Developing Change

Advisory and Homeroom Curriculum: Equity and inclusion programming is incorporated in our grade-level advisory and homeroom curriculum. Recent topics have included discussions about empathy, identity, homophobic language, and gender. 

Recent examples of classwork:

• Learning about geography through the lens of equity, 6th grade Social Studies students study a variety of map styles, Mercator, Mollweide, Peterson, Robinson, and talk about how each projection brings with it a different perspective and a different distortion of the world.
• In 6th grade, advanced math students calculate percentages of the composition and changes of different identities in Congress in comparison to percent of population.
• In 7th grade English, students explore equity and the theme of intersectionality while reading Pieces of Me Together. 
• In 8th grade science, students investigate the patient file of a Grenadan immigrant to write a differential diagnosis of his genetic disease. In doing so, they are learning about historical and systemic racism in the American healthcare system and making connections to current events and healthcare access for racial minorities in the U.S.
• In 8th grade English, students learn about racial identity development and deepen their understanding of how that impacts their experiences.
• In Chorus, Middle School vocal music students are encouraged and taught to sing with their own natural voice using healthy technique. All singers are placed in the voice part corresponding with their current vocal range, not based on gendered or specifically named vocal parts.

​​The Middle School offers affinity groups for BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ and Allies, and White Upstanders.

• BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color): This group is to support students of color and their positive identity development. This group provides a space for students to connect with others of similar identities and celebrate and explore what their racial identity means. For BIPOC students in predominantly white environments, this is particularly supportive for their positive identity development. 
• LGBTQ+ and Allies: This group is for students who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning, and allies. It’s a space for students to affirm their identity and find ways to support one another in an inclusive space.  
• White Upstanders: This group is for white students who are learning about their own race and racial privilege and how to be allies and upstanders for racial justice.

• Honoring heritage months and student identity: The Middle School endeavors to incorporate learning about the history of BIPOC and historically marginalized groups of people throughout our curriculum, while also honoring heritage months with activities that invite students to learn, share, and explore even more. Recently, the Middle School has recognized Latinx and Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous People’s Month, Black History Month, and Asian American History Month. 

• Student-led Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming: The day after the MLK Jr. holiday is a day of special programming to build on the legacy of racial justice work led by Dr. King. This programming is co-created and led by students. In recent years, some of the topics students focused on include: cyber-bullying, homophobia, microaggressions, classism, and ableism. 

• Students attend local diversity and social justice conferences.

• MOOSE Group: Many Optimistic Open Minded Students Seeking Equity. This group is a space for students to discuss matters of social justice and mission-aligned community engagement. 

• Mental health support provided by Westtown psychologists and counselors for all students. Westtown offers students access to diverse counselors so students  from marginalized groups have the emotional support they may need. The counseling team has offered affinity space programming on a regular basis and after triggering current events or during times of need. This team also works in collaboration with the Equity and Inclusion Coordinator to support identity work and social emotional development of students.

• There are diversity, equity, and inclusion and social-emotional learning curricula in each grade. Example lessons include: Building Empathy, Identity self-discovery, Communicating Across Differences, Social Justice, and Anti-racism.

• African Dance program with 3rd grade students. Third 3rd grade has a comprehensive unit on Africa in which they study the geography, countries, and cultures of Africa. Part of that unit is a six-week, on-campus residency with the Jeannine Osayande & Dunya Performing Arts Company during which students learn not only many dances, but also about history and storytelling in the music and movements.

• The 4th grade trip to the National Museum for African American History and Culture: This is a culmination of studying American history from multiple perspectives. The guiding questions for this unit are: Who is telling the story? Whose voice isn’t being heard? Students also study change makers in history who were involved in social justice, abolition, and women’s rights. 

• In honor of different Heritage months and holiday special programs, class activities and assemblies are organized. Some of the months and holidays honored are Hispanic Heritage Month, Indigenous People’s Month, Black History Month, Asian American History Month, Dia de los Muertos, Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. 

• Affinity groups for 4th &5th grade students: Affinity spaces are developmentally supportive of student identity and are particularly supportive for students who are in marginalized groups. Current groups that are offered are:

  • BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color): This group is to support students of color and their positive identity development. This group provides a space for students to connect with others of similar identities and celebrate and explore what their racial identity means. For BIPOC students in predominantly white environments, this is particularly supportive for their positive identity development.

  • LGBTQ+ and Allies: this group is for students who identify as LGBTQ+ or come from families with parents who are LGBTQ+.

  • White Upstanders: This group is for white students who are learning about their own race and racial privilege and how to be allies and upstanders for racial justice.
     

• Mental health support is provided by Westtown psychologists and counselors for all students. Westtown offers students access to diverse counselors so that students in the minority or from marginalized groups have the emotional support they may need. The counseling team also works in collaboration with the Equity & Inclusion coordinator to support identity work and social emotional development of students. 

• Book audit in the Lower school library: Recently the books in the library went through extensive review to ensure the inclusion of books representing BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other often under-represented groups. Books that stereotyped groups of people or gave outdated information were removed. 

All employees must engage in ongoing professional development to support growth in anti-bias and anti-racist comeptencies. The goal is for employees to be able to be aware of their own bias, privilege, and racial identities, and how those intersect in their work experiences with colleagues and students. With an understanding of how bias impacts personal interactions, employees can change their practice to be more anti-racist and anti-biased. Professional development occurs within Westtown led by the Dean of Diversity and Inclusion, Equity and Inclusion Coordinators and through outside conferences and programs. Here are some examples: 

• Search committees receive anti-bias training to ensure an unbiased hiring process.  

• Employees engage in ongoing and mandatory professional development work on anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) community topics. Recent topics include: racial Identity development, implicit bias, and being an upstander.

• Employees engage in professional development outside of Westtown through different programs and institutes including: The Kirwan Institute, The Race Institute, Crossroads, Lion’s Story, and The Equity Exchange.

• There is ongoing professional development work and ABAR community training for Administrators, the DEI Team, and members of the Board of Trustees. 

• The Deans’ Office in the Upper School engaged in Restorative Approach to Discipline professional development.

• All-school summer reading assignments have had ABAR-specific themes since 2019. (2019: White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. 2020: Minor Feelings by Cathy Park Hong and American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang)

• Affinity groups for BIPOC employees are offered and led by licensed counseling professionals.

• Affinity space is offered for LGBTQ+ employees.

• Westtown prioritizes and sends employees of color to the People of Color Conference and we sent our largest contingent of 22 Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) employees to the People of Color Conference in December 2019.

• Faculty and staff attend the bi-annual Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Conference.

• Faculty and staff attend the annual Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS), which this year featured the Cheryl Irving Cultural Competency Institute and keynote speaker Rosetta Lee.

The purpose of the DEI Advisory Board is to articulate and support a high-level, strategic vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and access at Westtown. The DEI Advisory Board consists of administrators, faculty, trustees, and alumni/ae/x. Meeting quarterly, this group provides oversight and perspective on the school's work to advance strategic priorities in diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. Members are committed to continuing education and collaboration among all community members (parents, employees, alumni/ae/x, and students), and measuring progress, quantitatively and qualitatively, in Westtown’s growth as an anti-bias and anti-racist community.

Recent work includes:

• Endorsement of Westtown’s Strategic Vision;

• Discussing Westtown’s response to the Black@WesttownSchool Instagram page and the 2020 summer of unrest and Black Lives Matter protests; 

• Discussing commitment to ABAR community work and engagement with all employees on professional development around this topic; 

• Discussion of equity and inclusion issues related to COVID and the structuring of Westtown Distance Learning; and 

• Review of faculty and staff equity and inclusion professional development and student programming.

Guided by Westtown School’s mission and values, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is a working group of faculty and staff that meets monthly in order to pursue and support our school's goals in diversity, equity, inclusion, and access. The committee is tasked with leading the way on our strategic priority of engaging all Westonians in the work of creating a supportive environment for students, especially those from marginalized identity groups. Some recent work the committee has engaged in:

• Engagement with the Strategic Vision and its implementation;

• Discussion on what it means to be an anti-racist school ;

• Leading the AIM (Assessment for Inclusivity and Multiculturalism) self assessment;

• Discussion of ways to engage with Westtown BIPOC families and alums;

• Review of hiring practices and procedures and offering feedback for improvement for a more unbiased process;

• Planning how to support our community during the 2020 election.

The mission of the committee is:
Guided by Westtown School’s Mission and its Statement of Inclusivity, the DEI committee seeks to listen broadly and identify community needs in order to inform its goals and actions and to implement the strategic initiatives related to diversity and inclusion.