Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion

As a community of valued individuals, we celebrate our differences and appreciate our commonalities as children of God.

Areas of measurement:

• Our school environment – visually, aesthetically, programmatically, and in all other ways – represents, and is accessible to, all children.
• Our curriculum emphasizes the educational value of seeing issues from multiple points of view and fosters crucial thinking about bias.
• Our curricular materials are up-to-date. They value difference in culture (including geographical and historical setting), religion, socio-economic status, family configuration, gender, sexual orientation, age, and physical and cognitive abilities.

An inclusive community is one that represents a diverse population, embracing people of varying ages, abilities, ethnicities, family configurations genders, sexual orientations, races, religions, and socio-economic backgrounds. Each member of the St. Patrick’s community is responsible for promoting equal access and equal respect in the school setting and in the greater St. Patrick’s community.

Areas of measurement:

• Our school has admission policies and processes that promote inclusion.
• Our school actively seeks faculty and staff who come from diverse backgrounds.
• Our school reaches out to all parents and includes them in the life of the school in meaningful ways.
• Our school is a place that reflects and represents the diversity in our community and beyond.

It is our ongoing responsibility to represent St. Patrick’s accurately as we clarify who we are and who we want to be and to be aware of our own biases and prejudices.

Areas of measurement

• Assessment is valued as a continuous process in the classroom and in the community and is recognized as a way to promote responsiveness to change.
• Assessment is included as a formal part of the faculty evaluation process.
• Ongoing education is a premise and a reality for faculty, administration, staff, parents, and Trustees.

Erica Thompson
Assistant Head of School for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
thompsone@stpatsdc.org
202-342-2807

Imani Edwards
Parents Association Vice President for Equity
edwardsi@stpatsdc.org 

What is an affinity group?

A group of people who share a similar identity.  Group membership allows the group a place for reflection, dialogue, and support; it strengthens ties within the community.

The St. Patrick’s Equity Committee (formed in January 1994 as the Diversity and Multicultural Committee) brings together faculty members with a focus on motivating and monitoring the school’s progress toward the equity goals that flow naturally from the Day School’s Mission Statement and Statement of Philosophy. St. Patrick’s faculty members regularly attend workshops and lectures, participate in community forums and discussion groups, and set specific equity goals. They are supported in this important work by the Day School’s Board of Trustees, the St. Patrick’s Parents Association, and the Assistant Head of School for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Professional Development

Many members of the St. Patrick's faculty and staff have participated in professional development around issues of equity, inclusion, diversity, race, multiculturalism, and cultural competence. In addition to our work on campus with Dr. Derrick Gay, in 2016 members of the faculty have attended nearly half a dozen professional events specifically focused on these issues including the POCC conference, CARLE, and the AIMS Diversity Conference, among others.

Members of the St. Patrick's faculty and staff created a book club focused on issues of equity and inclusion. Led by Grade 6 teacher Julia Smith in 2015-2016, the group read Waking Up White by Debbie Irving.

• Each year the Faculty Equity Committee conducts community conversations to address initiatives for all of the members of the St. Patrick’s community. 
• Speakers
• Movie Showings/Discussions
• Faculty Presentations
• Shared Reading Discussion

The Equity Committee suggests the following web resources for families interested in learning more about Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in schools.

• Black Student Fund
• Latino Student Fund
• Eastern Educational Resource Collaborative
• National Association of Independent Schools
• Gender Spectrum

The Board of Trustees recently concluded an inclusive and wide-ranging strategic planning effort. From that process, St. Patrick's identified four initiatives to guide decision-making in the near-term. One of those initiatives is a commitment to expanding our work in equity, diversity, and inclusion.

To that end, St. Patrick's created a new position, Assistant Head of School for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and appointed Erica Thompson to that position. A longtime member of the St. Patrick's community, Erica has served as St. Patrick’s Equity Coordinator, chair of the Faculty and Staff Equity Committee, and a Lower School learning specialist and, from 2000 to 2003, as Assistant Head of School. A particular area where Erica contributes to this important work at St. Patrick's is in curriculum development.

The Board of Trustees has committed itself to investing resources and identifying additional strategies for addressing diversity and inclusion in the student body and in the faculty, staff, and administration, promoting the overall excellence of our program and the quality of the experience of each and every child and family. As we observe in the Day School Mission Statement for Equity and Diversity, “It is within a diverse community that we are best able to educate ourselves and one another to live in a global society, to actively and effectively promote justice, and to oppose prejudice and bias.”

We look forward to sharing our work towards this vital priority in preparing students to thrive and contribute in the 21st century.