Education

Schools and universities hold the unique responsibility of bringing together students from many different and intersecting identities to build intellectual and social communities. Instructors and administrators are tasked with navigating challenging issues in an increasingly pressured and media rich environment: racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. Sexual assault. Divestment. Gender. Freedom of speech.

Working with institutions large and small, public and private, Essential Partners partners with all stakeholders of an educational life. Together, we create collaborative, resilient environments and prepare the next generation to lead in a diverse world.

Diversity, Inclusion, and Learning Differences at the Carroll School
The Carroll School is an independent school in Massachusetts dedicated to serving and educating children with language-based learning differences, such as dyslexia. Their mission is to empower young people with learning differences so they can excel...
Photo: Bridgewater College campus
Building a Dialogic Campus at Bridgewater College
In 2012, Bridgewater College launched their Academic Citizenship project, designed to transform campus culture by helping students recognize themselves as empowered members of an academic community. Underpinning the Academic Citizenship project is a...
Image via Northeastern University Honors Program
Students Explore Global Citizenship Through Dialogue
How can dialogue shape a community of global citizens?

Select client list

  • American University
  • Andover Newton Theological School
  • Boston Theological Institute
  • Brown University
  • Clark University
  • Columbia Law School
  • Gordon College
  • Harvard University
  • Mount Holyoke College
  • Providence College
  • Randolph College
  • Scripps College
  • Society for Values in Higher Education
  • Southern Methodist University
  • Summer University of Helsinki
  • University of California, San Diego
  • University of Georgia
  • University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service
  • Victoria University, Wellington

  • The perceived walls between different groups are really more like a screen door that's flapping in the breeze - we can go through them.

    Randolph College student

  • The conference taught me so much! Learning from myself and my peers has also shown me that a lot of the intuitive feelings I have surrounding communication should be taken wholeheartedly without hesitation. I must embrace listening, even when I do not want to be listened to.

    Iyanna James-Stephenson, Mount Holyoke Class of 2015

  • As a result of this, I feel a strong sense that I am somebody, I know who I am. We have differences of opinion but we can still apply what we've learned from this training at all times.

    Randolph College student

  • I have the power to make a difference. Sometimes we don't have a lot of power, but we can listen and that can make a difference...I'm learning how to not be offended and be better prepared to receive other people's communication. You don't have to agree, but you can respect the other person.

    Randolph College student