Action Plan - Charles River School

During the 2021-2022 academic year, Charles River School underwent a climate assessment for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A climate assessment is a wide-ranging, in-depth study of a school’s educational environment, policies, and practices to gauge constituent perceptions of and experiences in the school. The goal of the climate assessment was to ultimately identify specific strengths and areas for improvement within our school community. Through a thorough review of school data (demographics, procedures, curriculum, etc.), survey data, and numerous 1:1 and small group interviews, Dr. Keith Hinderlie of Hinderlie & Associates, led our climate assessment and ultimately offered his commendations and recommendations.

The resulting report has helped CRS set clear diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for the years to come. The climate assessment furthered our understanding of the needs and desires of the CRS community and will continue to lead us down a path toward an equitable, inclusive future that centers academic excellence and joyful learning.

Students studying rocks and other artifacts

Strategic Pillars for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work

The Climate Assessment provides recommendations for successful models of inclusion and multicultural practice within the school and recommendations for further growth, consistent with best practices in independent schools, and with the school’s mission and stated diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Based on the analysis of this report and its commendations and recommendations, CRS has identified 4 strategic pillars for its equity and inclusion work, as well as prioritized key recommendations in each area.

“We recognize the repeated messages from community members that equity and inclusion are important. There was clear interest and motivation by CRS faculty and administrators to improve their practices, policies and people to be a more inclusive community” (Hinderlie and Associates).

Key Recommendations and Opportunities for Growth

Require Board attendance at workshops designed to develop a common language and understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and that support the collaborative mission of Charles River School’s leadership and include diversity and inclusion training as a part of the onboarding orientation for new Trustees
Assess the connection of Auxiliary Program staff to the broader CRS community to support hiring and retention strategies
Formalize the work and structure of AWARE to provide a space for White faculty to discuss equity and inclusion work and establish a group of potential allies for BIPOC students and faculty.
Formalize an anti-bias hiring process to be used consistently across departments and a standard set of equity and inclusion criteria for each posting, setting expectations for professional development and skills in diversity, equity and inclusion
Invest in the further use of recruitment firms and strategies to increase the depth and diversity of CRS hiring pools and conduct an annual review of hiring data and outcomes
Provide all employees with clear, consistent, and supportive feedback at regular intervals throughout the first year about both general and CEI-related work
Create specific job responsibilities for DEI for the members of the Administrative Team, pertinent to their role in the school, defined in their job descriptions, and evaluated by the Head of School.

“We admire and respect the introduction of Charles River School values to prospective students and their families during the application process. The initial querying of a child’s need for safety and belonging – and asking parents to think about their contribution to this effort – is crucial to developing a welcoming community. This sincerely worded embrace and extension of courtesy sends a positive message. It conveys that CRS wants all students to know they can bring their whole selves to the school. It also highlights Charles River School as an inclusive community that expects all participants to contribute to, and honor, an affirming environment” (Hinderlie and Associates).

Key Recommendations and Opportunities for Growth

Update the Equity, Belonging and Community Life web page to better articulate school values, aspirations, and current programming
Analyze current communication strategies and protocols to make recommendations for more effective articulation of curriculum and programming to parents/caregivers
Create or restructure orientation opportunities to consistently feature equity and belonging in the onboarding of new students and families, all employees, and all trustees.
Reassess the membership and structure of the Faculty Diversity Committee to further enhance and support the school’s equity and inclusion efforts
Offer biannual parent workshops to better connect the parent body to the equity and inclusion work of the school.
Further formalize a regularly occurring parent/caregiver book group focused on inspiring books that help parents to raise their young people in a multicultural world
Collect and store alumni data to increase outreach ability to alums of color increase engagement and leverage potential involvement in new initiatives.

“For several years, Charles River School has been improving multicultural practices. Faculty have attended, and encouraged others to attend, training focused on building multicultural capacity. Multicultural practice includes culturally responsive pedagogy for the academic curriculum, as well as student life practices that affirm identity, build community, and cultivate leadership” (Hinderlie and Associates).

Key Recommendations and Opportunities for Growth

Leverage existing standards (LFJ)and best practices for equitable and inclusive classrooms consistently throughout PreK-8 and create a shared expectation of their use
Continue to develop and document an inclusive curriculum at each grade level
Continue to review the present curriculum to assess whose voices are missing or viewed through a single lens (eg: immigration, enslavement, relocation, prejudice, etc.) and revise as needed

“We were impressed by the sense of community and caring that was evident. Students in particular, seemed to feel safe and affirmed across different identity groups. We liked what we were seeing in terms of curriculum and program development for students. While we think there is room for growth in recruiting a more diverse student population, the twenty-seven percent (27%) students of color population represents a critical mass in this predominantly affluent, White school” (Hinderlie and Associates).

Key Recommendations and Opportunities for Growth

Create specific start-of-school programming for students and families of color to strengthen the community of students of color and positively impact participants’ sense of belonging and inclusion
Create a profile of students/families of color who are interested in, and who could be potentially successful at, CRS and formalize recruitment strategies for families and students of color
Further develop student affinity and alliance group curriculum and opportunities
Assess the school’s current mental health support capacity and create profiles of students who could thrive in the current academic support model and those whose needs would exceed the program/school’s capacity to support them
Improve dining service work to provide student meals that are consistent with religious practices and dietary restrictions, increase meal variety and signage clarity, and include information about meals in the Student Handbook
Formalize data collection on incoming students and families to allow for more focused communication and outreach around equity and inclusion programming

Methodology

The Hinderlie and Associates Climate Assessment of Charles River School (CRS) is a mixed-method study and written evaluation focusing on the issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Hinderlie and Associates team analyzed Charles River School’s climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion, combining both first impressions, as might be seen from the point of view of a prospective parent or employee seeking an inclusive school community, and current experience as reported by a broad sampling of the school’s community. Hinderlie and Associates sought to capture the voices of the community through meetings with members of the school community, with constituency focus groups, and with open meeting times available to all who wished to share their thoughts and experiences.

Hinderlie and Associates also invited the community to communicate with us via email or in Zoom conversations. Additionally, parents/caregivers, faculty, and trustees who wished to speak with Dr. Hinderlie during the weeklong school visit were welcomed. The Hinderlie and Associates team used community observations, analysis of archival material, and current data assembled specifically for this project. Finally, Hinderlie and Associates administered an anonymous online Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) survey to students, employees, parents/caregivers, and trustees.

Executive Summary

The Executive Summary serves as a guide to the comprehensive climate assessment of the Charles River School, conducted by Hinderlie and Associates in 2021-22. Read the Executive Summary

Join the Conversation

If you have questions about the climate assessment or any of the initiatives related to CRS' commitment to community, equity, and belonging, please reach out. Email the Office of Equity, Belonging, and Community Life.