Epoch Education is a left-leaning consulting firm that provides critical race theory-aligned diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting services to schools, companies, associations, and nonprofits. Most of the firm’s content is geared towards school districts, school administrators, and teachers. Its website boasts that it works with 12 school districts and 180 schools. ^{1 2 3}

Founding and History

Epoch Education was founded by Nancy Dorne and Dora Dome in 2014. ⁴ Since its formation, the company has consulted with 12 different school districts and a total of 180 schools. It also consults for companies, non-profits, and individuals. ⁵ Additionally, it provides graduate-level credits through colleges such as the University of Massachusetts Global. ⁶

Finances

Epoch Education is a for-profit consultancy, and as a result it does not have public financial filings. In addition to consulting, the company also offers a catalogue of online video courses that range in cost from $15 for “book studies” to $1,000 courses related to education policy and law. Some courses also offer certifications needed for continuing education requirements. ⁷

Diversity, Inclusion, Equity

Epoch Education’s main service is providing “diversity, equity, and inclusion” training to a wide variety of clients, with an emphasis on schools. Its services are explicitly grounded in critical race theory, meaning the idea that racism and oppression are imbedded into American society and that things like property rights are rooted in white supremacy. ^{8 9}

Freely available literature on the organization’s website, such as a document titled “Recognizing Microaggressions Activity,” declares that the statement “America is a melting pot” is a microaggression that demonstrates a white person’s desire to not acknowledge race and to assimilate other cultures into “the dominant culture.” The document also warns educators about “assuming the gender of any student” or “using heteronormative metaphors” among other “microaggressions” that might occur in the classroom. ¹⁰ Other literature include classroom and corporate “equity audit tools” and short videos on the effect of coronavirus and racism. ¹¹

Epoch Education offers a variety of online courses covering many DEI topics. One bundle of courses sold as the “Core Courses” is designed to “address issues of inequity.” The Core Courses include a course titled “What is Implicit Bias and How Can We Address It?” while another is called “Exploring Issues of Privilege and Entitlement.” ¹² Other courses include “A Framework to Understanding Systemic Racism,” “What is Implicit Bias,” “Rooting Out Implicit Bias,” “Beyond He or She,” and “Our Role in Confronting and Overcoming Systemic Oppression.” ¹³ Epoch Education advertises on its website that “for teachers, certain topics within DEI trainings are now legally required by California and other states” and encourages teachers to enroll in courses to understand “implicit bias” and “microaggressions.” ¹⁴

Leadership and Staff

Nancy Dorne is the co-founder and CEO of Epoch Education. She has worked in education for decades and has also taught education classes at the college level where she taught future educators with a focus on left-progressive “social justice.” ^{15 16}

Dora Dome has worked in education law for more than 20 years and is responsible for legal compliance trainings through Epoch Education. She has also authored several books related to educational discipline and provides a variety of legal compliance trainings to school districts. ^{17 18}

1. About Us.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/about-us/.
2. “Schools.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/solution/schools/.
3. “What Is Critical Race Theory Really? Tenet 1: Whiteness as Property.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory-really-tenet-1-whiteness-as-property/.
4. “Epoch Education, Inc.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/company/epoch-education-inc.
5. “Schools.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/solution/schools/.
6. “Epoch Education.” University of Massachusetts Global. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://www.umassglobal.edu/partner-organizations/partner-organizations/current-partnerships/epoch-education.
7. “Courses.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://epochacademy.thinkific.com/collections.
8. What Is Critical Race Theory Really? Tenet 1: Whiteness as Property.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory-really-tenet-1-whiteness-as-property/.
9. “What Is Critical Race Theory…Really Tenet 3: The Permanence of Racism.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 10, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory-really-tenet-3-the-permanence-of-racism/.
10. ^[1] “Recognizing Microaggressions Activity.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/microaggressions_tool_final-2021.pdf.
11. “Tools of the Trade.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/article-category/tools-of-the-trade/.
12. “Epoch Core Courses.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://epochacademy.thinkific.com/bundles/epoch-core-courses.
13.  Epoch Education. “Courses.” Accessed November 10, 2021. https://epochacademy.thinkific.com/collections.
14. Epoch Education. “DEI Solutions.” Accessed November 11, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/solutions/.
15. “Nancy Dome – Co-Founder/CEO – Epoch Education, Inc.” LinkedIn. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancydome.
16. “About Us.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/about-us/.
17. “Dora Dome – Attorney, Author, Trainer – Dora Dome Law.” Linkedin. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dora-dome-0459b66.
18. “About Us.” Epoch Education. Accessed November 11, 2021. https://epocheducation.com/about-us/.