Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Park Tudor

Within the context of our Mission and Vision, Park Tudor seeks to reinforce our Core Values of integrity, intellectual engagement, respect, responsibility and resourcefulness through philosophical and programmatic support for diversity and inclusion.

Park Tudor's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion also reflects our determination to prepare our students to thrive in an increasingly complex world. To that end, we cultivate discussions on topics such as race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, sexual orientation, and ageism to promote understanding and respect for differences in the local and global community.

Camille T. Wiggins

Director of Equity and Inclusion

School: 317-415-2814

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Equity and Inclusion Mission Statement

Graduating balanced, confident, globally ready and resourceful lifelong learners in a diverse, inclusive, and equitable school community is critical to Park Tudor’s mission and vision. We embrace diversity of all kinds including but not limited to race, gender identity and expression, family structure, ethnicity, learning style, faith, sexual orientation, and economic background. Park Tudor is committed to giving every student the opportunity to achieve their personal best regardless of human differences through structures and systems that equitably support the success of each student. By creating an environment that encourages diversity of thought and respectful civil discourse, we prepare our students to live and succeed in a complex world.

Equity and Inclusion Vision Statement

The Park Tudor Board of Directors continues to support a school community where:

1. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are recognized as core institutional values that drive decision-making, resource allocation, and the refinement and development of all policies and practices;

2. A diverse student body is cultivated, supported, and valued;

3. Diverse staff and faculty are recruited, retained, and supported; and

4. Curiosity is ignited, compassion is instilled, and courage is inspired.

Equity and Inclusion Strategic Priorities

The Equity and Inclusion Committee work advances three strategic priorities at the board level:

1. Increase Representational Diversity
Provide resources, education, and equitable processes to support the school’s administration in the recruitment and retention of diverse students, staff, and faculty to maintain a welcoming and affirming climate for exceptional learning.

2. Improve Campus Climate
Support the School’s Equity and Inclusion Committee as a liaison from the board in the creation of programs, opportunities for engagement, and capacity-building initiatives that contribute to a welcoming campus environment.

3. Build, Support, and Align Partnerships
Provide resources and education to continually develop the Board’s understanding of equity and inclusion and assist the school in identifying community partners to implement and sustain efforts to advance equity and inclusion in our local community. Board edification and collaborative community partnerships will improve outcomes for students, staff, faculty, and community members.

Definitions

What is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion?

Diversity, equity, and inclusion work (often referred to as DEI) in independent schools seeks to help community members navigate differences and similarities so that everyone can realize their potential.

Diversity refers to the full range of human differences within overarching similarities. These differences can be visible or invisible, mutable or not. Schools foster diversity by ensuring that their communities include people from many different backgrounds and perspectives.
Equity means ensuring that everyone has equal access to the opportunities that will help them thrive. Not everyone in a school community will have the same needs; schools can address equity by understanding the needs of each student and providing the tools or opportunities that will support their development.
Inclusion refers to individual and institutional behaviors that show people they are accepted, respected, and valued. Inclusion helps ensure all community members have access to the benefits and opportunities the school provides. Inclusion is also closely related to belonging.
Belonging refers to the emotional and experiential outcome of inclusion. All humans share the need to be taken in, cared-for, protected, and valued by a group, community, or organization. Belonging gives people a voice in a community, and encourages and enables them to contribute to it and to expect support from it as well.

National Association of independent Schools (NAIS.org)

Data

Independent School Data Exchange (INDEX) is a member-driven, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing data, analysis, research, and information to Independent Schools to aid in decision-making, policy development, and strategic planning.

Student Diversity — Students of Color
Year	Percent
2013	25.8%
2014	25.2%
2015	24.6%
2016	27.4%
2017	29.4%
2018	31.5%
2019	30.3%
2020	31.7%
2021	33%
2022	37.1%

Statement from the Park Tudor Board of Directors on Equity and Inclusion

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Park Tudor Board of Directors Statement on Equity and Inclusion

Jul 17 2020

Dear Members of the Park Tudor Community,

At Park Tudor, we always strive to be exceptional and extraordinary. Our core values include personal responsibility, which in turn challenges us to be highly ethical and respectful in our thought, decision-making and behavior. We endeavor to be an inclusive institution that encourages honesty and consideration for all¹.

Now more then ever, we are conscious of the truth that systemic racism exists everywhere, including at Park Tudor School. Today we accept this as truth, and challenge ourselves to push forward and improve as we work to be an affirming, safe and anti-racist environment for all members of our community.

Recently many students have publicly shared stories and comments of their school experiences. We encourage and appreciate this transparency and we have sincere and deep empathy for the pain and frustration that is being expressed. Our school leadership and faculty are listening and learning. At Park Tudor, we believe that every student should have the equal opportunity to thrive and excel without impediment. We can and will do better.

Today the administration, with the full support of the Board, reaffirms our commitment to equity and inclusion and pledges to follow through on making our established policies, as articulated in the Student-Parent Handbook, a reality. We truly believe that this is a community-wide effort. With this in mind, we are expanding the scope and membership of the school’s Equity and Inclusion Committee to include students, parents, alumni and members of the Board.

In addition, the Board fully supports the Head of School’s decision to empower Camille T. Wiggins, Director of Equity and Inclusion, to immediately conduct an inclusive culture assessment. This will include a thorough review of the Principles of Good Practice on Equity and Justice produced by the National Association of Independent Schools. The assessment process will examine the ways in which Park Tudor can realize the principles described within the document, which outlines best practices that are shared with and accepted by fellow independent schools across the country.

We encourage all community members to reach out to Gareth and his leadership team with any thoughts or feedback. We are committed to helping our school and all of our students reach their highest potential. Your partnership and support in this work are greatly appreciated. We look forward to a successful and safe school year.

With warm regards,

Board of Directors
Park Tudor Foundation, Inc.

¹ Park Tudor Values

AIM Survey

The Results Are In: The AIM Survey Reveals Progress and Opportunity

Feb 24 2022 8:14 AM

By Camille T. Wiggins, Director of Equity and Inclusion

The year 2020 was shaped and changed by matters of social justice, politics and a global pandemic. Discussions of equity, inclusion, and fairness influenced ideas on community and belonging all around the world, and many of those conversations touched our PT community as well. Call it an identity crisis, a re-set, or a re-birth, it was an opportune time for PT to reexamine who we are or who - or what - we’d become. It was time to put a spotlight on our community to see how it had been shaped and changed, and to learn what was needed to help it thrive. As a part of this process, the Leadership Team concluded that a survey was one of the measures that could help provide guidance.

By the spring of the 2020-2021 academic year, PT embarked upon a school-wide survey to solicit feedback on inclusion and multiculturalism efforts on campus. The tool used was the Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM), a survey specifically designed for independent schools to connect with their school community to gain an understanding of the climate of inclusion on their campuses. The AIM survey was created by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), and has been used for over a decade by independent schools all across the country. The respondents of the confidential survey represented individuals from 7 constituent groups: Students – 7th through 12th grade (90%), Faculty (66%), Administration (68%), Board (50%), Staff (39%), Parents/Guardians (26%), and Alumni - class years 2000 through 2020 (6%). The tabulated findings fell into 3 categories: Healthy = 4.0 or higher; Priority Concern = 3.5 - 3.99; High Priority Concern = 3.49 or lower. In the Board category, “Staff/Faculty Reflect Student Diversity” was a High Priority Concern at 2.8, and for Parents, Guardians, Administrators, Staff and Alumni, “General Positive Atmosphere” was a Priority Concern. All of the Student scores were 3.8 and above, with “General Positive Atmosphere,” “Diversity Important to Excellence in Education,” and “Staff/Faculty Demonstrate Respect” at the top.

The AIM results have the ability to show the Leadership Team where work is needed and the team can create strategies to improve. The most noticeable results were evident in the student population where the perception of multiculturalism and inclusivity was markedly positive. Those results affirm efforts currently in place. Attention to matters that build community particularly the resumption of clubs and organizations, community meetings and assemblies, spirit weeks and tailgate events continue to be an asset. Other news and updates in our community can also be found on the PT DEI webpage. PT’s mission is to prepare each student to thrive in a complex and diverse world, and it appears that we are on the right track, with room to grow. Additional information regarding the AIM survey summary can be found here.

Camille T. Wiggins
Director of Equity and Inclusion

Principles of Good Practice for Equity and Justice

As a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Park Tudor private school subscribes to the Principles of Good Practice for Equity and Justice.

Statement of diversity, equity and inclusion from ISACS (Independent Schools Association of the Central States), our accrediting organization:

Through accreditation and other services, the Association will require and support the work of each ISACS school to provide an equitable, affirming, safe, and just environment.