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Adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2012, the second iteration of the Diversity Strategic Plan outlines steps that guide our community in meeting the goals of our commitment to diversity.

GOAL #1: The Overlake School will establish a defined set of core competencies and key knowledge related to cultural competence.
The Overlake School's commitment to cultural competence is grounded in our goal of preparing students to become responsible and active participants in an increasingly multicultural and global world. We recognize that cultural versatility is a combination of a strong knowledge base, skills and experiences.

GOAL #2: We aspire to reflect our Eastside community in our student body with a particular focus on increasing enrollment of mission appropriate students from under-represented groups.
Students benefit from an environment of peers whose perspectives and experiences differ from their own. Open dialogue, depth of intellectual exchange, and mutual respect can be fostered with a diverse learning community. We seek strong students who would otherwise not see Overlake as a viable option.

GOAL #3: We aspire to provide sufficient financial aid to eliminate financial need as a barrier to our diversity goals.
Financial aid is a necessary tool that allows us to make an Overlake education accessible to a wider range of deserving students. We recognize socioeconomics as an important aspect of diversity and our aim is to sustain a mutually-beneficial partnership between the school and the community at large. Learn how the Gibson Scholarship is helping us meet this goal.

GOAL #4: Overlake aspires to hire and retain talented faculty, staff and administrators who contribute to the diversity of the school.
It is imperative that our faculty, staff and administrators reflect our commitment to diversity and to the new demands of an increasingly diverse learning community. A diverse group of faculty, staff, and administrators can help provide opportunities to directly participate in vibrant, pluralistic, multicultural learning initiatives.

GOAL #5: Overlake aspires to be an environment where all students experience a sense of belonging and comfort in expressing themselves, their ideas, and their opinions.
To fully benefit from diversity, the Overlake School needs to maintain a focus on building an inclusive and open community. Personal, physical and emotional safety are requirements for a healthy learning environment.

GOAL #6: The school will work intentionally to create a welcoming and inclusive environment especially for those in our community who identify as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning).
Students who are perceived or identify as LGBTQ face a disproportionate number of risk factors. Research shows when these students face harassment the impact of these risk factors are amplified. We want all of our Overlake students to feel safe enough to be authentic and supported.

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Adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2012, the second iteration of the Diversity Strategic Plan outlines steps that guide our community in meeting the goals of our commitment to diversity. GOAL #1: The Overlake School will establish a defined set of core competencies and key knowledge related to cultural competence.

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Land Recognition (Heid and Travis)

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having this team to the commitment to care standards.  ELT - Leadership team. 

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having this team to the commitment to care standards.  ELT - Leadership team. 

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Windows/Mirrors Conversations.

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buliding out time in DEIA work in f, C, E, L

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buliding out time in DEIA work in f, C, E, L

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CULTURE - its not a "woke competition". Reduce shame, don't increase shame.  "Community Agreements/Norms/Tolerance... tolerance of knowledge. 

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CULTURE - its not a "woke competition". Reduce shame, don't increase shame.  "Community Agreements/Norms/Tolerance... tolerance of knowledge. 

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Build culture, find balance (what can we give up)

how we guide, lead, and support white staff. that conflict is real.

Banwitch - It is a privledge to talk about bandwitch.  There isn't a chose, do i want to read this.  Don't have the choice to "live into" this work.  not a choice.

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Ghost Walk: Monitoring (who feel welcome, comfort, and why)

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Ghost Walk: Monitoring (who feel welcome, comfort, and why)

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Doing that with the fully building. Outside lens.  What evidence do you see in the school (building/classroom)

Pineapple Chart

Retaining Folks - ELT focuses on it.  Building opportunities to build in

Professional Reading Focus - DEIA - How to incorporate that in our culture meeting structure (read this article/watch this video - discuss and debrief)

Diversity Statement?

Analysis of retaining our POC.

Analyzing the exit interview information.

DEIA Community - Lot of them left.

All Staff Meeting - DEIA ... incidate that the ELT is serious it.

SS and DM

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NWAIS' commitment to care standards cover most of DEIA work and will need to be addressed in 2021-22 self-study process. These will need to be addressed in hiring practice, employee CC/RL ANS curriculum

Steve will send NWAIS standards for ELT to familiarize ourselves with those.

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Careful examination of current student texts through this lens, incorporating DEIA focused books for students in the classroom.

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Salaries: we need to be more competitive with other schools.  

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Salaries: we need to be more competitive with other schools.  

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Land Acknowledgments (Colleen)

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Bringing back students who have gone through high school and other avenues to come back to Westside to share insights or knowledge. How their Westside education got them to where they are thinking with social justice now. Can just be students so doesn't feel like we are looking for alumni families for money.

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Heather/Meghan

Have 3-4 staff workshops on CC and RL (Meeting that target as of now with our work with Heather Clark at future PDs.)

Build and establish a defined set of core competencies and key knowledge related to cultural competence - use in hiring protocols, professional development, admissions, and staff evaluation

Weave DEIA Tunings into Division and Grade Level Team Meetings.

Continue DEIA Book Talks in future PD Days.

Formalize CC and RL goal setting into faculty and staff quarterly work.

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The board of trustees (BOT) and the head of school articulate strategic goals and objectives that promote diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice in the life of the school.

The BOT does a yearly retreat focused on DEIA strategic planning.

Seek to ensure that Westside BPT reflects our West Seattle community in our student body with a particular focus on increasing representation or mission appropriate trustees from Global Majority groups.

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Principles of Good Practice:

1. The school establishes the foundations for its commitment to equity and justice in its defining documents (mission, core value, and/or philosophy statements).

2. The school respects, affirms, and protects the dignity and worth of each member of its community.

3. The board of trustees and the head of school articulate strategic goals and objectives that promote diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice in the life of the school.

4. The school develops meaningful requirements for cross-cultural competency and provides training and support for all members of its community, including the board of trustees, parents, students, and all school personnel.

5. The board of trustees and the head of school keep the school accountable for living its mission by periodically monitoring and assessing school culture and ongoing efforts in admission, hiring, retention, financial aid, and curriculum development.

6. The school works deliberately to ensure that the board of trustees, administration, faculty, staff, and student body reflect the diversity that is present in the rapidly changing and increasingly diverse school-age population in our country.

7. The head of school ensures that diversity initiatives are coordinated and led by a designated individual who is a member of one of the school leadership teams, with the training, authority, and support needed to influence key areas of policy development, decision making, budget, and management.

8. The school uses inclusive language in all written, electronic, and oral communication.

9. The school adopts a nondiscrimination statement applicable to the administration of all of its programs and policies, in full compliance with local, state, and federal law. That said, the school makes the law the floor — not the ceiling — for establishing itself as a diverse, inclusive, safe, and welcoming community for all students, staff, and families.

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Future: Develop a Pre-K-8th Grade DEIA Scope & Sequence

Future: Require integration of DIEA curriculum monthly in units of study.

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Job Description Update

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Land Acknowledgements (Colleen)

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The purpose of the University Prep Diversity Strategic Plan is to not only live our mission, which is who we say we are, but also to strive to live out our Vision Statement, which is who we want to be as a school community. In 2016, the UPrep Board of Trustees adopted a Diversity Mission Statement: University Prep's mission compels us to train and educate the next generation of leaders who will create impact and change in an interdependent, complex, and global community. Our students need to see, hear, and understand the diversity of people, perspectives and points of view around them and the world they will lead in the years ahead. Essential to this proposition is the ability of our students to identify, analyze, and act on issues of equity, justice, and inclusion. Our world demands it. We believe this Diversity Strategic Plan will help us not only talk the talk, but walk the walk when it comes to our school mission, vision and diversity statements.

Why is a Diversity Strategic Plan important? Because it makes the educational experience stronger. Diversity outperforms sameness (Hunt, et al.). Diversity strengthens student outcomes, promotes better problem solving, enhances creativity, and bolsters organizational performance (Phillips). In addition, our governing bodies, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) and Northwest Association of Independent Schools (NWAIS), require schools to do this work. To remain a leader amongst our peer schools in the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to remain competitive, we must keep diversity at the forefront of all we do and use an equity and inclusion lens to guide us in our practice.

NAIS expects member schools to create and sustain diverse, inclusive, equitable, and just communities that are safe and welcoming for all. NAIS has nine Principles of Good Practice for Equity and Justice. Number three specifically states that "the board of trustees and the head of school articulate strategic goals and objectives that promote diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice in the life of the school."

NWAIS states that member schools must provide students with "access to, knowledge of, and opportunity for open discourse about different perspectives and backgrounds in ways that are meaningful and that clearly demonstrate commitment to the NWAIS core values of commitment to diversity and free and open inquiry."

NWAIS also states that "the inclusion of diverse perspectives and backgrounds strengthens the quality of a school's culture and educational program. A commitment to diversity acknowledges and honors the diverse perspectives and backgrounds within the school community and makes every member feel that he or she belongs and is equally valued. NWAIS believes that this commitment to diversity is essential for free and open inquiry to flourish." (NWAIS Self Study Manual)

To help aid us in this process we will be operating with the following definitions ( JONES Inclusive Leadership, 2017):

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Diversity Strategic Plan 2018-2020 - University Prep

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The purpose of the University Prep Diversity Strategic Plan is to not only live our mission, which is who we say we are, but also to strive to live out our Vision Statement, which is who we want to be as a school community.

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Partnering with search consultants costs $$ and not something the school has used before (outside of the HOS search)

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Hiring

Hire and retain culturally competent (CC) and racially literate (RL) faculty, staff and administrators.

Partner with a search consultant that specializes on hiring CC and RL employees.

Update all job descriptions to reflect CC and RL priorities in regards to screening of applicants

Train our current staff in evaluating candidates for CC and RL

Hiring a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director to drive this work.

Retention

Student Body: We seek to ensure that Westside reflects our West Seattle community in our student body with a particular focus on increasing enrollment of mission appropriate students from Global Majority groups.

Student Body: We aspire to provide sufficient financial aid to eliminate financial need as a barrier to enrollment.

Employees: Increase salaries and benefits to retain cultural competent educators

Future: Create and formalize Mentorship Program for all new employees.

Future: Create Student, Employee, and Parent Affinity Groups

The school will work intentionally to create a welcoming and inclusive environment especially for those in our community who identify as LGBTQ or are from the Global Majority