Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

List of 5 items.

• Our Work: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan

  GOAL 1: DIVERSE COMMUNITY
  Foster a fully diverse and inclusive community.
  
  GOAL 2: EDUCATION
  Create immediate and longer-term School-wide initiatives regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion at Shipley. Prepare students to be leaders in a global society. Commit to sustaining a vibrant, inclusive, and caring multicultural community.
  
  GOAL 3: EQUITABLE EXPERIENCES
  Ensure an equitable experience for all members of the community.
  
  GOAL 4: ENGAGEMENT
  Involve all community voices from students, colleagues, families, and alumni. Ensure that cultural awareness and understanding are reflected in many areas of school life.
  
  GOAL 5: ACCOUNTABILITY
  Regularly review Plan strategies and tactics to ensure the effectiveness of these initiatives in both the near- and long-term.
  
  Read More

• Our Work: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs

  Students and colleagues participate in school-wide DEI programming aimed at building cultural awareness and celebration in our community throughout the year, including: 

  • Black History Month
  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Lunar New Year
  • National Day of Silence
  • Pride Week

• Our Work: Professional Development

  Shipley colleagues receive generous support from the school in their quest to learn more about the complex issues of multiculturalism and social justice. Over the past year colleagues have attended or presented at the following local and national professional conferences: 
  
  

  Local

  Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS) and Multicultural Resource Center @ ADVIS
  

  A founding and active member of the MCRC@ADVIS, Shipley works collaboratively with other Philadelphia-area schools to develop programs that promote and enrich diversity. The Association of Delaware Valley Independent Schools (ADVIS) is a nonprofit organization representing independent private schools in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. 

  
  Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) 

  The Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) is a state association serving over 100 independent schools across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in Delaware. PAIS offers services including collaborative dialogues on important school issues, professional development programs, communication on governmental affairs as well as advocacy, and a rigorous accreditation process. 
  
  

  National Conferences

  Shipley regularly sends teaching and operational colleagues to national conferences supporting efforts in the DEI space, including:

  • National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference
  • National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Equity Design Lab II: Grading for Equity
  • National SEED Project
  • The Race Institute
  • White Privilege Conference
  • Center for Spiritual and Ethical Education
  • Building Anti-Racist White Educators (BARWE)
  • National Diversity Practitioners Institute
  • NAIS Online Inclusive Schools Network Institute
  • The Glasgow Group - LGBTQ+ Educators Retreat

  In-School

  Regular Professional Development Sessions

  Shipley teachers engage in weekly professional development sessions to encourage growth and learning around academic achievement, individual well-being, and collective well-being. During the 2022-2023 school year, teachers will have six sessions devoted to DEI topics.
  
  Teaching Resource Center
  The Shipley Teaching Resource Center is a place for teachers to pursue professional growth opportunities, working one-on-one or in collaborative settings to learn from each other and share areas of expertise. In particular, colleagues attend and present regular sessions on diversity, equity, and inclusion.  

  
  

  Colleague Reading Groups
  In addition to professional learning, colleagues have also participated in various diversity, equity and inclusion reading groups. Books that colleagues have read in the past or are currently reading include: 

  • Not Light, But Fire by Matthew Kay
  • White Privilege by Dr. Robin D’Angelo
  • How to Be an Antiracist by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
  • Was the Cat in the Hat Black? The Hidden Racism of Children's Literature, and the Need for Diverse Books by Phillip Nel

• Our Work: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Groups

  Adult Affinity Groups/Alliance Groups

  Upper School, Middle School, and Lower School Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Family Committees

  The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Family Committees are volunteer groups designed to help create and foster programming for parents and guardians regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion education. These groups meet once a month and are focused on coordinating events, speakers, workshops, book groups. 

  
  National SEED Project

  As part of the National SEED Project, the Shipley Caregiver Cohort meets monthly to dive deeper into topics regarding identity and social justice. This parent and guardian designed group also connects with other National SEED Project groups in the local Philadelphia area. 

  
  Black Family Network

  The Black Family Network (BFN) is a parent and guardian affinity group for parents of Black students at Shipley. The group is composed of parents and guardians in all divisions and meets monthly to support Black families within the school. 

  
  Colleagues of Color Affinity Group

  The Colleagues of Color Affinity Group is composed of BIPOC teaching faculty and operational colleagues. The group meets monthly to support and network within the school and also with other local independent schools.

  
  Black Alumni Association (BAA)

  Comprised of Black Shipley Alumni, the BAA strives to support Black Shipley students and alumni, increase Black alumni representation and engagement in Shipley activities, cultivate connections between current Black students and alumni, and create professional and social networking opportunities. The group is united to make Shipley a safer, more understanding, and more embracing place for current and future empowered Black students at the School in order to achieve the mission of diversity and inclusion.
  
  

  Leadership/Governance

  Board of Trustees Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

  The Board of Trustees Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee serves as the primary provider of forward-looking DEI policy and strategy, and mechanisms for administrative accountability. 
  
  

  Student Groups & Conferences

  Upper School Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

  As part of the Upper School Student Government, the Upper School Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee leads the student body in DEI issues and topics. This group helps to provide educational opportunities for students via assemblies and other programming for the Upper School; serves as a sounding board for the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and helps to plan events on campus, including Impact Week. This group meets bi-monthly and is open to all students in every grade level in the Upper School. 

  
  Black Student Union (BSU)

  The Black Student Union (BSU) is an affinity group designed to promote social justice, facilitate historical and cultural enrichment, create a platform for racial discussions, and build a strong bond between Black students in the community. The BSU helps to lead events, programming, and mentorship for younger students. The group meets bi-monthly. 
  
  Asian Student Alliance
  
  Jewish Heritage Student Group

  
  Upper School SPECTRUM

  The Upper School SPECTRUM group is an LGTBQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) ally group that focuses on supporting and educating students in the Upper School regarding diversity and inclusion. The group helps to promote awareness and provide programming including, but not limited to, National Day of Silence, National Coming Out Day, and Pride Month. 

  
  Middle School SPECTRUM

  Middle School SPECTRUM Club works to learn about LGBTQ+ identities, educate others about issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community, and create a culture at the Middle School that is inclusive of all LGBTQ+ students and adults.

  
  Middle School Race and Identity Club 

  Middle School Race and Identity Club works to increase our racial literacy, examine our own racial and ethnic identities, and create a culture at the Middle School that is anti-racist and celebrates all cultures.

  
  Lower School Diversity DEI Group
  
  

  Conferences Students Have Attended

  We believe it is important that students in all divisions have the opportunity to attend both regional and national conferences regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students have attended: 

  • National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Student Diversity Leadership Conference
  • William Penn Charter School - The Cheryl Irving Student Diversity Conference
  • Abington Friends School, Perkiomen School, and Friends Select School - Mid-Atlantic Region Diversity Conference
  • Springside Chestnut Hill SCHOUT Conference
  • White Privilege Youth Action Conference
  • The Haverford School - Middle School Diversity Conference
  • Malvern Preparatory School - ST@MP Conference
  • Tower Hill School Leaning into Equity Awareness and Diversity (LEAD) Conference
  • Green Street School Woke Day Annual Stay Woke Day

• Diversity, Equity And Inclusion Resources

  Articles

  • We talk about race everywhere but the classroom. Why? – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  • 6 Things White Kids Say About Race That Parents Should Call Out Now – Huffington Post
  • What Is Social Justice Education Anyway?” – Education Week
  • Performative Allyship Is Deadly (Here’s What to Do Instead) - by Holiday Phillips
  • Confronting Prejudice: How to Protect Yourself and Help Others - OnlinePsychology@Pepperdine
  • What Anti-racist Teachers Do Differently - The Atlantic

  Books

  • So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo
  • The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys by Eddie Moore Jr, Allison S. Michael, and Marguerite Penick-Parks
  • Just Mercy: : A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
  • The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
  • Beyond the Golden Rule - A Parent's Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice by Dana Williams
    
    

  Podcasts

  • 1619, The New York Times
  • Code Switch, NPR
  • Talking to Your Child About Race and Racism, My New Life episode featuring Julie Lythcott-Haims 
    
    

  Resources for Students

  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram Xendi - A teen-friendly spin on Ibram Xendi’s Stamped from the Beginning
  • 7 Anti-Racist Books for Middle School Children - Recommended by Janifer Wilson, owner of Sisters Uptown Bookstore in Harlem, New York
    
    

  Resources for All

  • "How Studying Privilege Systems Can Strengthen Compassion," Ted Talk by Peggy McIntosh
  • "Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable," Ted Talk by Luvvie Ajayi
  • "The Urgency of Intersectionality," Ted Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw