Since 2023, legislators across 28 U.S. states and in Congress have introduced 81 bills restricting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs at colleges and universities, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education’s DEI Legislation Tracker. To report on this trend and its consequences, journalists need to understand the history of diversity initiatives, common myths about DEI today and the latest research showing what works — and doesn’t work — for creating equal opportunity and better outcomes among students, faculty and staff, and college campuses as a whole.