Spring Point Partners, and the Henry L. Hillman Foundation. Our network includes hundreds of people and organizations all working toward the same goal: to make Pennsylvania’s education system more inclusive, and to inspire change beyond the state as well.
Tomea Sippio-Smith, Co-chair of PEDC’s Policy & Advocacy Working Group Speaks with students, educators and education advocates at the Pennsylvania State Capitol
Across Pennsylvania, the call for educational transformation is growing louder. Not because our communities lack brilliance, talent, or potential, but because our systems have not been designed to recognize, support, value, and reflect them.
We need more than a few diverse educators in isolated classrooms—we need a vibrant, supported, and culturally relevant and sustaining educator workforce that spans every level of education. From teacher preparation programs to PK-12 schools, from deans to superintendents, from faculty chairs to principals, the face and practice of education must evolve to reflect the students we serve.
However, barriers persist. Systemic inequities, shrinking educator pipelines, and resistance to culturally relevant and sustaining education (CRSE) are compounded by a growing backlash against race and gender equity. Educators and leaders committed to this work are not just under-resourced—they’re under attack.
The reasons are many: lack of representation, financial burdens, inaccessible pathways, and the absence of supportive environments. And it doesn’t stop at entry—without intentional structures for retention, mentorship, wellness, and leadership development, we continue to lose incredible educators year after year.
This isn’t just a loss of personnel—it’s a loss of joy, wisdom, and connection. And it’s happening in a state where the overall educator workforce is already in decline.
At its heart, this is about restoring the dignity of the profession. Elevating the role of educators as essential—not optional. No profession, no innovation, no justice movement, no democracy thrives without teachers. Yet too often, our systems deny them the pay, respect, wellness, and reverence they deserve.
The need for change is urgent. And so is the opportunity. Together, we’re answering the call—with vision, strategy, and heart.
PA State Representative Regina Young speaks with educators
Across Pennsylvania, the call for educational transformation is growing louder. Not because our communities lack brilliance, talent, or potential, but because our systems have not been designed to recognize, support, value, and reflect them.
We need more than a few diverse educators in isolated classrooms—we need a vibrant, supported, and culturally relevant and sustaining educator workforce that spans every level of education. From teacher preparation programs to PK-12 schools, from deans to superintendents, from faculty chairs to principals, the face and practice of education must evolve to reflect the students we serve.
However, barriers persist. Systemic inequities, shrinking educator pipelines, and resistance to culturally relevant and sustaining education (CRSE) are compounded by a growing backlash against race and gender equity. Educators and leaders committed to this work are not just under-resourced—they’re under attack.
PEDC’s backbone team convenes at their annual Leadership Retreat
Transforming the educator workforce at scale takes more than good intentions. It takes coordination, commitment, equity, and collective action. That’s why PEDC embraces the Collective Impact model—a framework that brings diverse people, sectors, communities, and institutions together to tackle complex problems in unified, strategic ways, with equity as both a guiding principle and a shared responsibility.
At the heart of Collective Impact are six key pillars. PEDC doesn’t just talk about them—we live them.
We’re finalizing our Common Agenda with our community, ensuring our vision and goals are grounded in shared purpose and shaped by those closest to the work.
We are establishing ways to measure progress collectively, so we can stay aligned, accountable, continuously learn, and be transparent in our impact.
At our SWPA regional hub, a dedicated working group is developing and piloting a shared measurement model, co-creating tools that reflect local needs and experiences while informing statewide learning.
At PEDC, our members and partner organizations collaborate toward a common purpose: advancing educator diversity and cultivating culturally relevant and sustaining educators, practices, and systems.
Mutually reinforcing activities are about aligning diverse efforts to drive collective progress. That means intentionally connecting each participant’s or organization's contributions—whether through policy, preparation, practice, or community engagement—to maximize shared impact.
This approach respects the different roles each of us plays while ensuring our efforts move in the same direction.
Ongoing communication keeps our work collaborative and coordinated. Through monthly statewide and regional convenings, newsletters, and interactive touchpoints, we stay connected, responsive, and informed.
From professional learning to working groups and our statewide Summit, each effort is distinct yet interconnected—working in harmony toward our shared vision.
By listening first and getting to know the values, strengths, and needs of our community members, we ensure that our communication strengthens alignment, trust, and impact across the network.
PEDC serves as the organizing intermediary—offering leadership, strategy, facilitation, and infrastructure to hold the vision and keep the work moving forward.
Our backbone team is also deeply committed to centering healing and wellness—for our community and ourselves—because sustaining the work means sustaining the people doing it.
Our work is also grounded in solidarity and guided by the principles of targeted universalism. We believe in a shared vision for educational equity—but recognize that achieving universal goals requires strategies that respond to the unique barriers different organizations face.
Solidarity means we stand together—not just in values, but in action. It is evident in our policy and advocacy working groups, summit, and other working groups, where members co-create solutions and collectively own the work.
Targeted universalism reminds us that while we’re all striving for the same destination—an education system where every student and educator can thrive—the pathways must be tailored to meet specific needs, especially for those most impacted by systemic inequities.
This work cannot happen in silos. It requires cross-sector collaboration and co-creation, where people bring their expertise, lived experience, and leadership to the table. Whether shaping policy, designing learning, or strengthening local networks, each of us has a role to play—and when we move in solidarity, we move with power.
Together, we can create a system where every student, no matter their race or background, is supported by educators who see them, hear them, and encourage them to reach their fullest potential. This is the vision that drives us every day. It is our story. It is our commitment. And together, we will change the story for future generations.
