St. Luke's Vision for Inclusive Excellence

Vision For Inclusive Excellence

Introduction:

To underscore and inspire St. Luke’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), the Vision for Inclusive Excellence (VIE) was approved and published by the Board of Trustees in 2017. In June 2020, the Board of Trustees voted to thoroughly review, enhance, and ultimately reaffirm the Vision for Inclusive Excellence (VIE). The process, led by the Director of Equity and Inclusion in partnership with the Board Equity and Inclusion Committee, incorporated insights from St. Luke’s Administrative Council, faculty and staff, students, and parents. Enhancements were incorporated to ensure every VIE goal is transparent and measurable. In the fall of 2022-2023, St. Luke’s Board of Trustees formally affirmed this revised Vision for Inclusive Excellence 2022.

Academic excellence and a commitment to DEIB are inseparable. Diversity improves cognitive skills and critical thinking, promotes creativity, and prepares students for citizenship. Equity and inclusion are fundamental to a student’s faith, trust, and, ultimately, sense of safety within an institution. When students feel safe they are more willing to take academic risks and, therefore, participate and achieve at a higher level. The Vision for Inclusive Excellence 2022 now outlines how St. Luke’s will: build an increasingly diverse community; develop more equitable practices and policies; and promote and sustain a truly inclusive ethos.

A LOVE OF LEARNING, A STRONG MORAL COMPASS, THE COMMITMENT TO SERVE, AND THE CONFIDENCE TO LEAD—EVERY ELEMENT OF ST. LUKE’S MISSION IS BEST ACHIEVED IN A WELCOMING, DIVERSE, AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY.

Inclusive Excellence

Inclusive excellence celebrates diversity in its many forms and inclusion as the foundation of educational and institutional excellence. An inclusive community attracts and retains a diverse pool of students, teachers, staff, and trustees, and continuously strives to provide pathways for all to thrive and achieve their potential.

THE VISION FOR INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE IS REALIZED WHEN EVERY INDIVIDUAL IN OUR COMMUNITY...

Belongs, is valued, and has a stake in the ongoing life and purpose of St. Luke’s.

Acquires the knowledge and skills to learn in the stimulating environment of a diverse population of students and faculty. Through collaborative work, inquiry, dialogue, and action, students appreciate one another’s experiences, perspectives and talents.

Demonstrates a lasting commitment to and connection with St. Luke’s.

To achieve this vision, St. Luke’s will focus its resources on three key areas: Community, Curriculum, and Culture.

COMMUNITY

Goal

Because diversity and excellence are inseparable, St. Luke’s strives to maintain a strong pipeline of diverse students, faculty, staff, and trustees in order to retain a strong community.

Faculty, staff, trustees, and students will represent the broad range of human diversity, including but not limited to ability, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and sexual orientation. As a community, St. Luke’s will be culturally literate, respectful, and able to collaborate, communicate, and navigate across the borders of difference.

ACTION PLAN FOR 2022-2025

STUDENTS:

angle-right Develop accurate language to describe human difference

angle-right Design interactive experiences for students in grades 5-12 to facilitate learning about people from different backgrounds and foster connections

angle-right Increase pipeline and access for historically underrepresented groups in partnership with local community-based organizations (e.g., Horizons, Jewish Community Center, Reach Prep, RIISE, and Waterside)

angle-right Office of Equity and Inclusion and Office of Admissions will examine financial support for middle school students and establish a timeline and benchmarks to measure yield and retention events for BIPOC students

angle-right Seek donors to establish new endowed funds to increase the percentage of Black students as expressed in the Board-approved Seven Commitments

FAMILIES:

angle-right Connect all St. Luke’s families to the Office of Equity and Inclusion through increased communications and/or events

angle-right Host targeted multicultural events in partnership with the Office of Admissions, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Parents’ Association, and Mosaic Committee

angle-right Increase participation in St. Luke’s community events

angle-right Gather data from families to better understand their experience at St. Luke’s and support parents and guardians

FACULTY/STAFF:

angle-right Gather targeted data about existing and prospective employees to gain insight into employee experiences to improve retention and recruitment

angle-right Evaluate turnover via exit interviews with departing faculty and former candidates using internal HR processes and external consultant research

angle-right Dedicate resources to support the Office of Equity and Inclusion and provide ongoing, DEIB-specific professional development

angle-right Identify new opportunities and implement effective strategies for Head of School and Administrative Council to recruit and retain Black faculty and administrators as expressed in the Board-approved Seven Commitments

TRUSTEES:

angle-right Create a demographic data dashboard for trustees to regularly and accurately track progress toward proportional diversity goals (e.g., Seven Commitments and Board priority to match faculty/staff racial diversity with that of the student body)

angle-right Implement deliberate tracking and intentional solicitation of diverse trustees as part of the Governance Committee work as expressed in the Board-approved Seven Commitments

The work will be led by: Assistant Head of School for Academics, Director of Enrollment Management, Head of School, Director of Equity and Inclusion, Parents’ Association

CURRICULUM and PEDAGOGY

Goal

Because learning is most meaningful when it is responsive to each student, faculty must have a thorough knowledge of and experience with equitable and inclusive teaching practices, cultural diversity, and a range of learning differences.

Faculty and staff will evaluate and revise curriculum content and assessment methods to align with St. Luke’s overarching goals to foster community belonging, promote positive identity development, and develop the knowledge and skills that will allow students to thrive in a diverse world.

Faculty and staff will develop teaching methods grounded in social-emotional learning that support perspective-sharing and civil discourse.

ACTION PLAN FOR 2022-2025

STUDENTS:

angle-right Develop 21st century “Portrait of a Graduate,” including core skills of cultural competence, conflict resolution, and understanding of individual identity

angle-right Evaluate existing 5-12 curricular content and ensure all students are able to see themselves positively reflected in the arc of their learning

angle-right Utilize a data-driven process to evaluate when, where, and how existing and future programs reflect DEIB benchmarks (e.g., demographic dashboard to track placement in advanced courses)

FACULTY/STAFF:

angle-right Provide on-campus professional development focused on anti-bias education pedagogy and inclusive and equitable teaching practices

angle-right Analyze department specific curricula, units, and lessons to understand how and where identity exploration is present in the St. Luke’s curriculum, and intentionally map cultural competency skills for grades 5-12

angle-right Utilize existing teacher/course evaluations to gather more student-centered data with regard to their perspective of a teacher’s inclusive practices

angle-right Use the data science dashboard created by Forward Dataworks to audit student placement and performance in Upper School honors and advanced courses against student demographic data

TRUSTEES:

angle-right Support the curriculum study and pedagogy review

angle-right Deepen individual understanding of 5-12 curricular aims and anti-bias education at St. Luke’s to be better informed as stewards of the school

The work will be led by: Counseling & Well-Being Team, Equity & Inclusion Team, Faculty Growth & Renewal Team, Middle School Academic Council, Upper School Academic Council

CULTURE

Goal

Campus culture should be one in which all members of the St. Luke’s community experience a sense of belonging and embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion as shared core values.

To promote an inclusive ethos, students, faculty, staff, trustees, and families will collectively contribute to creating a welcoming campus culture characterized by empathy and respect for our differences.

ACTION PLAN FOR 2022-2025

ALL SCHOOL:

angle-right Establish St. Luke’s as an interschool convener for productive DEIB conversations via an expanded and integrated Equity Leadership Conference as well as a Civil Discourse Series

angle-right Encourage a diversity of perspectives through intentional and open conversations with students, families, faculty, staff, and trustees through St. Luke’s Civil Discourse Speaker Series

angle-right Host biannual St. Luke’s intraschool Equity Leadership Conference for students, families, faculty, staff, alumni, and trustees

angle-right Increase focused engagement with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ alumni in partnership with SLS Alumni Board and Office of Development to provide targeted mentorship opportunities for current students

STUDENTS:

angle-right Actively support student-initiated and -facilitated discussions that examine current and community-specific events and foster empathy

angle-right Increase anti-biased, equitable, inclusive, and culturally responsive student agency and peer-to-peer leadership

angle-right Highlight diverse student expressions and contributions to SLS culture via Town Meetings, social media, and school celebrations that emphasize respect for differences and amplify diverse cultures

angle-right Provide time, attention, and resources to support identity-based affinity groups in Middle and Upper School based on student self-interest

FACULTY/STAFF:

angle-right Adopt and apply a new surveying platform that enables better analysis and a more detailed understanding of how various subgroups of employees experience SLS culture

angle-right Review and respond to feedback from the Student Climate Walkthrough surveys on belonging from students in grades 6-12

angle-right Dedicate additional resources to staff and expand the Office of Equity and Inclusion to more effectively achieve the outcomes imagined in the Vision for Inclusive Excellence

angle-right Partner with Deans and Well-Being teams to proactively respond to and support students’ identity development and diverse learning needs

BOARD:

angle-right Continue Board education guided by the Equity and Inclusion Committee

angle-right Review and develop equitable governance practices that ensure the St. Luke’s Board broadly reflects community diversity

The work will be led by: Administrative Council, Business Office, Equity Leadership Teams, Faculty Growth & Renewal Team, Head of School, Marketing & Communications, Parents’ Association