Listen. Reflect. Act

DEI Progress Update from the Board of Trustees

In June 2020, the Board of Trustees took the unprecedented step to address the community to acknowledge the deep-seated pain, fear, and sadness across our nation and encountered by many members of our community, particularly our Black students, alumni, faculty, staff, families, and friends. The Board also shared its support of the school’s efforts in this work and committed to listen, reflect, and act. Over the course of the 2020–21 school year, the Board undertook an intentional process to deliver on that commitment in numerous ways.

Listening Sessions

A series of facilitated listening sessions were intentionally and thoughtfully created to provide adequate safe space and time for community members to share their experiences, both positive occurrences and/or challenges; share constructive ideas and solutions; and inform the long-term diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) objectives. The school partnered with psychotherapist Myque Harris and psychologist Bryanna Campbell of Southeast Psych to facilitate a series of conversations with different groups of Country Day community members, including Middle and Upper School students, parents, faculty and staff, and alumni.

We heard a broad array of stories ranging from peer relationships and social hierarchy to training and accessibility, with some similar overlapping experiences across affinity groups. The following themes emerged:

-Mental and Social Health and Wellness

-Representation, Retention, and Accessibility

-Professional Development and Training

-Curriculum/Exposure

-Accountability and Repercussions

The listening sessions were extremely powerful and emotional. To hear and compare the experiences of students from 1969 to today was eye-opening and invaluable. This qualitative feedback is instrumental in the evolving DEI strategy for the creation of effective and sustainable solutions.

– Shanon Jones, Co-Chair, DEI Committee of the Board

Reflecting on AIM Survey

For more than 10 years, the NAIS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) has provided schools with a deep understanding of the climate of inclusion on their campuses, from current and past students to teachers, administrators, and trustees. The Board’s goal with the AIM survey was to assess and benchmark our school’s current climate and advance other strategic equity goals.

Nearly 2,000 community members participated in the survey, including Middle and Upper School students, trustees, faculty and staff, parents, and alumni from the classes of 2017–20. In analyzing key drivers, a score of 4.0 and higher is considered healthy, 3.50–3.99 is a priority concern, and 3.49 or lower is a high-priority concern.

The whole school morale measured a mean score of 3.9, which is a priority concern. The Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) overall morale measured a mean score of 3.7, which is also a priority concern.

The whole school's satisfaction with multiculturalism measured a mean score of 3.8, which is a priority concern. The BIPOC satisfaction with multiculturalism measured a mean score of 3.3, which is a high-priority concern.

The whole school's satisfaction with inclusiveness measured a mean score of 3.8, which is a priority concern. The BIPOC satisfaction with inclusiveness measured a mean score of 3.4, which is a high-priority concern.

While the summary survey results indicate strong school morale, we would be remiss not to mention the individual responses, along with the cross-tabulated data, show that we do still have a lot of work to do.

– Dave Benson ’85, Co-Chair, DEI Committee of the Board

Taking Action

As a Board of Trustees, we collectively believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are central tenants to excellence in all students’ education, and we stand by the principles embodied in the Affirmation of Community. While much progress has been made, we recognize the need to continue to improve, and the course of action we began as a Board in the summer of 2020 represents another step in that process. During the 2020–21 school year we have:

-Established a DEI Committee of the Board

-Facilitated Listening Sessions and the AIM Survey

-Participated in three DEI Training sessions with NAIS DEI leadership

-Added external expertise to the Culture and Community Committee work

-Assessed financial aid policies and practices in partnership with DEI leadership from NAIS

-Conducted a Strategic Planning Session with NAIS leadership that resulted in five areas of strategic focus

-Reaffirmed commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and provided support for school leadership to put the next chapter of DEI into action at Country Day.

While our listening steps affirmed academic strengths and validated certain DEI improvements, the feedback reveals our work is not complete, and we have opportunities for improvement. The feedback reveals that an important focus for our next chapter needs to be on inclusion and culture, and we have a renewed focus on intentional initiatives to positively affect the student experience.

These areas of strategic focus emerged from our Strategic Planning Session:

-Diversity Representation

- Continuous Improvement and Accountability

-Equity

-Communication

-Community Wellness/Student Experience

These strategic focus areas have been given to the school’s administrative team to, in turn, create a short-term and long-term action plan. In the next issue of Perspectives, you’ll learn more about the intentional steps school leadership is taking to continue our efforts to change our campus climate to best serve our students and our mission.

The Board of Trustees stands firm in our belief and trust in the school’s leadership to continue to take action toward meeting our DEI goals. To learn more about this important work, please visit: charlottecountryday.org/dei.