STRATEGIC PLAN FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
OUR MISSION Sewickley Academy inspires and educates students to engage their
CORE VALUES Character
Sewickley Academy upholds the highest ideals of honor, integrity, responsibility, respect, empathy, and kindness and the actions that flow from them.
Educational Vigor hearts,
Sewickley Academy is committed to the highest standards and expectations in academics, while recognizing the essential contribution of athletics and the arts, and the maintenance of an appropriate balance among the three.
Diversity
Sewickley Academy is dedicated to being a community that represents and celebrates different backgrounds, talents, interests, and divergent yet informed opinions.
minds,
Community
Sewickley Academy seeks to foster a deep understanding and appreciation of our connections with one another and those beyond our borders, as well as our obligation and responsibility to serve and lead inherent in these bonds.
and hands to cultivate their full individual and collective potential in the service of a greater good.
LANGUAGE MATTERS: DEISJ DEFINITIONS
Diversity is who we are. It is quantitative. Diversity is expressed in myriad
forms, including race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, national origin, religious and non-religious beliefs, age, and ability status.
Equity is characterized by the absence of bias, harassment, and discrimination
as it relates to diverse identities and promotes a sense of belonging and assures access to those resources each person needs to have agency and reach their full potential. Equity is not equality; rather, it is about meeting the needs of the individual.
Inclusion is the assurance of belonging. Inclusion takes into account every
individual’s experience and identity in creating conditions that respect, accept, empower, support, and affirm one’s authentic self.
Social Justice is a call to action to reduce prejudice and bias by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion at Sewickley Academy and in society.
Note: Nothing in the foregoing may be construed in a manner that would allow anyone to assert their identity in a manner that would be injurious to another. These commitments are meant to set out a positive framework for mutual responsibility.
SEWICKLEY ACADEMY DEISJ Strategic Plan Goals and Framework
S
ewickley Academy has proudly engaged in diversity work for more than three decades. In 1993, Sewickley Academy was a founding member of the Fund for the Advancement of Minorities through Education (FAME). In 1994, Sewickley Academy established Summerbridge Pittsburgh, now Breakthrough Pittsburgh, on our campus to provide educational opportunities to under-resourced and talented students from the Pittsburgh region. In 2002, Sewickley Academy hired its first Director of Diversity. In that year, our student Gay Straight Alliance was formed, joining the African-American Awareness Club and a variety of culture clubs in promoting equity on campus.
In the intervening years, significant strides have been made, including in the evolution of the Office of Diversity, which became the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in 2017, and the establishment of a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Center in the Senior School the same year. From 2015 through the present, Sewickley Academy has adopted the National Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity (SEED) project protocols in our training with our faculty and groups of students and parents. In just the past five years, we have conducted nineteen professional development workshops for all faculty and staff using the SEED framework to strengthen cultural language and competency. Also in 2017, the first student-led Learning Equity, Acceptance, and Diversity (L.E.A.D.) Conference was held, a conference that has now become an annual draw for students across the Pittsburgh region. Growing out of our proud history of diversity work and intending to build on the capacities that our community has developed over the years, this Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Social Justice (DEISJ) Strategic Plan has been developed and approved by the Academy’s Board of Trustees and represents the next steps in our continuing work in this area. This ambitious plan seeks to lay out a roadmap for future work in this critical area of school life, strengthening the individual and collective capacities of the members of our community to participate in and contribute to the maintenance of a model community established on our nation’s foundational ideal that “all men are created equal.” Such equality demands a lived experience for each person that validates who they are and ensures their place as valued members of our vibrant, diverse, and equitable community. By realizing the goals of this plan, Sewickley Academy seeks no less than to become a model for independent schools in the region and across the nation. Given the wonderfully diverse context in which we exist, we know that our success here will mean engaging with people who have a range of views about this work and its importance. The work will not always be easy, and there will likely be times when we will encounter challenge. That is to be expected, but our collective commitment as a school community to the dignity and worth of every person will remain unyielding.
1.
Clearly define diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.
Success in supporting DEISJ work, especially in having the sometimes difficult conversations this work entails, demands a common language and clarity about the meaning of the terms we use. The demand for clarity was a common theme that permeated both the Envision SA 2024 strategic-planning process and the DESIJ strategic-planning process. We hope that having clear definitions for key terms will support the launch of our latest efforts to realize our aspirations with respect to DEISJ and ensure that each member of our community will start with a common language.
Strategies: 1.1 A dapt definitions of each term for use at Sewickley Academy based on widely recognized and accepted definitions. 1.2 Redefine and broaden the scope of our Core Value of Diversity to capture our enhanced focus on DEISJ. 1.3 R edefine the Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion as the Office of DEISJ. 1.4 E stablish metrics of success to ensure progress and accountability in meeting our DEISJ goals.
• Specifically, attempt to measure the Sewickley Academy community’s level of confusion regarding the defined terms and its level of commitment to DEISJ.
2.
Communicate the DEISJ Strategic Plan to the Sewickley Academy community and the region.
Sewickley Academy has long believed that being is not enough; action must follow. To this end, we know that the existence of a DEISJ strategic plan is not enough and that we must ensure that our community and those in our region understand our goals and how the achievement of those goals will serve to create a community of learners, both children and adults, who benefit from and thrive through a deep understanding of their interconnections. Only by telling our story do we strengthen those connections and affirm the power of the work on which we are embarked. Further, by celebrating our commitments and our achievements, we ensure that there is no misunderstanding about our path and our aims.
Strategies: 2.1 D evelop and execute a strategy to market and communicate Sewickley Academy stories that illustrate and celebrate how the school is fulfilling its commitment to the work of DEISJ and how the DEISJ work drives excellence.
•E nlist multiple voices to share DEISJ experiences and strategy on all our media platforms, including the website, Facebook, Instagram, Sewickley Speaking, Under The Cupola, and divisional newsletters.
•P repare a publication to share the DEISJ Strategic Plan with the community, along with the public-at-large, as well as potential strategic partners in the community.
2.2 Establish an advisory group to assist with the long-term communication strategy. 2.3 E stablish metrics of success to ensure progress and accountability in meeting our DEISJ goals.
3.
Achieve representation among our students, faculty, and staff that reflects the diversity of the region, particularly among those who have been historically underrepresented.
Success in the achievement of the goals laid out in this plan depends on our ability to increase the diversity of the people represented in our community. Because we believe that people of every race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, national origin, religious and non-religious beliefs, age, and ability status have the capacity and the desire to contribute to and benefit from a Sewickley Academy education, we are committed to being a community that is inclusive and represents the diversity of our region. By intentionally creating a community that reflects the inspiring diversity of our region, we create opportunities for students to learn with and learn from people who may be from different backgrounds but who, nevertheless, share a commitment to educational and personal excellence. Further, because significant scholarly research has demonstrated an absolute correlation between diversity and the attainment of excellence (e.g., see the work of Dr. Scott Page and a 2018 McKinsey & Co. report, “Delivering Through Diversity”), we know that we cannot achieve our highest aspiration for the school or our community without first creating the diversity that will make that excellence possible.
Strategies: 3.1 A ctively recruit historically underrepresented students from around the region.
• Ensure that we grow diverse inquiry pools from which to admit the most Mission-aligned students and families.
3.2 Actively recruit historically underrepresented faculty, staff, and administration from around the world, including but not limited to people of color. • Use placement services that specialize in recruiting people of color to work in independent schools to create diverse applicant pools.
• Ensure the diversity of the applicant pool by using the “Rooney Rule” when interviewing faculty, staff, and administrative positions.
3.3 A ctively recruit historically underrepresented people to serve as trustees on the Academy’s Board of Trustees. 3.4 T rain admissions and hiring leaders in the best practices to create diverse applicant pools. 3.5 E stablish metrics of success to ensure progress and accountability in meeting our DEISJ goals.
4.
Strengthen a school culture that reflects, supports, and reinforces our DEISJ commitments and the specific goals of this plan.
Goals 4 and 5 acknowledge that merely bringing a diverse group of people together is not nearly enough. We must evaluate all aspects of school life that impact culture and equip members of the community with the language, skills, and dispositions to engage in the sometimes difficult work of DEISJ so that we can ensure that the lived experience of each member of our community is a positive and affirming one. We reject the idea of representation for representation’s sake and embrace the notion that each member of our community has value that must be affirmed through engagement and respect in all aspects of community life. No one is a guest in this framing; no one is merely “tolerated.” All are celebrated for their unique talents and for how each individual contributes to the strength of the community: our diversity, when supported by a quality lived experience for all, is our strength.
Strategies: 4.1 E valuate and modify, as necessary, all Academy spaces, customs, traditions, and practices, including how we tell our school’s story, to ensure that these reflect the highest ideals of our DEISJ goals and values, and contribute to their reinforcement.
• Create or adopt a tool consistent with best practices to assist in the conduct of this audit.
4.2 Annually review all existing policies (e.g., employment, admissions, student, hiring, fundraising, alumni relations) for bias and revise as necessary for alignment with our DEISJ goals.
• Create or adopt the necessary tools consistent with best practices to assist in the conduct of this review.
4.3 R eview and align the ways in which we hold members of the community accountable to our DEISJ commitment. 4.4 C larify the charge of the School Culture Team to empower it to support the achievement of this goal. 4.5 E stablish metrics of success to ensure progress and accountability in meeting our DEISJ goals. 4.6 C harge the Curriculum Leadership Team with exploring a possible DEISJ graduation requirement.
5. Improve the lived experiences of all historically underrepresented stakeholders in, and visitors to, the Sewickley Academy community.
Strategies: 5.1 C ontinue to create spaces for all diverse stakeholders to share their experiences with the larger Sewickley Academy community. 5.2 Create supports for historically underrepresented stakeholders that take into consideration the disparate experiences among underrepresented stakeholders. 5.3 C ontinue to encourage and support professional development for historically underrepresented faculty and administration that is specifically aimed at diverse audiences (e.g. NAIS People of Color Conference). 5.4 Create a strategy for surveying the community, paying special attention to those who identify as historically underrepresented, that establishes a baseline from which to identify challenges and measures success over the life of the Plan.
• Things to look to understand are the extent to which people feel safe, included, welcomed, heard, etc.
6.
Ensure that all students have equitable access to the resources (social-emotional, academic, and financial) that they need in order to thrive at Sewickley Academy.
Goal 6 acknowledges that not everyone who comes to our community will arrive with exactly the same resources, and we do not believe that a person’s access to resources should determine whether they can participate fully in the life of the school. Once an individual is a member of our community, we will ensure that they have the resources necessary to be able to participate fully in our programs and in the life of the school. This intentional effort to level the playing field seeks not to advantage one group over another but merely recognizes that individuals may have different needs, and those who need additional resources should receive them so that they might contribute to and benefit from our programs on the same footing as their peers.
Strategies: 6.1 A llocate funding for increased focus on student equity and use that funding to do the following:
• Make counseling services readily available for all students with counseling professionals who have culturally responsive practices and experience in diverse environments.
• Continue to identify students with academic needs early and create an academic plan for those students to ensure that they are not left behind, which would include tutoring (for free if student has identified financial need).
• Hire an additional learning specialist with experience in culturally responsive practices that support students of color.
• Identify financial barriers for admitted students (excluding tuition, which has its own process for evaluating need) and provide financial support to students with identified financial need (books, materials, athletic gear, trips, tools to ensure accessibility for individuals with physical limitations, etc.).
6.2 I mprove practices for identifying need for social-emotional, financial, and academic resources. 6.3 R eview practices regarding the marketing, communication, and provision of social-emotional, financial, and academic resources to ensure that we are normalizing need. 6.4 E nsure that faculty, staff, students and their families are aware of what resources exist and how to access them. 6.5 E stablish metrics of success to ensure progress and accountability.
7.
Ensure that both curriculum and pedagogy are aligned to and supportive of our DEISJ goals and values.
Curriculum (what we teach) and pedagogy (how we teach) are at the heart of the Sewickley Academy experience, so it is vital that we ensure that what we teach and how we teach reflect the DEISJ goals we have for our school. This goal seeks to ensure that the choices around curriculum and pedagogy are ones that are made intentionally with an eye to excellence, representation, accuracy, and divergent yet informed opinions. Our role is not to tell students what to think; rather, by exposing them to a broad range of materials and experiences, we create the conditions under which students learn how to think and begin the process of developing a unique personal identity informed by the breadth of their educational experiences.
Strategies: 7.1 S hare the DEISJ Strategic goals with all faculty and outline a process of how we will work to align curriculum and pedagogy with DEISJ goals. 7.2 Provide ongoing professional development and support to ensure that faculty and staff have the pedagogical skills, as well as the interpersonal and self-reflective skills, language, and behaviors they need to support the DEISJ work of the school, both in and out of the formal classroom. 7.3 Map curriculum and pedagogy, Pre-K through Grade 12, to the Learning for Justice Standards. 7.4 Engage in regular and ongoing review of curricular and cocurricular content to ensure alignment with the DEISJ goals. 7.5 Establish metrics of success to ensure progress and accountability in meeting our DEISJ goals. 7.6 Continue to create experiential spaces for students to cultivate agency and practice justice in preparation for the world beyond Sewickley Academy.
8.
Ensure that the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Social Justice has the resources it needs to support the furtherance of the goals identified in this plan.
The quickest way to provide an overview of this goal is to say that Sewickley Academy intends to “put its money where its mouth is.” In short, the commitments we are making in this plan will demand resources, and we are determined to be sure that our ambitions as laid out here receive the funding and other resources they need so that we may realize our goals.
Strategies: 8.1 Raise funds in support of this goal. 8.2 Hire administrative assistant. 8.3 Reevaluate the needs of the office on at least a yearly basis. 8.4 C ontinue to provide professional development opportunities, including SEED training, to Divisional DEISJ Coordinators to enhance their leadership skills and cultural competencies. 8.5 E nsure sufficient time is allocated to DEISJ work in each division and throughout the school. 8.6 P artner with the Alumni Relations Coordinator to maintain alumni connections in support of the DEISJ work on campus.
9.
Take specific steps to accomplish our DEISJ goals in response to the well-documented, systemic inequities faced by Black people in our region.
Goal 9 reflects Sewickley Academy’s awareness of the well-documented challenges our Black residents face in our region (e.g., see the City of Pittsburgh Gender Equity Commission’s 2019 study, “Pittsburgh’s Inequality Across Gender and Race,” or the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work’s 2015 study, “Pittsburgh’s Racial Demographics 2015: Differences and Disparities”). The research powerfully demonstrates that, even when compared to similar regions around the country, this region’s Black residents face among the poorest outcomes in terms of health, education, economics, safety, and more. Sewickley Academy understands that we cannot achieve our DEISJ goals and ultimately become the school that we desire to be without confronting the unique challenges faced by Black people in the region. So while our commitment to all members of our community remains undiminished, we know we must develop strategies that specifically address the unique challenges of the current and future Black members of our community.
Strategies: 9.1 C harge the Director of Admissions to develop specific strategies to attract and recruit Black families to create diverse inquiry and applicant pools. 9.2 C harge the Division Heads to develop specific strategies to retain Black students and families. 9.3 C harge the Head of School to develop specific strategies to recruit Black applicants for open administration, faculty, and staff positions, and to retain Black administration, faculty, and staff. 9.4 C harge the Director of DEISJ to develop specific strategies to improve the lived experience for Black members of the Sewickley Academy community and foster an anti-racist culture.
STRATEGIC PLAN FOR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
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