By Tracy Steele, Director of Student Affairs, and Meg Lamont, Assistant Head of School
Stanford OHS is committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. As stated in our strategic plan, “ With a student body drawn from across the country and around the world, the school already embodies an unusual level of geographic diversity. Looking to the future, we are committed to identifying and improving on other dimensions of a diverse and inclusive school. These include increasing racial and socioeconomic diversity and ensuring that we build the infrastructure needed to support the success of all students and staff.” This statement devised by our Stanford OHS community builds upon the directive of the Western Association Accrediting Commission (WASC), which identified the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion as a major area of improvement to focus on for our school. As part of our work toward realizing these goals, we decided to participate in the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) beginning in fall of 2019.
Background: Why AIM?
We decided to implement this particular assessment because it enables us to use common metrics to compare our results among peer schools as well as a common language to discuss complex topics. This assessment has been offered by NAIS for over a decade and is intended to identify, track, and measure progress in key goals and initiatives while also allowing us to compare our results among peer institutions.
Format: What is the Assessment and Where Are We in the Process?
The AIM consists of two components: an online assessment, and a focus group component, called Discovery Groups. The Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee spearheaded the AIM assessment process with an introduction in the August 26, 2019, All-Staff meeting. In Fall 2019, the quantitative online assessment was administered to all students, families, and school staff. In Spring 2020, our DEI committee members began forming focus, or Discovery Groups, to gather the necessary qualitative data as directed by AIM.
The area of focus for the Discovery Groups include:
• Policy & Administration
• Teaching & Learning
• Admissions & Financial Aid
• Student Life
• School Publications and Environment
• Parent/Guardian Involvement
• School Governance and Leadership.
We also created student and parent diversity committees that have worked to lend their expertise and voice to this process.
Stanford OHS' staff continue to delve into targeted topics, including further exploration of terms and definitions in DEI as a baseline for action; specific practices for fostering greater inclusion and greater equity in our classrooms and curriculum; analysis of Stanford OHS events such as S@S as they relate to Stanford OHS’s goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion; specific actions to increase equity and justice in all roles at the school; and plans for making social justice visible as a core value of Stanford OHS in all that we do. These discussions encourage us to recognize and share the actions we have already taken as individuals and as a community to increase inclusion and equity at Stanford OHS. Equally, we are all encouraged to continue work in this area over the coming months and years, acknowledging that justice is a goal that requires sustained, ongoing action and that Stanford OHS’s commitment as a community to justice will be shown by our continued action.