Level Playing Field Institute

The Level Playing Field Institute, LPFI, is a non-profit organization that works to increase fairness in education and the workplace. LPFI runs a summer enrichment program for high school students of color in math and science, and a college scholarship and leadership program at University of California at Berkeley, which both work to close the alarming opportunity gap that exists in education.
The organization was founded in 2001 by Freada Kapor Klein, and was initially known as the Institute for Inclusive Work Environments. The focus area of the institute was expanded to incorporate education in 2002.
Traditionally, students of color have been shut out from the highest paying and fastest growing jobs in America - those requiring STEM STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees- because their high schools do not prepare them for the rigors of a college STEM major. LPFI’s programs prepare under-represented students of color for admission to and success in top-tier universities and STEM fields.
• Summer Math and Science Honors Academy - www.lpfi.org/education/SMASH - for high school students of color to excel at STEM.
• Initiative for Diversity in Education and Leadership - www.lpfi.org/education/IDEAL- a leadership and scholarship program for undergraduate students of color at UC Berkeley.
LPFI also studies hidden biases and barriers in education and workplaces, and released the groundbreaking 2007 Corporate Leavers Survey, showing that unfairness costs U.S. employers $64 billion on an annual basis. The extensive study of U.S. employees took an in-depth look at 1) the effect of unfairness on an employee’s decision to leave their employer, 2) the financial costs to employers due to voluntary turnover based on unfairness; and 3) what, if anything, employers could have done to keep employees who left due to unfairness. The most fundamental conclusion of the study: unfairness, in the form of every-day inappropriate behaviors such as stereotyping, public humiliation and promoting based upon personal characteristics is a very real, prevalent and damaging part of the work environment.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu