Systemic Educational Equity LLC is a left-of-center consulting firm that works primarily with school districts. It uses critical race theory-aligned principles in its professional development and educational policy advocacy. ¹

Systemic Educational Equity offers “equity audits” to measure how well school districts are able to achieve equal outcomes across ethnic groups, genders, and sexualities. It uses identity politics ideology to evaluate school districts performance and offers reports, policy recommendations, professional development plans, and training sessions aimed at achieving equal outcomes across groups. ²

Background

Founded in 2020, Systemic Educational Equity LLC is a far-left consulting firm that primarily works with school systems. ^{3 4} It advocates that school systems use identity politics to establish equity standards with goals of equal academic outcomes among all ethnicities, genders, and sexualities. ⁵

As of January 2022, Systemic Educational Equity has worked with more than 14 school districts and the Lagrange Area Department of Special Education in Illinois. ⁶ It works with schools to provide professional development services, recommendations, and advocate for policy changes that align with identity politics. ⁷

Activities

In preparation for the 2021 school year, Urbana School District 116 in Illinois contracted with Systemic Educational Equity to perform an audit on the district’s efforts to achieve equal academic outcomes among individuals of all ethnicities, genders, and sexualities. ⁸ Systemic Educational Equity LLC also provided professional development sessions and recommended that all staff participate. ⁹

Systemic Educational Equity created multiple reports for Urbana School District 116 including a variety of Critical Race Theory aligned learning objectives. The learning objectives argue that individuals unknowingly hold racist beliefs, existing so-called social constructs that make up American culture and society are oppressive, that white Americans use “coded racial language,” and white Americans are “microaggressive” towards ethnic minorities, women, and LGBT people. ¹⁰

The reports argued that any measures that are taken to make the district more equitable are inherently insufficient, since “Equity work and development is never-ending. There is no destination to it.” Critics argue that such a statement makes Systemic Educational Equity’s audit and similar services are wasteful and misleading as the group is admittedly unable to help the district achieve its equity goals, despite such services costing upwards of $40,000. ¹¹

People

Ivette Dubiel has been the CEO of Systematic Educational Equity LLC since it was founded in 2020. She has also worked as an adjunct professor for Aurora University and Lewis University since 2019. Dubiel was previously executive director of equity and professional learning for DuPage County public schools in Illinois from 2019 to 2020, and she was the director of education equity for Indian Prairie School District 204 in Illinois from 2014 to 2019. Dubiel also founded the Illinois Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (IALAS) and the Illinois Coalition of Educational Equity Leaders (ICEEL). ¹²

1. “Equity Action Plans.” Systemic Ed Equity. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://www.systemicedequity.com/services-1.
2. “Joliet School District Professional Development.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Systemic-Educational-Equity-LLC-Joliet-School-District-86-IL-Professinal-Developmen-Offerings.pdf.
3. “Equity Action Plans.” Systemic Ed Equity. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://www.systemicedequity.com/services-1.
4. Baryshnikov, Yuliy. “Systemic Educational Equity and Predatory Capitalism.” Medium. November 25, 2021. https://whyambee.medium.com/systemic-educational-equity-and-predatory-capitalism-b047648ab975.
5. “Systemic Educational Equity, LLC.” Systemic Ed Equity. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://www.systemicedequity.com/.
6. “Equity Action Plans.” Systemic Ed Equity. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://www.systemicedequity.com/services-1.
7. “Consultant Report Card.” Parents Defending Education. January 14, 2022. https://defendinged.org/consultantreportcard/.
8. Baryshnikov, Yuliy. “Systemic Educational Equity and Predatory Capitalism.” Medium. November 25, 2021. https://whyambee.medium.com/systemic-educational-equity-and-predatory-capitalism-b047648ab975.
9. “Joliet School District Professional Development.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Systemic-Educational-Equity-LLC-Joliet-School-District-86-IL-Professinal-Developmen-Offerings.pdf.
10. “Joliet School District Professional Development.” Parents Defending Education. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://defendinged.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Systemic-Educational-Equity-LLC-Joliet-School-District-86-IL-Professinal-Developmen-Offerings.pdf.
11. Baryshnikov, Yuliy. “Systemic Educational Equity and Predatory Capitalism.” Medium. November 25, 2021. https://whyambee.medium.com/systemic-educational-equity-and-predatory-capitalism-b047648ab975.
12. “Dr. Ivette M. Dubiel (She/Her/Ella).” LinkedIn. Accessed January 31, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-ivette-m-dubiel-she-her-ella-35897889/.